ONTD

1:56 pm - 04/05/2012

Skrillex + food truck = Grillex



Skrillex Opens Grillex, the First Dubstep-Themed Food Truck


Lines stretched for blocks in northeast L.A. last night as fans jostled to get a taste of the latest Skrillex project -- a literal taste, that is, of the diminutive dubstep pioneer's new mobile culinary lab, Grillex.

The Grammy-winning L.A. native Skrillex (born Sonny Moore) launched Grillex to minimal initial fanfare, keeping it mostly a secret until yesterday afternoon, when the truck rolled up to the corner of Echo Park Avenue at Sunset and tweets piled upon tweets, prompting a rush of mostly black-clad superfans to get their hands on his new creations.

What spurred the temporary shift from DJ to Grill-J? We asked the man himself as he hustled and hopped in front of a pair of searing griddles.

"I figured, why not? Y'know? I've gotta try a new challenge right now," Skrillex said. "Growing up, I cooked a lot at home ... I mean, I spent a lot of time with a spatula and grill tongs, almost as much time as I did with decks and records. I've got a real passion for it, y'know what I mean? I think, like, 60% of these things fail in the first few months ... might as well give it a shot."


"Shit yeah! The pierogies fuckin' rule, dude," added a satisfied hard-charging customer, referring to his pile of grilled cheddar pierogies slathered with Sriracha and kimchi (aka The Ched-mau5).

Not everyone's mind was effectively blown, however. We found some naysayers among the hordes.

"Everything's just a little too weird and greasy and, like way overpriced ... maybe a bit overrated?" reported Willow Martigan, a 23-year-old Echo Park resident.

After a few hours of waiting, we made it to the front of the line.

The menu, an over-hyped mish-mash of unrelated, interspersed grilled foods and jarring flavor combinations, has no specific theme beyond the grill itself. We picked a few things -- the Chubstep and the Banger-ang -- and skipped the Sonny Special, a $12 lukewarm bottle of water served with a single Marlboro 100.

The Chubstep is basically an overstuffed cocktail-weenie-and-porcetta sandwich on challah. Apropos of nothing, there were inedible German-language Bible tracts baked into the bread. Picking them out proved more daunting than just tossing the whole thing. The Banger-ang, a pile of British-style sausages mixed with Fritos, topped with a scoop of an unidentifiable ice cream, made us wonder, "Is this even food?"

Skrillex was eager to defend his new art form, however, when pressed at closing time.

"Grilling is really collaborative and intuitive, y'know? Taking tri-tip or barbacoa ... mixing it up with peanut butter and jelly or even Count Chocula cereal ... I mean, it's, like, really about putting things together that I like," he said, adding, "Everyone I've talked to has been really supportive. Really chill."


Even though he plans to slink aimlessly up and down Echo Park Avenue for the next few nights, you can find out where the Grillex truck will show up next from its Twitter feed @grill_ex.

SAUCE

Oop, sorry x2 about that, mods!

And dgaf, I love Skrilly and would eat at his food truck, delighting in his trashy and vaguely horrifying concoctions.

ONTD, what are your opinions on food trucks? Faves? I'm from San Francisco so they're kind of the norm around here. Any Bay people excited for the return of Off the Grid?
juryrig 5th-Apr-2012 10:57 pm (UTC)
idk if you're serious, but for me, I've always liked electronic music, trance, etc. I also really enjoy noise music (most people don't, i think) and dubstep is like the perfect blend of noise and electronic music. It's got a beat, it's got awesome raw and grimy sounds (not all of it, obviously, i fucking hate anything with that wobble noise in it), and unlike rock, it's doing new and interesting things.
starchit 5th-Apr-2012 11:00 pm (UTC)
Yay, you've said it perfectly, grumpy kitty. :)
juryrig 5th-Apr-2012 11:01 pm (UTC)
♥!
my_whyte_noise 5th-Apr-2012 11:08 pm (UTC)
very serious! I'm a total music junkie and am completely open to any n all types of music. Dubstep has been the hardest for me to swallow in recent years. I did look up the origins and UK dubstep is way better than everything i'm hearing now but i still don't like it.
Honestly, i tend to stereotype people who listen to dubstep as just not being able to dance, yknow? I know the appeal is the drops and stuff but whenever a dubstep song comes on or a dubstep break happens i just stand there cause i don't know what to do with my body! it feels awkward for some one who likes to move to music.
juryrig 5th-Apr-2012 11:12 pm (UTC)
Oh, well, I don't dance and therefore can't dance so I suppose I fit that stereotype. I don't listen to it in clubs or anything though - I chill with it in the car or when I'm at work (like right now, haha). I guess if you're looking for something that is always danceable, some dubstep might not always fit that bill.

Have you ever listened to noise music? Or like, Aphex Twin?
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