Skrillex – “Fuji Opener” (Feat. Alvin Risk) & “Mumbai Power” (Feat. Beam)
People still love to make fun of Skrillex, but the man’s live shows are absurd, overwhelming ridiculously fun experiences. (I learned this for myself a few years ago.) There are a whole lot of EDM superstars out there, but Skrillex has eclipsed all of them for reasons that go way beyond his haircut. He’s become a larger-than-life channel for huge, restless energy, and his shows are the best possible example of this. When Skrillex plays live, he brings out tracks that he’s never gotten around to releasing, which makes sense; putting out records isn’t exactly the point of Skrillex. But today, Skrillex has shared a couple of pieces of music that he’s only ever previously used at live shows.
Today, Skrillex released Show Tracks a two-song release — an EP? I guess? — of songs that he’s been using as live-show openers. So you won’t get the full experience when you play them on your headphones, but it’s not that hard to imagine yourself in a sea of freaking-out kids when these songs play. He had collaborators on both tracks: The DC producer Alvin Risk on “Fuji Opener” and occasional rap beatmaker Beam on “Mumbai Power.”
They’re both skittering, hyperactive tracks. “Fuji Opener” marries a helium house-diva vocal and a bunch of dancehall soundbites to a brain-shattering breakbeat; it sounds a bit like ’90s jungle all juiced up on Adderall. “Mumbai Power,” meanwhile, is more tingly and ethereal, built on a refrain of bells. But just like “Fuji Opener,” it kicks in hard. Neither is the formulaic drop-the-bass bit that people tend to associate with Skrillex. You can hear them both below.
Both tracks are out now on the streaming services.