State Champ Radio

by DJ Frosty

Current track

Title

Artist

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

12:00 am 12:00 pm


electronic

At the dawn of the new millennium, Nortec Collective transformed the traditional sounds of northern Mexico into something entirely unheard of — a fusion of regional Mexican and electronic music that redefined a generation. Shorthand for “norteño” and “techno,” Nortec was culture rewired, fusing the bright accordions and brassy tubas of banda with driving techno and experimental beats. But what emerged wasn’t merely a genre — it was a sonic identity, a collision of past and future that encapsulated the spirit of Tijuana.

While Nortec Collective began as a collaborative effort of forward-thinking Baja California DJ/producers and visual artists, its global breakthrough was powered by the duo of Ramón Amezcua (Bostich) and Pepe Mogt (Fussible). With their boundary-pushing vision, Bostich + Fussible carried the sound, ethos, and imagery of Nortec beyond the Tijuana clubs and into Coachella (2001 and 2015), Cirque du Soleil, the 2011 Pan American Games, and events spanning Japan, Brazil, France, and Argentina. Along the way, they collaborated with icons like Morrissey, Beck, Tom Tom Club and Kraftwerk. Nortec Collective’s seminal album Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3 (2005) earned them two Latin Grammy nominations.

Trending on Billboard

From the outset, Nortec’s work challenged conventions, subverting stereotypes of Mexican identity — like the outsider trope of the gun-slinging charro donning a weed plant shirt in a lawless Tijuana — while exploring new artistic terrain. Their influence hasn’t just resonated in music but across academia and art, sparking critical studies like Paso del Nortec: This is Tijuana! (2004), by Jose Manuel Valenzuela, and Nor-tec Rifa!: Electronic Dance Music from Tijuana to the World (2008) by Alejandro L. Madrid. Most recently, they’ve been the subject of a chapter in 2024’s Con sus charros cibernéticos: Un paseo por la música electrónica en México by Juan Antonio Vargas Barraza.

Nortec Collective

Courtesy of Nacional Records

Today, the ripple effects of Nortec’s inventive sound can be heard in the rise of electro corridos, a genre-blurring movement led by acts like Fuerza Regida (whose Jersey corridos album Pero No Te Enamores made waves), DannyLux (“House of Lux”), Codiciado (“Gabachas”), Grupo Marca Registrada, Luis R. Conriquez, and Los Esquiveles. Even this week, SoundCloud spotlighted the growing prominence of the movement among listeners, a testament to the enduring relevance of the fusion that Nortec originated.

Now, 25 years after the release of their first project as Bostich + Fussible, the pair continue to celebrate their legacy while adding new milestones. Last month, their single “Tijuana Sound Machine” from their Grammy-nominated 2008 album of the same name was certified double-platinum by AMPROFON in Mexico. With festival appearances this year at Vive Latino, Pa’l Norte, and Festival Arre, Nortec’s Bostich + Fussible continue to demonstrate the enduring resonance of their influence — not only for themselves but for the revolutionary fusion that changed how we hear and imagine Mexican music.

Below, the duo reflect on both their legacy and their place in contemporary music.

Fussible: Nortec started out as a collective back in ’99. Ramón and I had been making electronic music since the ’80s, experimenting with genres like industrial, breakbeats, EDM and house. Even though our paths were pretty different, in the mid-’90s we came up with an alias called Monitor, which leaned more toward experimental electronic stuff with a touch of breakbeat.

Neither Ramón nor I liked norteño or banda music because we grew up with different influences. It wasn’t because we had anything against that music — we’d hear it at family parties, and it’s very common in Tijuana. But when you grow up with electronic music coming across the border, whether through radio stations or record stores back then, our passion was electronic music — that’s what shaped our influences.

From there, I got my hands on some tapes of norteño music with snare drums and trumpets recorded by local bands. These groups made demos to land gigs in bars and nightclubs around Tijuana. They’d record covers of artists like Los Tigres, El Recodo, Intocable and even a norteño version of the Beatles in Spanish, all in their own style. While experimenting with mixing their recordings with ambient techno sounds, the track “Ventilador” was born, giving me the idea for an entirely new project.

Nortec Collective

Gregory Allen

At first, Ramón was a bit skeptical and thought it was a joke. I told him we could do something with it. More than anything, it was about searching for identity, an opportunity to create something different and shake things up, but only as a one-off project. Then Ramón released “Polaris,” followed by “Trip to Ensenada” [by Fussible] and “Tijuana Bass.” That set the foundation.

We had several musician friends in Tijuana who were making electronic music. We put out a call to see if they wanted to join in under the same concept and use the samples I had collected. However, many thought it was a joke or just weren’t interested. But a few with production experience jumped on board. We brought in Terrestre and Plantón from Ensenada, who had a strong background in advanced electronic music, jazz, and even rock. Then there were Hiperboreal and Panóptica, who were doing their own thing. Designers Jorge Verdín (Clorofila) and Fritz Torres also joined in, contributing to both the music and the visuals.

When we released our first tracks, a DJ from Tijuana named Tolo decided to use his budget, which was originally meant for house music on vinyl, and decided to fund the first Nortec vinyl. That’s how it all took off — with finished songs and a collective. It was the birth of the Nortec Collective.

Ramón and I had more material, so we dropped our first release, Bostich + Fussible Remixes, which came out on [the label] Opción Sónica in early 2000. That’s why the 25 years of Bostich + Fussible. The collective’s performances came to an end around 2006 or 2007, with one final show featuring everyone together. After that, each member went on to release their own albums individually. But Bostich and Fussible made a comeback with Tijuana Sound Machine in 2008. We kept creating more and found our formula for working and performing together.

We decided to create a story based on that car [featured on the album cover]. That’s when we came up with the trilogy about this mysterious car that you don’t know if it flies, smuggles undocumented immigrants or illegal goods, or maybe even traffics records. Its wheels are speakers, and inside there’s a norteño ghost. The design, created by Fritz, was also nominated for a Latin Grammy for best recording package.

Bostich: Each of our albums has reflected that [Tijuana] reality. In the beginning, the first Nortec cover, a digitized norteño, was very much tied to the concept of the music. It was a deconstruction through technology of a sound that was entirely regional and local. Even though norteño and banda music didn’t originate in Tijuana, it’s the music we grew up with in our city.

During the Tijuana Sound Machine era, Tijuana was an extremely violent city. It was necessary to keep your name out of phone directories to avoid being tracked or located. Many people left the city. There were a lot of kidnappings, and that reality was reflected in the themes of the albums, like “Retén” and “Akai 47.”

Bulevar 2000 (2010) is about a highway in our city that was built to support Tijuana’s growth but ended up becoming a place where many murders happened, with bodies wrapped in blankets being dumped there. Interestingly, when people Googled “Bulevar 2000” or on other search engines back then, all they found were stories about violent incidents. But when the Bulevar 2000 album was released, people started seeing the album or references to Nortec in the top search results. It was a complete shift and has changed so much since then.

Our latest album, De Sur a Norte (2022), reflects Today’s Tijuana, where the city no longer has its own distinct identity. Everything is so interconnected now. People listen to music from all over the world. You can go to Mérida, and folks there are listening to the same music we’re hearing in Tijuana — not just the sounds of guitars, trumpets, tubas and accordions, but also influences from other parts of the city. Pepe and I have tried to authentically capture our reality as Tijuana natives and what we’re experiencing today.

Tijuana, as a border city and a constantly changing place, has completely different sides to it. Every five to seven years, Tijuana isn’t the same city anymore. The Tijuana of ’99 and 2000, I can tell you, was industrial — it was a time of economic, social and political growth. There was also this new concept of globalization. Pepe and I were sharing our music in a very different way. Our first tracks on Napster were already among the most listened to, according to the creator of Napster himself when we met him. In fact, Nortec’s original slogan was “download is culture.” People would say, “Why are you giving music away? Why is it free? There won’t be any business; there won’t be anything.” But all of that was part of the vision of what was coming at the time — the era of downloads.

Nortec Collective

Courtesy of Nacional Records

The Rise of Electro Corridos

Bostich: We’re very aware that we’re not necessarily an influence on them [today’s acts in the genre]. It’s more a reflection of technology — an inevitable way of applying it to any type of music. Electronic music was bound to find its way into every musical style sooner or later. A few months ago, we played at Festival Arre in Mexico City, which focuses on regional Mexican music. Most of the crowd — 18, 20 years old — no longer wear cowboy hats or boots. We were a little nervous about how Nortec would be received, especially since Fuerza Regida performed right before us. The place was packed, with over 20,000 people.

And when they finished playing, the stage emptied out completely, and then we started. At first, there were maybe 50 to 100 people in front of us, tops. We thought, “Well, that’s it for us.” But then it filled up immediately, I think just like it did for the others. The most surprising thing was that the musicians from those bands stayed to watch us. They were off to the side, like, “Who are they? What are they doing? Why are they mixing this music?” We truly believe that the connection between the roots of Mexican music and electronic music was something inevitable — sooner or later, it was bound to happen.

“Tijuana Sound Machine” is included on The Story of Nacional Records, Vol. 1 limited edition double vinyl. The duo is slated to perform in Mexico City’s Pepsi Center on Aug. 30. They are currently working on new music.

Pioneering producer and singer Imogen Heap has partnered with Jen, an ethical AI music creation platform, to launch two new models inspired by her musical stylings. The partnership was announced Thursday (Nov. 14) at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon, Portugal.
First, Heap is launching her own StyleFilter model, Jen’s patented tool that allows users to create original tracks that infuse the distinct musical styles of of an artist or producer into their new works. Specifically for Heap’s collaboration, the StyleFilter model was trained on her new singles “What Have You Done To Me” and “Last Night of an Empire.” Importantly, StyleFilter is said to do this while still “maintaining transparency, protection and compensation” for Heap. Secondly, Heap and Jen have also announced a new AI voice model trained on Heap’s distinct vocals.

Jen co-founder and CEO, Shara Senderoff, and Heap took the stage at Web Summit’s Centre Stage to demonstrate how StyleFilter works, transforming prompts into compositions that weave Heap’s style into a user’s original works. Watch their explanation below:

Trending on Billboard

Over her decades-long career, Heap has been viewed as an innovator, pushing the boundaries of art and technology. Since the early days of her career, she has popularized the use of vocoders. Later, she developed her own products, like the Mi.Mu gloves, a wearable tool that allows her to record loops and edit vocals with small hand movements, and The Creative Passport, a service that combines all of an artist’s information in one place from a bio, press photos, royalty accounting, set lists and more.

Last month, in an interview with The Guardian, Heap explained her new AI assistant, called Mogen, which is trained on Heap’s interviews, speeches and TK to act as essentially a living autobiography that can answer questions for fans in her persona. Later, she hopes to expand Mogen to be trained on her musical improvisation and to become a live collaborator at gigs.

Imogen Heap and Shara Senderoff at Web Summit

Jen is an AI music making platform that puts transparency at the forefront. Its Jen-1 model, launched in June, is a text-to-music model trained on 40 different licensed catalogs (and then verified against 150 million songs). It is also backed by APG founder/CEO Mike Caren, who came on as a founding partner in fall 2023. As Senderoff explained in a August 2023 interview with Billboard, “Jen is spelled J-E-N because she’s designed to be your friend who goes into the studio with you. She’s a tool.”

Jen uses blockchain technology to ensure transparency and the ability to track its works after they are generated and put out in the world. Each of the works created with Heap’s StyleFilter will be authorized for use through Auracles — an upcoming non-profit platform, designed by Jen, that uses data provenance to give artists have more access, control and permission for what is made using their StyleFilter model.

While other AI companies have worked on creating personalized AI music models, trained on a specific producer or artists catalog before, like Soundful Collabs, the team at Jen believes StyleFilter is different because “it can learn and apply the style of an artist by training on a single song, establishing a new level of creative precision and efficiency,” says a spokesperson for the company.

“Shara’s integrity shines an outstanding light at this pivotal moment in our human story,” says Heap. “The exponential curve of innovation in and with AI attracts opportunists primarily focused on filling their pockets in the gold rush or those racing at speed to stick their ‘technological flag’ in the sand to corner a marketplace. Alongside the clear innovation in products and new revenue streams for musicians at Jen, Shara’s inspiring strength and determination to get the ethical foundations right from the start are inspiring. An all-too-rare example of a service, contributing to a future where humans are empowered, valued and credited, within and for our collective global tools and knowledge.”

“At Jen, we are determined to create innovative products that invite artists to participate as AI reshapes the music industry, enabling their artistry to take new forms as technology evolves while ensuring they are respected and fairly compensated,” says Senderoff. “Our StyleFilter is a testament to this vision, introducing a groundbreaking way for users to collaborate with the musical essence of artists they might never have the chance to work with directly. Premiering this product with Imogen Heap, a pioneer at the intersection of music and technology, exemplifies our commitment to build with respect and reverence for those who paved the way. She’s also an incomparable human that I’m honored to call my friend.”

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Stormzy is the latest recording artist to become a Dyson global ambassador. The U.K. rapper debuted in his first campaign for […]

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Samsung is releasing a special Wicked edition of its Music Frame speaker, the company announced on Thursday (Sept. 5).

“Music Frame represents an entirely new category of audio – a customizable speaker that doubles as a picture frame. Not only can you display your favorite print photos – you can also create an orchestra of sound with your favorite playlist,” said James Fishler, SVP of home entertainment, display division at Samsung Electronics America. “Music and art evoke such strong memories, and Music Frame offers a seamless way to capture both in one innovative device. This limited-time Music Frame Wicked edition beautifully brings this concept to life, helping you unlock the music within.”

The Wicked MusicFrame comes with three photo cards featuring autographs and photos of the film’s characters, plus an exclusive picture only available with Music Frame Wicked edition. The speaker includes a limited edition Wicked-themed bezel and custom packaging.

Trending on Billboard

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Samsung

With 120 watts of power and customizable features such as interchangeable frames and photos, along with Dolby Atmos Music and Sound. Music Frame has Bluetooth and Wifi, so you can stream your favorite playlists and podcasts, and it plays well with other Samsung gadgets.

To get surround sound, you can sync the Music Frame to a soundbar, a Samsung Frame TV and other 2024 Samsung TVs. If you’re looking for a deal on TV, you can save up to $1,500 off select Samsung TV including $500 off an 85-Inch Samsung Frame TV, $400 off Samsung’s Q80D 55-inch TV, $600 off Samsung’s 55-inch 4K Neo QLED TV and $1,500 off the 65-inch Terrace Outdoor QLED UDH TV.

The Music Frame speaker is also on sale for $100 off at major retailers such as Target, QVC, Amazon and Samsung.

Target

Samsung The Music Frame Speaker

$299.99

$399.99

25% off

Samsung’s Music Frame smart speaker makes a cameo in Jung Kook’s Golden: The Moments exhibition. The Music Frame Speaker is incorporated into a collection of Jung Kook photos that fans can explore during the exhibition, which opened in Seoul, South Korea on Aug. 30 and closes on Sept. 22.

Fans who purchased tickets to the photo exhibition received a limited-edition Golden Music Frame speaker and Golden the Moments Acrylic Panel featuring an unreleased photo of Jung Kook. For the BTS Army that can’t make it to Seoul, the Music Frame offers a chance to put Jung Kook on display, no matter where you are in the world.

The Wicked-edition Music Frame drops sometime this fall and will be available at Samsung.com and select retailers. Click here to get notified when it releases.

Earlier this summer, avant-garde musical pioneer Laurie Anderson stopped by Billboard’s first-ever Indie Power Players event at the Soho Grand Hotel in Manhattan to accept the Indie Icon Award. When I bring it up to her over Zoom a few weeks later, Anderson laughs off the idea of being hailed as one of the GOATs. “That was a little embarrassing – or a lot embarrassing,” she demurs. “Yeah. Icon. But you know, it’s flattering. It was sweet.”
She’s clearly retained some of that Midwestern humility from her childhood in the suburbs of Chicago. But if Laurie Anderson isn’t an indie icon, then who is? After making waves in the New York City art scene since the ‘70s, she brought her uncompromising, idiosyncratic vision to one of the major labels, Warner. Bros., with 1982’s Big Science. A heady, funky mélange of minimalism, electronica and art-pop, the trailblazing classic enjoyed improbable crossover success thanks in large part to its single “O Superman (For Massenet),” which became a No. 2 hit in the U.K. Over the ensuing decades, Anderson has become an influential force in exploring the ways music, technology and performance art intersect. Plus, she’s done everything from voicing a Rugrat to directing films to winning a Grammy.

The lattermost came thanks to Landfall, her 2018 album with the Kronos Quartet. On Friday (Aug. 30), Anderson returns with Amelia, a Nonesuch release that delves into legendary aviator Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated final flight. But while questions such as “what really happened to Amelia Earhart?” and “where did her plane crash?” have recurred throughout popular culture for nearly 90 years, Amelia isn’t interested in answers, or even asking questions. Instead, Anderson – through her indelible mixture of storytelling, sing-speak and dizzying soundscapes – takes us into the cockpit with Earhart throughout the course of her flight, drawing on flight logs, diary entries and contemporary interviews to give a sense of the frightening vastness of the ocean, the thrill and loneliness of exploration and the othering of female pilots in the 1930s. Like much of her work, it’s soothing, unsettling and thought-provoking.

Trending on Billboard

“They called her Lady Lindy, they didn’t even take her seriously,” Anderson says. “But she was doing this really dangerous thing. She was very hands on, unlike Charles Lindbergh, who was a white gloves pilot in many ways. She really was working with the guys under the hood.” It’s that element of Earhart’s life that makes her story feel “super timely” to Anderson, who notes that “girls still aren’t really encouraged to do engineering” nearly 100 years later.

Below, Anderson walks Billboard through this project’s roundabout gestation, why collaborator ANOHNI is perfect “for every project” and her work on a “doomsday comedy” that will serve as Part V to her groundbreaking magnum opus from 1983, United States Live.

When you arrived at Billboard’s Indie Power Players event in June, you gave a surprise performance with this little handmade electronic device in your mouth. How long does it take you to make something like that?

Oh, you know, it’s sorts of time depending on what you’re making. I’m making a few things now for a big show in the fall. Right now, the project that I’m doing called ARK is mind-boggling. There are so many pieces to it that it’s just weird.

What’s ARK?

ARK is a big thing with music pictures and electronics on a stage in a big theater [Factory International] in Manchester, which is going to open in the fall [Nov. 12-24]. And it’s something about the end of the world.

I mean, we could be facing that soon.

Well, it’s kind of in the back of people’s minds. And I really like what’s in the back of people’s minds. It influences you even though you’re not necessarily talking about it. So that’s why I wanted to do that. It’s also — it sounds really stupid — but it’s like a doomsday comedy.

How else does one approach doomsday?

Exactly. That’s what I think. Yeah, yeah.

So Amelia is your new album, but I gather you’ve done this piece before – in 2000 at Carnegie Hall.

That was its distant cousin, let’s say. That was a very long time ago. Those pieces don’t really sound like each other at all. That was something that I was commissioned to do for Carnegie Hall, and then it was kind of horrible, actually. Really. It’s really pretty bad. So I stopped working on it. Then a few years later, the conductor [Dennis Russell Davies] said, “You know, I really liked that piece.” And I said, “You did?!” He said, “Yeah, let’s just do it for string orchestra.” So we did and it sounded pretty cool. Then, in the pandemic, he got back to me again and said, “Let’s record that.” And I really like this conductor a lot. He’s really supportive and cool. So we recorded it, and then I thought, “Okay, I’m gonna put some other stuff on top of this.” And that’s what this record is.

So did Carnegie Hall specifically commission it to be about Amelia Earhart, or was that your choice?

No, they just wanted something about flight, so I chose Amelia. I really got very fond of her working on it. She was she always talking to women — she was like the original blogger, first of all. She was talking to reporters at every stop, she would send telegrams at every stop, and she would write in her pilot’s log and in her diary. She was very conscious of her public. She also married her press agent, which tells you a lot. What I liked the most about her was she said, “You know, if I survive this trip” — and she wasn’t sure if she would — she said, “I want to start shop for girls.” At that point, boys in school took shop, which was like engines and motors and metal and woodworking, and girls took cooking and cleaning. I was like, “Whoa, that’s very cool.” She said, “Girls should find out how engines work, too.” She didn’t live to make that happen. But it was I was very impressed with that because her plane crashed like 87 years ago, on July 2 [1937], and you look at what’s going on now: Girls still aren’t really encouraged to do engineering or government, medicine, politics. It’s just kind of weird that women haven’t made more progress, I think. So anyway, that was an important story to hear now.

It’s timely.

Super timely, especially when we virtually just elected a president who kind of thinks women are stupid. It’s crucial to look at people who did really amazing things. And she was a great pilot. People were very patronizing when she was doing it: they called her Lady Lindy, they didn’t even take her seriously. But she was doing this really dangerous thing. She was very hands on, unlike Charles Lindbergh, who was a white gloves pilot in many ways. She really was working with the guys under the hood. And I really admire that about her. People are always asking me, “How do you work with technology?” And it’s not like it’s so amazing. It’s still [seen as] weird for women to be working with technology.

I hadn’t heard she was called Lady Lindy ‘til I listened to the album. That’s doubly a shame, since he was a racist.

He’s a pretty odd character. And pretty, I think, horrendous in the end. Just a really scary, weird guy. And what a story that he actually killed his son – did you go for that story?

The baby thing?

Yeah, the baby thing and trying to get the organs for his sister. I was like, “Whoa, that’s the weirdest story ever.”

That dovetails a bit with something I wanted to ask. Like the Lindbergh baby, people are still coming up with theories and evidence about the Earhart crash. Not that long ago, someone said they might have found her plane. Did that ever make you think, “hmm, maybe I should address this in the project?”

Oh, no, no. I think some of those are sort of credible but most of them aren’t really. They’re pretty iffy. The very last one? Maybe. I don’t know and it doesn’t matter to me.

After immersing yourself in her world and travels, do you ever get the urge to visit some of these places – Howland Island, New Guinea – for research? Or have you?

If I could go anywhere, I’d go to the Galapagos. Just to see what that would feel like. But no, I never really felt like going to look for her plane. I’d rather write about certain things than go there. Although that’s not to say that wouldn’t be really, really fun to do.

The album features guest vocals from one of my favorite singers, ANOHNI. What was it about ANOHNI that made her make sense for this project?

She makes sense for every project. I just love her singing. I got to hear her new show a couple weeks ago. So beautiful. I’m just a complete fan. She’s singing in ARK as well; she’s singing the part of the Buddha. It’s so inspiring to work with her.

So Amelia is a “distant cousin” of something you started in 2000. Last year, I saw you perform your Let X=X show at BAM in Brooklyn, and it was absolutely incredible. Similarly, that found you revisiting some of your older work, with Sexmob as your backing band. When you revisit this material, how do you balance the urge to tinker with it and make it different, as opposed to staying true to the spirit of the original piece?

Really good question, because that’s something I’m doing in this project called ARK now, which is subtitled The United States Part V. It’s basically what I see as the empire falling, in a way. But you never know; there are complex ways that things fall apart and then come back into shape, so you never know. There are a couple of things that refer to earlier pieces. Sometimes I think I’m the only one who’s going to notice that but sometimes other people do. It’s a wild project to be doing. But anyway, with Amelia I was very happy with how the orchestra seemed to be almost the ocean in it or the wind. It had this wildness to it that was really fun to work with. I did this backwards, actually. I did the orchestra and then I did drum and bass overdubs. Which is crazy. Tony Scherr, the bass player, I just said, “I want you to improv over the whole thing.” I didn’t play it for him [before]. He just did his part live. He’s an incredible player and he did some really intuitive things. It felt very spontaneous. I loved what he did.

When you’re working on these things, are you a one-take, two-take person, or do you obsess over tweaks and changes?

One hundred percent obsession. It goes on forever. It’s never right. Oh yeah. I love it. I love sitting in the studio and sampling things and playing around and that’s kind of how I put it together. Just a long time alone in the studio. It’s a lot of fun for me to do it like that.

After having a seven-album deal with Warner Bros. back in the day, you’ve been with Nonesuch for a while. Being on an indie must jibe well with your tendency to take your time, as opposed to being forced to hit deadlines to deliver albums.

That’s probably true. Although they didn’t bother me about that at Warner. They didn’t say, “Crank them out, come on!” The time I was [at Warner] there were some real music lovers, and they were just really interested in what I was doing. And at Nonesuch, I feel the same. For me, it depends more on the people than on the actual label. So I didn’t really feel that kind of pressure.

You’ve done a number of performance pieces that haven’t made it to a recording studio. I’m thinking of your 1999 piece Songs and Stories From Moby-Dick. I’ve always been curious, do you ever think about going back to those pieces and making a proper document of it on an album?

No, I don’t. I want to move forward. If there’s a point in incorporating it into anything then I would, but not just to go back and set the record straight.

Skrillex marked his 35th birthday on Monday by posting a vulnerable series of tweets about the difficulties he’s faced in the past few years.

“Had the toughest year of my life in ’22, as did so many others. I literally found myself with no drive and purpose for the first time in my life,” he began. “My mother passed away a few years back, 2nd day of Lollapalooza tour in [South America]. I never ever coped with it … I drank the pain away and kept going.”

The electronic star continued: “People ask why ‘I’ve been gone’ or ‘fell off,’ rightfully so. Like I said, ’22 was sort of my tipping point, I had to put everything on ice especially my projects/ career. The truth is I didn’t cancel sunset and movement festival because of my albums. It was because I was working on myself.”

However, the artist born Sonny Moore stated that all the personal and internal work he did has paid off, writing, “For the first time in 4-5 years I’ve found a new sense of peace. It took so much work and sacrifice to get here. There’s my bday tweet to you all.. Turing 35 for me was realizing there are certain f—s you should not give, you’ll be more free for that. Here’s to 35 laps around the sun and to the f—s I will no longer give.”

He concluded with two final thoughts, tweeting, “Lastly, the support you’ve all shown over the years does mean the world and I’ll continue to work on myself and not get into a situation where I have to cancel shows / go into hiding. To quote the wise [woman] @BibiBourelly, ‘yeah it’s deep, but sh– ain’t that deep.’”

Skrillex entered into the new year earlier this month by releasing the ominous “Rumble,” his new collab with Fred Again.. and Flowdan. He then played a surprise b2b2b set with Fred Again.. and Four Tet at London’s Electric Ballroom, and thus far, the single has debuted on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart at No. 15 (dated Jan. 14) before becoming his sixth top 10 hit on the tally the following week.

Read Skrillex’s birthday thoughts below.

Had the toughest year of my life in 22, as did so many others. I literally found myself with no drive and purpose for the first time in my life— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

My mother passed away a few years back 2Nd day of Lalapalooza tour in SA. I never ever coped with it … I drank the pain away and kept going— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

People ask why “I’ve been gone” or “fell off”, rightfully so. Like I said , 22 was sort of my tipping point, I had to put everything on ice especially my projects/ career— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

the truth is I didn’t cancel sunset and movement festival because of my albums. It we because I was working on myself— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

For the first time in 4-5 years I’ve found a new sense of peace. It took so much work and sacrifice to get here.— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

There’s my bday tweet to you all.. Turing 35 for me was realizing the are certain fucks you should not give , you’ll be more free for that— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

Here’s to 35 laps around the sun and to the fucks I will no longer give 🫶— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023

Lastly, the support you’ve all shown over the years does mean the world and I’ll continue to work on myself and not get into a situation where I have to cancel shows / go into hiding— Skrillex (@Skrillex) January 16, 2023