Whatever one might have to say about precocious 24-year-old American DJ and producer Sonny John Moore, better known as Skrillex, he's not boring, and the music world seems to be paying attention - he was named on many end-of-year lists as one to watch, and received three Grammy awards in this week's ceremony for his older 2010 EP, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.
This latest seven-track collection is an aural assault of electronica-dubstep-pop, designed to incite as much jumping, fist-pumping and head-banging as possible.
Starting out as a lead singer in post-hardcore band From First To Last, before moving on to a more alt-pop solo career, Skrillex soon realised he could make more money riding the trend wave as a dubstep/electronica DJ, though his earlier influences and wide skillset are still on display in this mash of genres.
On this EP he continues with the trend of making dubstep and electronica more accessible to the masses by mixing in a variety of influences (on Breakin' A Sweat he samples The Doors, for example), and dragging tracks into the world of pop with annoyingly catchy electronic riffs. Unfortunately there's nothing particularly clever about the arrangements, which grate after a while, and there's no subtlety to be found. But he will undoubtedly pack the dance floor when he comes to Vector Arena to perform with Fatboy Slim and Die Antwoord in March.
Stars: 2.5/5
Verdict: Bang bang grind grind beep beep
