Skrillex EP Turns Ten: ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’

Put on your party hats everyone because we’ve got a big birthday to celebrate. On this day ten years ago, Skrillex dropped Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, his second EP that helped skyrocket his commercial success and introduced us to even more crazy alien abduction sounds we didn’t know we needed.

Under the Mau5trap and Big Beat labels, the EP which features tracks with Penny and Foreign Beggars and remixes by Bare Noize, Noisia, and Zedd, was years ahead of its time. The noises Skrillex was able to concoct to give us pure, punch-you-in-the-face dubstep is nothing short of impressive, especially given his previous gig. Before the birth of Skrillex, he was known as Sonny Moore, lead singer of the hardxcore (LOL) screamo band From First To Last and heartthrob/idol to angsty teenagers who shopped at Hot Topic. If you even went for the racoon eyeliner look, props to you! Moore proved to be equally as talented in his new genre. With a healthy balance of danceable melodies and heart-stopping heaviness, the EP would eventually go on to win Best Dance/Electronica Album and Best Dance Recording at the 2011 Grammys – groundbreaking wins for EDM at the time.

The EP’s title track is a great example of quintessential Skrillex sound we’ve grown to recognize and love. The catchy melody and chopped up vocals followed by a, for lack of a better word, disgusting drop into intense growls and wobbles is what makes this track a dubstep classic and evoked the best kind of “wtf!” reaction. The cherry on top is the vocal sample from the infamous cup stacking girl, and her excited, “Yes! Oh my gosh!”, only adds energy to the song. Thank you Skrillex for making us aware that stacking cups was even a thing.

Moore’s success has climbed powerfully in the last ten years with no signs of stopping. His current discography reads like a who’s who of collaborators, like Rick Ross, Damian Marley, and Diplo to form another Grammy winning side project, Jack Ü. He closed out the final week of 2019 with a winter festival run, hitting Lights All Night, HiJinx Festival, and Decadence Arizona. Most recently, his production can be found on the track “GREYGOOSE” by Dounia.

Take a trip down memory lane and revisit Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, remembering what it was like to first hear that wild robot music!

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