Skrillex and Diplo are just a week away from the biggest show of their lives. On New Year's Eve, the duo, known as Jack Ü, will be headlining Madison Square Garden with the help of Rudimental, Yellow Claw and A$AP Ferg. The duo spoke with Time Out magazine in preparation of the show to speak about Jack Ü, the New York club scene and the aforementioned show at MSG.
Even for a massive venue like Madison Square Garden, which can pack close to 20,000 people, Skrillex still holds the belief that it will "feel intimate and personal."
"We don't have a real rock-star approach with security all around us. It'll be a party. We'll have lots of special guests come out," he says.
Diplo adds, "You'll be hearing some of the Jack Ü songs we've done, live, for the first time. The artists we've cut the records with will be performing with us. Both of us take it very seriously; if you've ever seen us perform live, you'll know the production value is insane."
He even invited the entire New York Knicks team to shoot warm-ups during their set. Unfortunately for Diplo, the team will be in Los Angeles for a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, but that is probably for the best since the team probably would miss most of those pre-game shots.
Diplo gave an honest opinion on the EDM scene, proclaiming it "dead."
"Not to be offensive, but the EDM scene is dead in a way, and the curators are the festival guys who want to keep it simple for themselves. They're the corporate sponsor guys who are keeping the stuff that's easy to sell, and I think it's our job to curate newer things and new horizons and give new things to people," he said.
They speak highly of the club scene and industry in New York, saying it "is where the heavy lifting still gets done.
"New York clubs have a one-year life span. I go back to New York these days, and the clubs last a year; they never have a chance for a culture to form around them."
Skrillex notes what is necessary to keep a good club going and build a strong, loyal fan base: "You need an in-house curator to book a club and keep it vital."
Diplo and Skrillex have developed into two of the most highly regarded producers in all music, always looking to innovate and create something different. They are bringing that to their Jack Ü project.
Diplo remarks, "We know that dance music and hip-hop is our lane, and that's where we work. Our ethos is always to make something nobody's heard before. We're not afraid to fail."
Read the whole interview at Time Out and listen to their Diplo & Friends Mix below to hear some unreleased Jack Ü that might be played on NYE.
