Skrillex has broken more than ten years of media silence, and he used the occasion to stake out a clear position on artificial intelligence and what separates a human record from a machine made one. The first Skrillex interview in over a decade runs in the Summer 2026 print issue of 032c, the Berlin culture magazine, where the producer born Sonny Moore sat down with British Swedish artist Ecco2K to talk about the earliest days of his career, the rave community that raised him, and the future of music in an automated age.
A Skrillex interview that ends a decade of silence
Moore has kept his distance from the press since his rise at the start of the 2010s, letting the music and the live shows speak for him. The 032c feature, shot by Noah Dillon and styled by Peri Rosenzweig, is his first formal interview in more than ten years. It sits inside Issue #49, an edition whose main dossier is devoted to the influence of Memphis on rap, which places Skrillex among artists, designers and writers rather than on a standard dance music cover.
Why the AI question matters now
The heart of the conversation is Moore’s read on artificial intelligence. He told Ecco2K that the worth of a piece of art can be measured by one thing: whether it makes a listener feel seen. He pointed to his own habit of returning to records by Justice, Daft Punk and Metallica, saying those songs still connect because each carries something that had not been done before, a sense that the artist is speaking straight to the person listening.
“Maybe there are some AI 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,” Moore said.
The timing gives the comment weight. Generative tools now flood streaming platforms with machine made tracks, and the major labels spent much of 2026 locked in court with AI companies Suno and Udio over how those systems were trained. Against that backdrop, a pioneer of the streaming era arguing for the human fingerprint reads as a statement of intent.
From a $2,000 budget to Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites
Moore also revisited the start. He recalled that the marketing budget behind his 2010 breakout EP, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, was roughly $2,000, far short of the industry machine some assumed was pushing it. He credited timing and organic word of mouth instead. The EP went on to shape the sound of American dubstep and helped pull electronic music into the pop mainstream, and it earned the producer his first Grammy Awards.
Asked how he had avoided turning cynical, he described a simple goal that keeps pulling him back. He said he just wanted people to come see him live, jump around a room together and share a real space, and that returning to that mindset has guided every era of the project.
The Bieber gamble and the move to independence
One story from the interview captures how far ahead of the room he sometimes was. Moore remembered playing an early version of ‘Where Are Ü Now’ for executives at Atlantic Records, only to watch them shrug at the idea of a Justin Bieber collaboration. Released in 2015, the track became a chart topping hit and a template for a decade of dance pop crossovers.
That independent streak now defines his business. In late 2024 he confirmed plans to leave the major label system after finishing his Atlantic contract, and his 2025 studio album went on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
What comes next for Skrillex
The interview arrives during a busy stretch. At the start of July he released ‘Rumpta’, his first collaboration with Solomun, out through the Diynamic label, and he spent June headlining festival stages including Bonnaroo. He is not the only veteran electronic act back in the conversation this year either, with Madonna returning to the dance floor on Confessions II. For now the 032c piece stands as the clearest look yet at how Skrillex sees his place in a music economy that is shifting fast. The full interview runs in the Summer 2026 issue of 032c.
Frequently asked questions
When did Skrillex last give an interview?
According to 032c and EDM.com, the Summer 2026 feature is his first formal interview in more than ten years, ending a long stretch of press silence.
Who interviewed Skrillex for 032c?
He was interviewed by the British Swedish artist Ecco2K, with photography by Noah Dillon and styling by Peri Rosenzweig, for Issue #49 of the magazine.
What did Skrillex say about AI music?
He argued that AI tracks can go viral but cannot make a listener feel seen the way human made music can, tying the value of a song to real human connection.
What has Skrillex released recently?
His latest single is ‘Rumpta’ with Solomun, released via Diynamic in July 2026, following a 2025 album that earned a Grammy nomination.
Ten years of quiet gave the moment its charge. In one magazine feature, Skrillex reframed his own history and drew a line in the sand on AI, betting that the human hand behind a record is exactly what keeps it worth hearing.