Bullying and peer pressure was what got me into Brixton’s O2 Academy last Saturday evening. I knew little about Skrillex – he’s rather huge at the moment – and had only listened to one of his tracks out of curiosity about what my friends, and the whole 14-21 year old population it seems, are listening to.
Skrillex isn’t really dubstep as I know it. The dubstep I fell in love with came from the US West Coast back in 2008. There is some obvious overlap in sound and bass lines – I won’t betray my ignorance any further by going into detail about the production, which is, according to British dubstep producer Skream, “is so fucking clean but twisted” – but what Skrillex creates is his own thing. After spending life from the age of 17 in a post-hardcore/screamo band before beginning to produce the electronic stuff, is it any wonder that the boy has a fresh perspective on things.
As soon as his set began, after a couple of welcome Bob Marley numbers, I didn’t leave my spot and didn’t stop moving once. Neither did anyone else in the very mixed crowd. Rather like other acts that defy genre definition such as The Prodigy and Faithless, Skrillex’s music has elements for everybody. Playing all his best known and loved tunes like First of the Year, Banagarang and Scary Monsters and Nice Spirites as well as a few Nero numbers and a Fat Man Scoop classic, too, no one was left unhappy. And what a joy to see and feel the pure energy with which he thrashes around on his decks, partying with the whole room. Beer showers, a veritable mosh-pit – damn being a female! – and not a bad vibe in sight.
The most stunning aspect of the show had to be The Cell – the spectacle of visuals projected behind the man himself, pure synethesia. The Cell, for which he deservedly won a Grammy, is “a combination of computer animation, a motion capture suit and 3D bump mapping projection” (thank you, Ed Keeble) and it would have been worth going for that alone, even if you are one of the army of Skrillex-haters out there.
Sonny Moore is adorable. I only have a couple of interviews, his Twitter feed and his performance at Brixton Academy to go by, but he is. He does what he loves with untiringly and passionately, he is genuine, he is un-jaded and he smiles a lot. And he rocks an awesome look – very Yoji Biomehanika (ish). There were more than a few in the crowd deferentially sporting the long hair/shaved head contrast.
My raving and dance music days begun with Psytrance at 18 and progressed onto Hard House at 19. I did the cyber dots and the fluffy boots, the dummies and Teletubby backpacks. I hadn’t been back to Brixton Academy for a long, long time. It was just how I remember it: humid, smoky, skunky and sweaty. And I loved it.
