Five years in electronic music can often feel more like fifteen. The breakneck pace by which our culture moves, develops, and evolves these days makes a half decade gap feel more like a lifetime for Skrillex fans celebrating the five year anniversary of Recess today (March 18). The album’s release date is often contested, as the LP arrived in perfectly quintessential Skrillex fashion—leaked early through a cell phone app posing as an intergalactic video game. No matter how or when the record arrived, it undoubtedly changed the electronic landscape and set Skrillex on a crash course for pop super stardom.
Sonny Moore’s debut LP under the Skrillex moniker came well after he had already established his Grammy Award-winning sound, though the album is really what planted Moore’s flag as an electronic trailblazer that was here to stay. The record was a carefree electronic thrill ride that featured a budding Chance The Rapper, a preview taste of the oncoming k-pop tidal wave with G-Dragon, CL, and Diplo, and a healthy dose of heavy dub appeal from the Ragga Twins. Infectiously aggressive yet in touch with its dance-friendly roots, Recess culminated in what many still believe Skrillex’s finest body of work to date.
In the years since Skrillex’s debut studio LP, his list of credentials has outgrown the confines of electronic dance music in remarkable ways. He’s gone on to produce for the world’s greatest pop stars, from Justin Bieber to Mariah Carey. He’s tackled movie soundtracks, linked with rappers, produced an entire joint album with Diplo, and grown OWSLA into one of the country’s premier electronic imprints.
Now, after a much-deserved year off for his 30th, Skrillex is starting to push the pedal to the floor once again in 2019, and though he’s coyly dismissed rumors of a sophomore album recently, something about this year feels like a full circle return for Sonny Moore. Whether its a full fledged follow up to Recess or not, a trove of new Skrillex music seems like it’s ready to be heard by the world. In the meantime, revisit his beloved debut LP below.
Source: dancingastronaut.com
