Skrillex Talks Working With Bruno Mars: ‘It Sounds Like Nothing Else That’s Happened Before’

Reached on a late April afternoon, Skrillex sounds downright delighted to be stuck in Los Angeles traffic.

The globetrotting DJ/producer – born Sonny Moore – whoops while informing me that he’s stalled on the freeway en route to the studio with Bruno Mars, who also happens to be along for the ride.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions that exist around dance music?

You know, I kind of like the misconceptions because it makes me feel younger when people still think that you press one button and a whole song happens or something like that. You just like press a button and then anybody can start hitting buttons and then all of a sudden everything is there. That’s a huge misconception.

Hey Bruno, what’s the biggest misconception about dance music? (laughs) So from Bruno Mars, he says the misconception of dance music is “untz untz untz.” But it’s really sometimes “untz boom kak, untz boom kak.”

What have been some of your biggest music production revelations?

I’m actually working with Bruno Mars right now. I’m not going to give specifics of what it sounds like, but what we’re doing is so f–king different, awesome and next level and sounds like nothing else that’s happened before. Every time I get in the studio with somebody else and collaborate, that’s when I always have revelations and learn about stuff. And I just love stepping outside of what I know and there’s no other music position that can do that. Like as a singer, you’re in a band. I think what we are musically in our head space, there’s no other way. I can step outside my box anytime and that wasn’t possible before. I guess that’s aligned with the exponential growth in technology and knowledge, the fact that everything there is so accessible now, you can just f–king choose your own destiny. Goosebumps that shit. (Parodies a creepy voice) Choose your own story.