By the time Rogét Chahayed crossed paths with Skrillex, he'd already worked alongside some of music's biggest names.
Yet despite collaborations with Dr Dre, Drake and Travis Scott, the Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter still describes Skrillex as one of the most naturally gifted musicians he's ever encountered.
Chahayed first worked with Skrillex on Hydrate, a highlight from the producer's 2023 project Quest For Fire that also featured dubstep artist PEEKABOO and vocalists Flowdan and BEAM. Since then, the pair have linked up to collaborate on Baby Royal, a high-voltage cut from the imaginatively titled 2025 album Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!!.
Their sessions reinforced a philosophy Chahayed has carried throughout his career: that memorable records rarely come from expensive equipment alone. Instead, it's curiosity, instinct and the ability to hear potential in even the most unlikely sounds that separates truly great producers from the rest.
For Chahayed, the quality of Skrillex's music has little to do with the gear or software that he uses, but the way he treats every sound as raw material waiting to become music. “He’s one of the most remarkable and talented people I've ever worked with and full of life and energy, but you don't feel like you're with this mega-superstar DJ,” Chahayed tells us.
“He's one of the most enormous talents in the world and one of the only people who treats the computer like an instrument. You’ll graze a key by accident and he’ll say, 'What was that?' very much in the same way that Dre is very sensitive to sounds.
“I could hit this table and he'll make a crazy snare out of it, so he’ll take whatever’s available and make it work. Sometimes we’ll be in a room with multi-million dollar speakers and he'll be sitting on the floor listening to a song on the worst quality headphones with his laptop doing his thing. To me, that’s very grounding and cool.”
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That approach extended to the studio itself, where Chahayed says Skrillex regularly proved that creativity outweighs even the most sophisticated setup. “There was a day when I went to one of his studios but was feeling kind of lazy and didn’t want to bring any crazy equipment. All I brought was a shitty quality Korg KROSS keyboard and a lot of those sounds are not good.
“They're very basic and in-your-face, but there was something about it that I thought could work and I remember making 10 different beats with him and every sound was hitting because Skrillex is really good at taking raw, fake sounds and making them pop out and cut through.”
I get the feeling I could go to Toys R Us, buy a $40 keyboard and he'll just make something out of it
Looking back, Chahayed says those sessions proved that great production is all about imagination, and the ability to make magic with a limited set of tools. “He really showed me that it's not about what you have; it's how you use it - I get the feeling I could go to Toys R Us, buy a $40 keyboard and he'll just make something out of it. Skrillex really is proof that you don't need anything but a good ear.”
And yet for all of his technical brilliance, Chahayed claims it's Skrillex's attitude in the studio that makes working with him so enjoyable. “There's no ego there. Every time we work together it's just this insane exploration of sounds, and he likes to keep it interesting and fun.
“I’ve had some of my best days making music with him, and he's always been a great collaborator and friend. I’m hoping to get back in the studio with him soon!”
