The Evolution of Technological Spectacle in Live Performances: An Interview with Skrillex

As I sit down with Skrillex, it's clear that technology has played a significant role in shaping his live performances. "My LED wall is kind of like the narrative thread that runs from the beginning ahead of my show," he explains, gesturing to the massive visual installation behind him. "It's a huge visual of the song and then you have the lights and you have the ambience and the feelings that really elevate your emotions and certain webs and flows of the songs." This LED wall has become an integral part of Skrillex's shows, serving as a constant reminder of the narrative thread that runs throughout his performances.

Skrillex emphasizes the importance of visual stimulation in live festivals. "Festivals are entirely this experiential feeling," he explains. "It's like you're seeing there being like completely overwhelmed by your visual stimulation. The lights they're like kind of strobing at you and obviously the energy around with all the people plus a good cake in the face really make you realize." His shows have become a masterclass in how to harness technology to create an immersive experience for the audience.

However, despite his enthusiasm for technology, Skrillex admits that not everything has worked out as planned. "There are some tech spectacles that I've really wanted to pursue but it's the technology just isn't there yet," he says with a chuckle. He recalls trying to incorporate Oculus-like technology into his shows, only to find it clunky and impractical. "It needs to be easy and it's got to be like ding you know like it's got to be like already in your brain or something." Despite these setbacks, Skrillex remains committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with live performances.

The impact of technological advancements on the music industry cannot be overstated. "I think Tech is supposed to make things easier for you so like the things that you love to do it's like about how accessible that is to your life," Skrillex observes. He notes that technology has revolutionized the way musicians produce and consume music, with streaming platforms offering unprecedented access to global audiences.

Skrillex has personally benefited from this shift in the industry. "The streaming platforms allow me to jump into producing songs with you know with the K-pop artists like BTS," he explains. Because of these platforms, artists can now reach fans all over the world, regardless of language or cultural background. Skrillex has been at the forefront of this movement, collaborating with artists from diverse backgrounds and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in terms of genre-bending music.

One notable example of this is his recent collaboration with Lou Tomlinson from One Direction, which resulted in a song that blended Skrillex's signature dubstep sound with the pop sensibilities of One Direction. Similarly, his new song "Pretender" featuring AJR features a unique blend of electronic and indie rock elements, showcasing Skrillex's continued commitment to innovation and experimentation.

In conclusion, Skrillex's live performances are a testament to the power of technological spectacle in shaping the music industry. While there have been setbacks along the way, his dedication to pushing the boundaries of what is possible has yielded some truly groundbreaking results. As he looks to the future, it's clear that technology will continue to play an increasingly important role in shaping the live performances of musicians around the world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi I'm Tony Sullivan Percy met in New York and I'm here with ebay okie globe-trotting DJ EDM superstars see you thank you for coming in yeah so anyone who's seen any of your shows your fans know technological spectacle is a key part of your performance can you talk about any of your very favorites whiz-bang showstopper technological performance elements my LED wall is kind of like the narrative thread that runs from the beginning ahead of my show it's a huge visual of the song and then you have the lights and you have the ambience and the feelings that really elevate your emotions and certain webs and flows of the songs just seemed like the evolution of festivals festivals are entirely this experiencial feeling where it's obviously more than auditory you know it's like you're seeing there being like completely overwhelmed by your visual stimulation the lights they're like kind of strobing at you and obviously the energy around with all the people plus a good cake in the face really make you realize got a Steve Aoki show which is very important to me are there any tech spectacles that you've really wanted to pursue but it's the technology just isn't there yet anytime you wear some sort of like the oculus rips kind of technology and you try to apply that in your shows it's been a fail it hasn't worked yeah because it's just like it's just too clunky it needs to be easy and it's got to be like ding you know like it's got to be like already in your brain or something I think we're all trying to integrate more tech into our experience because that's that's the driving force of my business is is providing that experience to my fans through my like you know I make the music that brings them into my show right they're like excited like see me play you know these songs that they're hearing in their car or with their at the parties and they come for that you know for that reason and then I have to present it in a way where they leave going that was the most insane experience your interest in technology and feature ISM imbues your music yeah you talk about some technological progress that really excites you okay so for music making it's it's been an ongoing evolution of going from big room studios to a singular laptop and headphones so that's been the evolution to make that easier you know I think Tech is supposed to make things easier for you so like the things that you love to do it's like about how accessible that is to your life what do you think about on the consumption side of music we've seen this transition from owning CDs to downloading tracks to streaming where the universe of music really is open to anybody at any time as much as you want how have you seen this movement to streaming impact your career or impact the popularity of EDM okay so impacting my career has helped me immensely because I cross the onerous constantly the streaming platforms allow me to jump into producing songs with you know with the k-pop artists like BTS because of streaming artists like BTS are global and are getting massive attention in America that you know a country that doesn't speak Korean but they love BTS or working with Latin artists where like streaming once again has has increased the global globalization of Latin music to to to the point where my song with daddy yankee that's a entirely spanish song song is bigger in countries like france and italy than it is in spanish-speaking countries you know because of streaming streaming is a big deal but my songs that are streaming in big ways are songs that where I've jumped into different worlds like working with Lou Tomlinson from one direction it would just hold on and now my new song Pretender with AJ or little Yaya another genre-bending record I suspect you know high string you think you so much for cominghi I'm Tony Sullivan Percy met in New York and I'm here with ebay okie globe-trotting DJ EDM superstars see you thank you for coming in yeah so anyone who's seen any of your shows your fans know technological spectacle is a key part of your performance can you talk about any of your very favorites whiz-bang showstopper technological performance elements my LED wall is kind of like the narrative thread that runs from the beginning ahead of my show it's a huge visual of the song and then you have the lights and you have the ambience and the feelings that really elevate your emotions and certain webs and flows of the songs just seemed like the evolution of festivals festivals are entirely this experiencial feeling where it's obviously more than auditory you know it's like you're seeing there being like completely overwhelmed by your visual stimulation the lights they're like kind of strobing at you and obviously the energy around with all the people plus a good cake in the face really make you realize got a Steve Aoki show which is very important to me are there any tech spectacles that you've really wanted to pursue but it's the technology just isn't there yet anytime you wear some sort of like the oculus rips kind of technology and you try to apply that in your shows it's been a fail it hasn't worked yeah because it's just like it's just too clunky it needs to be easy and it's got to be like ding you know like it's got to be like already in your brain or something I think we're all trying to integrate more tech into our experience because that's that's the driving force of my business is is providing that experience to my fans through my like you know I make the music that brings them into my show right they're like excited like see me play you know these songs that they're hearing in their car or with their at the parties and they come for that you know for that reason and then I have to present it in a way where they leave going that was the most insane experience your interest in technology and feature ISM imbues your music yeah you talk about some technological progress that really excites you okay so for music making it's it's been an ongoing evolution of going from big room studios to a singular laptop and headphones so that's been the evolution to make that easier you know I think Tech is supposed to make things easier for you so like the things that you love to do it's like about how accessible that is to your life what do you think about on the consumption side of music we've seen this transition from owning CDs to downloading tracks to streaming where the universe of music really is open to anybody at any time as much as you want how have you seen this movement to streaming impact your career or impact the popularity of EDM okay so impacting my career has helped me immensely because I cross the onerous constantly the streaming platforms allow me to jump into producing songs with you know with the k-pop artists like BTS because of streaming artists like BTS are global and are getting massive attention in America that you know a country that doesn't speak Korean but they love BTS or working with Latin artists where like streaming once again has has increased the global globalization of Latin music to to to the point where my song with daddy yankee that's a entirely spanish song song is bigger in countries like france and italy than it is in spanish-speaking countries you know because of streaming streaming is a big deal but my songs that are streaming in big ways are songs that where I've jumped into different worlds like working with Lou Tomlinson from one direction it would just hold on and now my new song Pretender with AJ or little Yaya another genre-bending record I suspect you know high string you think you so much for coming\n"