Recess opens with “All’s fair in love and brostep”, a dub-influenced track somewhat reminiscent of Skrillex’s single “Make it bun dem”. As for dubstep though, that’s where it ends as the rest of the album can only be classified as electronica. Not that this is a bad thing.
Being eclectic was, in fact, Skrillex’s goal and a goal he undoubtedly achieves. The album includes tracks that range from typical club hits to tracks that could pass for hip-hop, all the while still managing to embrace Skrillex’s signature screech bass. Fans of grimy garage will enjoy the track “F**k that” where as those that preferred Skrillex’s Leaving EP will be happy with the album’s closing song “Fire away”.
The variety in Recess is partly as a result of the crowd of artists that Skrillex worked with on the album. Diplo, Kill the Noise, Fatman Scoop and Alvin Risk all add their unique flavour to tracks such as “Dirty vibe” and “Try it out”.
Recess was not recorded in one static location but rather spontaneously as Skrillex toured Seoul, Stockholm, London and the USA. The relaxed pace at which the album was created seems to have kept the album from the rut that many other albums get stuck in when the artist is made to record on demand.
True to Skrillex’s previous releases, Recess captures a sense of nostalgia and longing for fun. Each track is upbeat enough to bounce around to and contains a smile-worthy element or two (remember the “Call 911 now!” in “First of the year”?).
If you’re looking for “Scary monsters and nice sprites”, you won’t find it here. This may disappoint some purists but Recess represents the much greater maturation of Skrillex’s musical and technical ability. Recess will appeal to a wider audience than his previous material and the fact that Skrillex has stated that the record sales are trivial to him, this album is for the fans old and new.
Image: afroradio.com
