''Bangarang'' is the fourth EP by American

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

producer

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...

. It was released on December 23, 2011, via

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...

while being released on other digital retailers on December 27, 2011. It was released on January 24, 2012, as a physical CD. It was announced via Skrillex's

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

page on December 12, 2011, that the album was completed, while the release date was also announced on December 21. The record is mostly a collection of songs that have been previously performed during The Mothership Tour (with the exception of "Right on Time"). It features collaborations with

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

, Sirah,

Wolfgang Gartner Joseph Thomas Youngman (born March 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Wolfgang Gartner, is an Americans, American DJ and music producer. Much of his music prior to 2010 was released through his own record label, Kindergarten, but he signe ...

, 12th Planet,

Kill the Noise Jacob Stanczak, known professionally as Kill the Noise, is an American DJ and record producer from Rochester, New York. His collaboration with Skrillex, Fatman Scoop and Michael Angelakos, "Recess (song), Recess", entered the UK Singles Chart at ...

and

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...

. Musically, ''Bangarang'' has multiple influences of electro,

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...

and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

, while also incorporating elements of

eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

rap rock Rap rock is a music genre that developed from the early to mid-1980s, when hip hop DJs incorporated rock records into their routines and rappers began incorporating original and sampled rock instrumentation into hip hop music. Rap rock is co ...

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

and

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

. It features syncopated rhythmic build-ups, technical breakdowns and "chopped-up" vocal hooks, as well as multiple vocal samples. An orchestral song was also featured as a bonus track on the

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

edition. ''Bangarang'' received mixed reviews from music critics, but was a commercial success upon release, charting within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its lead single, " Bangarang", charted in multiple countries worldwide and reached the top 10 in Australia and Belgium. Due to strong digital sales following the album's release, "

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

" and " Breakn' a Sweat" charted in multiple countries as well. "Breakn' a Sweat" was featured in the 2012

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

''Re:Generation''. Music videos have been released for "Breakn' a Sweat", "Summit" and "Bangarang". The ''Bangarang'' had sold 595,000 copies in the United States by March 2014, and on July 11, 2016, it was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Composition

Musically, while ''Bangarang'' prominently uses elements of

electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including ...

and

progressive house Progressive house is a subgenre of house music that emerged in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. It is characterized by its evolving, melodic Musical form, structures, subtle Transition (music), transitions, and layered sound design.Gerard, ...

, it is more diverse than his previous material, including multiple influences of

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

and

. It uses syncopated rhythmic build-ups, technical breakdowns, "chopped-up" vocal hooks and vocal samples throughout its composition. The first track, "Right In", has multiple influences of

and electro house and has been described as "one long adrenaline rush of stabbing keyboard chords, sawed-off vocal samples and Skrillex's trademark: squirming, squalling synth lines". It has also been compared to the opener on his previous remix EP ''

More Monsters and Sprites ''More Monsters and Sprites'' is the third EP and first remix album by American electronic music producer Skrillex. It was released exclusively on Beatport on June 7, 2011 through Big Beat Records and mau5trap Recordings, while being released on ...

'', "

First of the Year (Equinox) "First of the Year (Equinox)" is a song by American electronic music producer Skrillex. It was released on June 7, 2011, as the lead single from his third EP, '' More Monsters and Sprites''. The song has since become a moderate commercial succ ...

". The title track, " Bangarang", also uses heavy influences of

Moombahcore Moombahton (, ) is an electronic dance music genre, derived from house music and reggaeton, that was created by American DJ and producer Dave Nada in Washington, D.C., in 2009. Nada coined the name as a portmanteau of "Moombah" (a track by Sur ...

and has been compared to the previous track. It uses "chopped-up vocal hooks" performed by American rapper Sirah, with the last line of the song saying "I'm eating

Fun Dip Fun Dip is a candy manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company. The candy has been on the market in the United States and Canada since the 1940s and was originally called Lik-M-Aid. It was originally manufactured by Fruzola, and then Sunline Inc., ...

right now/Not givin' a fuck". It has been described as having a "concussive collection of blips and bursts that sounds like something

Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...

might hear in his head during a heart attack". Breakn' a Sweat was written for the 2012

''Re:Generation''. It has been described as combining "proggy guitar hooks, psychedelic organ chords, and Jim Morrison samples with a snarling,

Prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and m ...

-esque vocal and a filthy slab of dub bass". It has been highlighted as the most unusual track on the release by several music critics. "The Devil's Den" features guest contributions from

and has been described as "

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

-go-

Dirty Vegas Dirty Vegas are an English house music group initially made up of Ben Harris and Paul Harris (no relation to each other) on instruments and production and Steve Smith on vocals. The group formed in 2001, then broke up in 2005 before reforming i ...

". It uses elements of trance,

and

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

. "Right on Time" has been described as "a percussive, hard house collaboration with 12th Planet and

which eventually builds into a feverish slice of

happy hardcore Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or " hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s ...

", and although it has been complimented for its uniqueness in comparison with the rest of the record, its use of repetition has been criticized. "

" is a "

rap-metal Rap metal is a fusion genre that combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and early development (1980s–early 1990s) ...

fusion" that is also the second track to feature Sirah. It has been compared to

artists such as

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

and

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer who is the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has collaborated with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transplants ...

. "Summit" is the final track (with the exception of the

edition) and features English singer-songwriter

. It is an

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

song that has elements of chillstep and uses Skrillex's "chopped up",

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997, by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and Pitch correction, correct pitch in music. It operates on different principles ...

vocals. Goulding's vocals have been described as "ethereal" and "delicate". The iTunes edition of ''Bangarang'' includes an "Orchestral Suite" performed by

Varien Nikki Kaelar (born May 15, 1990), better known by his stage name Varien, is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Varien has incorporated or experimented with such styles as Industrial music, industrial, Heavy metal music, m ...

and arranged by

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...

Critical reception

''Bangarang'' received generally mixed reviews from critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a

normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...

rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 60, based on 10 reviews. Dan LeRoy of ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'' felt that the album's "go-for-the-throat" songs and "uncomplicated, catchy fun" do not reveal "much about Skrillex's long-term prospects." Evan Rytlewski of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' said that, although Skrillex is a "more skillful producer than his detractors give him credit for", he still resorts to "gimmicks" in order to reach his audience. Gavin Haynes of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' found his music artificial, albeit with occasionally "good results".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Jon O'Brien observed a "lack of progression" from Skrillex and called the release "disappointingly formulaic". He also felt that even the more unconventional songs are "more headache-inducing than thrilling." Deviant of Sputnikmusic panned its songs as "the same big-boy slab of molten bass drops and screeching whistles", but without a "spark" or "sense of attitude", and accused Skrillex of producing "the same half-assed bass trends". In a positive review for ''

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

called ''Bangarang'' an "electronical vista" and said it is "a pop record because its shamelessly hedonistic barrage of proven dancefloor tricks will obviously be more fun at home than in a club." August Brown of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' felt that, although Skrillex continues his "singular, manic sound", the "quick" tracks that defined his previous work are "more skillful and sonically intriguing".

Ben Rayner Ben Rayner is a music critic and writer for the ''Toronto Star'' since 1998. His commentary on artists is extensively cited across the industry. Indie88 considers him "of the most respected industry professionals around." In 2012, he served on ...

of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' found it "far smarter than Skrillex's reputation for doling out cheap, bludgeoning bass-bin thrills would let on", and wrote that it displays "a remarkable gift for bending innumerable breeds of club music to his will". Garrett Kamps of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' called it "spracked out and ridiculous and fun and sometimes disposable". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine's Jon Dolan called Skrillex "a magician" whose "trick is turning the elusively thwumping U.K. dance music called dubstep into high-fiving dance-floor heavy metal." ''Rolling Stone'' later named ''Bangarang'' the fourteenth greatest EDM album of all time. Christgau named it the sixth best album of 2012 in his list for ''

The Barnes & Noble Review Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

''. ''Bangarang'' won the Best Dance/Electronica Album award at the

55th Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...

, as well as the

Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...

award for the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2011 EPs Big Beat Records (American record label) EPs Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album Owsla EPs 2011 albums Owsla albums Skrillex albums