No, this isn’t trolling – it’s the simple truth: Skrillex‘s Glastonbury performance was a bit of a masterpiece.
It’s a masterpiece for so many reasons: the way it radically changes rhythm and tempo without those changes ever grating (OK, depending on your preference the tracks themselves could grate, but that’s a different matter); the earth-shattering dynamic shifts, where it flips from a soaring dubstep track that sounds like a thousand volcanos erupting to an inverted trap thing that sounds like the entire earth has been pulled out from under you; the fact he’s doing it from a fucking spaceship.
It flows brilliantly: every time it breaks down into something recognisable and cheesy it’s at the perfect moment, and the way it brings in festival anthems like ‘I Can’t Stop’ and ‘First of the Year’ without anyone noticing until the drop is so clever – just listen to the reaction when the former comes in. Sure, it’s obviously been meticulously planned rather than running on any kind of instinct, but it’s peak-time at Glastonbury, why shouldn’t he have been rehearsing it for weeks? This is larger-than-life, state-of-the-art, top-of-the-mountain, interstellar, underwater dance music all at once, and honestly? There’s few fashionable underground DJs who could flip tempo, rhythm and style every three or four minutes of a set and keep it feeling like an experience.
You can stream a video of most of the set below, while EDM Boutique have a Soundcloud upload of it (though if you ask us, it’s better watched with the visuals). They’ve also collected the majority of the tracklist [also below].
Tracklist:
01 Skrillex – With You, Friends [Intro]
02 Skrillex feat. Alvin Risk – Try It Out (Dirtyphonics Remix) [OWSLA/BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
03 Skrillex feat. Alvin Risk – Try It Out (Neon Mix) [OWSLA/BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
04 Skrillex feat. Alvin Risk – Try It Out (Put Em Up Mix) [OWSLA/BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
05 Snails – Dirty Raxxx [FREE]
06 Skrillex feat. Ragga Twins – All Is Fair In Love And Brostep [OWSLA]
07 Yo Majesty – Club Action (Smookie Illson Bootleg) [FREE]
08 Zomboy – Raptor (SKisM & LAXX Remix) [NEVER SAY DIE]
09 Skrillex – Welcome To Jamrock [Breakdown]
10 Skrillex & Damian Marley – Make It Bun Dem [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)/OWSLA]
11 Skrillex & Damian Marley – Make It Bun Dem (Alvin Risk Remix) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)/OWSLA]
12 Douster – King Of Africa [MENTAL GROOVE]
13 Steff Da Campo & Danny Da Costa – Go [BAZOOKA]
14 Foreign Beggars & Noisia pres. I Am Legion – Choosing For You (Nightwatch Remix) [SPINNIN’]
15 Duck Sauce – NRG (Skrillex & Kill The Noise & Milo & Otis Remix) [FOOL’S GOLD]
16 Neoteric & Wax Motif – Go Deep (Torro Torro Remix / KillaGraham DnB Edit) [DIM MAK]
17 Ego Trippin – Without Warning (Silver Fox Remix)
18 Skrillex feat. Kill The Noise & Fatman Scoop – Recess (Valentino Khan Remix) [OWSLA/BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
19 Skrillex feat. Kill The Noise & Fatman Scoop – Recess (Ape Drums Remix) [OWSLA/BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
20 Skrillex feat. Kill The Noise & Fatman Scoop – Recess [OWSLA/BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
21 Skrillex – Kill Everybody (Bare Noize Remix) [Live Transition] [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
22 ID – ID
23 Skream – Bang That [BOYSNOIZE]
24 Eptic – Danger (Habstrakt VIP) [NEVER SAY DIE]
w/ Skrillex & Wolfgang Gartner – The Devil’s Den (Acapella) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
25 Skrillex & Wolfgang Gartner – The Devil’s Den (VIP) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
w/ Salt-N-Pepa – Push It (Acapella) [NEXT PLATEAU (UNIVERSAL)]
26 MUST DIE! – Hellcat
27 Skrillex feat. KillaGraham & Sam Drew – Stranger [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
w/ Wiwek – Salute [MUSICAL FREEDOM]
28 Botnek & 3LAU – Vikings [DIM MAK]
w/ Skrillex feat. Ellie Goulding – Summit (Acapella) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)/OWSLA]
29 Skrillex – Rock ‘n Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain) (VIP) [MAU5TRAP]
30 12th Planet & Protohype feat. KillaGraham – Brick [SMOG]
31 Skrillex – First Of The Year (Equinox) (VIP) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
32 Skrillex – First Of The Year (Equinox) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
33 RL Grime feat. What So Not – Tell Me [FREE]
w/ MGMT – Kids (Acappella) [SONY]
34 Diplo feat. Faustix & ImanoS & Kai – Revolution [MAD DECENT]
35 Flux Pavilion – I Can’t Stop [CIRCUS UKF]
36 Skrillex & The Doors – Breakin’ A Sweat (It’s Alright) [ATLANTIC (WARNER)]
37 Skrillex & The Doors – Breakin’ A Sweat (It’s Alright) (VIP) [ATLANTIC (WARNER)]
38 Zomboy & MUST DIE! – Survivors [NEVER SAY DIE]
39 A$AP Rocky ft. Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam – Wild For The Night [RCA (SONY)]
40 Steve Aoki & Diplo & Deorro feat. Steve Bays – Freak (Rickyxsan Turnt Bootleg) [FREE/MAD DECENT]
41 Skrillex feat. Niki & The Dove – Ease My Mind [OWSLA]
42 Skrillex feat. Niki & The Dove – Ease My Mind (Jai Wolf Remix) [OWSLA]
43 Skrillex feat. Chance The Rapper – Coast Is Clear (ID Remix) [OWSLA]
44 Major Lazer – ID
45 Skrillex feat. Ragga Twins – Ragga Bomb [OWSLA]
46 Skrillex feat. Sirah – Kyoto [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
47 Skrillex feat. Sirah – Kyoto (VIP) [BIG BEAT (ATLANTIC)]
48 Daft Punk – Aerodynamic [VIRGIN]
49 Skrillex feat. Sirah – Bangarang [OWSLA]
50 Skrillex feat. Sirah – Bangarang (VIP) [OWSLA]
51 Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go – Cinema (Skrillex Remix) [ULTRA]
w/ Disclosure feat. Sam Smith – Latch (Acappella) [PMR]
w/ Avicii – Levels (Skrillex Remix) [LE7ELS]
w/ MUST DIE! – ID
