Skrillex has insisted AI songs don’t have the same impact as ones written by a human, because listeners don’t get the same feeling of “being seen”.
Skrillex talks AI songs
The DJ, real name Sonny Moore, opened up about his thoughts surrounding technological advancements in the music industry as he gave his first formal interview in a decade with Germany’s 032c magazine.
Speaking to British-Swedish artist Ecco2K, Moore said he had been thinking about AI and music when something hit him “deeply”.
He said: “I think the value of art can almost be measured by its ability to make someone feel seen. Or at least that’s true for me, as a listener.
“When I go back to Justice or Daft Punk or Metallica, it hits so hard because there’s something familiar that hadn’t been done before. It makes you think: ‘They get me. They’re on my wavelength. They’re speaking to me.’
“Maybe there are some Al songs that can go viral, but you can’t have that feeling of being seen if there isn’t a human on the other side.”
When it comes to pushing boundaries with his music, Moore is a pro.
Continuing the interview, he added that he has learned to accept and embrace the criticism that he’s experienced in his career, which started when he fronted the band From First to Last.
He mused: “[Resistance] is something I prepared myself for, even in From First to Last.
“We weren’t hardcore enough for the tough hardcore crowd, but we were more aggressive than Fall Out Boy.
“I had pink eye shadow and got called all sorts of things. I can’t tell if it was intentional or if I was just so self-unaware, but I would always just go for it.
“I would open up the Legos and just start building.”
It was when he released his EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites that Moore really made a name for himself as Skrillex.
But he said the record was actually made with a budget of less than £1,500.
He continued: “People thought it was part of some massive machine that people were dumping heaps of money into, but it was just good timing and natural virality.
“With Skrillex, I wanted to make music I liked to DJ. That’s it. I just wanted people to come see me live, jump around in a room, and create a real, shared space — that is all I want my music to do.”
