Skrillex, also known as Sonny Moore, recently released his new EP called “Leaving” to subscribers of The Nest, a monthly subscription from the OWSLA record company. This short release features three new songs that have Skrillex treading into some new territory while pushing forward with his style of dubstep.

The opening track “The Reason” gives us a familiar melodic intro with a crisp kick drum and snare to accompany it. We even get a quick snare roll to lead up to the drop; and this is where things start to change. After a nice heavy bass hit, we are treated to some classic ’80s synths mixed in with that crisp Skrillex sound that we all know and love. That’s all well and good, but we are quickly taken out of that happy little groove and melted into a dark build that explodes into a floor-pounding techno track, which might be compared to recent releases Gesaffelstein. This is a great mix of the beloved Skrillex and whatever direction he is planning on taking his music.

The second track on the EP “Scary Bolly Dub” eases us back into more familiar dubstep — but with a fantastic dose of reggae. As the song progresses, we hear a sample of “Scary Monsters Nice Sprites,” which was one of Skrillex’s first big hits, mixed with a lovely reggae beat. It seems Sonny is giving a throwback to the origins of dubstep by combining reggae (which spawned dub, and was then followed by dubstep) with one of his most popular dubstep songs that helped shape the genre and bring it into the mainstream.

The final track on the EP titled “Leaving” brings us to an calm finish to a solid music experience. With more of an ambient vibe, we’re again taken back to some of the origins of dubstep, reminiscent of the UK garage sound. On any other normal Skrillex release, we would all be waiting for the drop; but as this EP has taught us, Sunny Moore is more than just huge bass drops and machine sounds.

Previous Skrillex Releases:

• My Name Is Skrillex (2010)
• Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (2010)
• More Monsters And Sprites (2011)
• Bangarang (2011)
• Make It Bun Dem (2012)

Skrillex – Leaving

For more information on Skrillex, visit skrillex.com.