Introducing... Skrillex

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter Skrillex, from Los Angeles, now DJs all over the world

There's a point during our interview with Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex, where he leans towards his tour manager to ask him a question about an upcoming release.

The reply he gets is just the sound of a gentle snore.

"Ah, that guy can sleep anywhere," says Skrillex laughing and waving it off.

To be honest, it's a surprise that Skrillex himself is still wide awake, since he's spent the summer zig-zagging across time zones like a pin ball machine.

Long journey

The DJ and producer has performed in front of massive crowds everywhere - from Paris to Chicago, Las Vegas to Loch Ness. This past weekend completed a triumphant end of summer sign-off at Bestival on the Isle Of Wight.

In fact he's spent most of the last few years doing this - to the point now where he's on the cusp of becoming one of the biggest DJs in the world. He's certainly one of the most talked about.

It wasn't always like this though.

Now 23, Sonny left school at 16, to tour the world with a screamo metal band called From First To Last.

Familiar faces in the rock scene, the band eventually imploded in a cloud of bad-feeling after a couple of years.

"The band I came from became so jaded," he says, today. "Most people involved weren't passionate about the music."

Once that had ended he turned his attention back to the electronic music he secretly enjoyed growing up. He also immersed himself in Los Angeles' new obsession with a new British strain of dance music - dubstep.

Early remixes for the likes of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry brought with them a huge amount of attention.

"Dubstep in the states is enormous in an underground sense or in a viral sense," he says.

"I can play in front of 50,000 and they'll know every single word but I'm still not played on the radio."

He is though, played on radio here in the UK with his brash-brand of dubstep-infused-pop now fast becoming a familiar, if crunching, sound.

Skrillex isn't upset that the underground sound he loves, and in some senses fronts, has now been swallowed up by the mainstream - with everyone from Britney Spears to Rihanna scrabbling to work with dubstep producers.

"There's nothing to be mad about because it's inevitable," he says.

"I'm not personally a fan of Britney Spears but if she loves what she does then that's her thing. I think the pioneers should feel complimented that it made it to that point."

Modest ambitions

The product of two years worth of work, Skrillex will release his as yet untitled debut album this autumn.

"I'm just waiting for some vocals," he smiles guardedly. "Some things are on the brink of happening and some things are solidified and huge."

Despite playing to an ever-increasing fanbase he remains modest about the new opportunities landing in his lap.

"I'm not here to try and please anybody or make a statement," he says. "I just want to make music."

Skrillex's single Ruffneck (Full Flex) is out now.