This past Christmas, Skrillex revealed a new remix and music video for “Stranger,” the Sam Dew-fronted track from his 2014 album Recess. Sonny, who remixed the track in collaboration with producers Tennyson and White Sea, stripped down his blaring beats for a more subdued, almost-depressing, piano ballad. But it’s not all dark, for its purpose lies with the charities that the remix will be benefiting as part of OWSLA’s Nestivus campaign. 100 percent of the proceeds from fan downloads will be distributed equally among Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Bridges For Music, and Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community.
The accompanying music video features OWSLA mates, family and local children from Griffen, Georgia celebrating the holidays by batting old TV sets, cracking fireworks, and racing with smoke grenades. The shoot with director Andrew Donoho at the helm actually took place a while back but its characterizations changed due to the passing of Sonny’s mother.
“My mom had passed away earlier this year right in the middle of us finishing the edit,” he tells The Creators Project. “‘Stranger’ kind of fell on the backburner for a while, and obviously this song was older so I just felt like I should rework it. This was actually only like a month ago. Why don’t I just flip the song into something else so it doesn’t feel irrelevant?”
Sonny also talks about the future, starting a new perspective, and following the evolution of electronic music. Read the full interview via The Creators Project. And pay what you can when you download the “Stranger” remix to benefit charities through Skrillex’s official website.
