Skrillex

Recess
By Ben Woodhouse
July 27, 2014
It goes without saying that Skrillex isauniquefigure in music. Since he first appeared in
2010, the ambassador of dubstep has showed the mainstream world asound that has
become so omnipresent, it has beenparodied on SNL. The mention of his name in public
elicits equal groans andagreement nodsfrom eavesdroppers. In two ceremonies he has
won six Grammys, a total that was, until recently, higher than Daft Punks. And he did it
all without even releasing a proper full-length album. Well that full-length has finally
arrived, and while it isnt as cohesive or focused as his EPs, it gives Skrillex more room
to experimentwith mixed results.
One of the first notable differences between Recess and his previous EPs is the collection
of guests on the tracklist. The previous record for number of credited guest vocalistsor
producerson a Skrillex release wassix, on Bangarang. Here, the number is fifteen. Even
more interestingis the relative stylistic disparitybetween Skrillex and many of said
guests. From Sirah to Foreign Beggars, the featured artistson his previous EPs
complemented his musics aggressivestyle. On Recess however, the inclusion of artists
7.4
such asNiki & the Dove, Kid Harpoon, and Passion Pits Michael Angelakos suggests
that this album wont be the moshpit-ready floor-filler many were expecting.
Indeed, the album pushes many of the trademarks of Skrillexsstyle to the backburner in
favor of experimentation withother genres. This would seem like a highrisk movefor an
artist with a sound as recognisable as Skrillexs, but he pulls it off surprisingly well.
Some of Recess most interesting moments includeDoompy Poomp, his enjoyable, if
not veryexciting, attempt at glitchy IDM, andthe bouncy, Chance The Rapper-assisted
highlight Coast Is Clear. Of course, one problem with incorporating so many different
styles into an album is that there are bound to be some misses. Dirty Vibe, hishyped
collaboration with Diplo and K-pop stars G-Dragonand CL, is a perfect example, asthe
song consists mostly of the latter two rapping comicallyawful lyrics in English and
Koreanwhile the former pretty much takes total control over the light-speed, trap-infused
beat.
However, for fans looking for the winning big-buildup-big-drop formula that made
Skrillex such a success, Recess still containstracks reminiscent of his early work, such as
Alls Fair inLove and Brostep and his remix of Niki & theDoves DJ , Ease My
Mind. The latter is his best remix since 2012s Holdin On. Themost straightforward
old Skrillextrack on Recess is Try It Out, because, well, it is old Skrillex. An early
version of the track appeared on the Call of Duty: Black Ops II soundtrack back in 2012
and, although it is one of the better tracks on the album, the reason for its inclusion is a
mystery. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise on Recess is album closer Fire Away, a
future garage track that perfectly fits the alien theme that Skrillex has been pushing
lately. The way he pleads Take me with you when you go / Dont leave me out here on
my own soundsas if he were asking a visiting extraterrestrial to bring him along.
To many, Skrillexs aestheticis already so (in)famous that it can be jarring to hear him
make music that is as vastly different as the tracks on Recess. But it is important to
remember that he has always been one to dabble. Even on his early EPs, there was the
odd song that took a sharp left turn. Think All I Ask of You from Scary Monsters and
Nice Sprites or Summit from Bangarang. Even before people were calling him and his
music stale, he was already switching it up from time to time. With this in mind,
Recess can be viewed as Skrillex simply makinghis exploratory sidehis priority and
expanding it into a full-length. Thosewho are willing to put up with these experiments
should find this albuma satisfying listen. The rest will likely be better off cherry-picking
the more familiar tracks.