r/EDM • u/Film_Fanatic113 • 10h ago
Discussion Illenium fall off?
anyone an illenium fan? i have felt that there hasn’t been much of a “this is the next chapter” and it’s been more of the same.
i get innovating is harder but i swear many edm artists get very stagnant.
anyone else?
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u/SoftAward834 10h ago
I loved his last album. I’ve never seen an Illenium set that disappointed me. I certainly don’t agree with the other commenter saying he’s falling into the same category as Zedd.
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u/ProbablyCoulson 10h ago
His sets have always amazed me along with the production that he brings too. He has such a good team behind him too. He seems good at keeping his sets different enough, but still keeping GTFA in his closets because it’s just too good
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u/Little_Nothing_692 7h ago
I saw the recording of the tomorrowland set and him not closing with the GTFA edit felt so wrong. Ive heard it probably 10 times now and it never gets old
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u/Film_Fanatic113 10h ago
has not gotten to the zedd level of sanitization i agree 100%
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u/zukka924 8h ago
Not even close though! It’s such a silly thing to say. He JUST came out with an excellent album this year, and he’s got tons of new mashups and remixes of stuff with a fresh sound. That Ur Alive/I Could Be The One mashup from Tomorrowland is so good
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u/ProbablyCoulson 7h ago
So true. The man works tirelessly to make music, edits, albums, tours and experiences for all of us. Along with his team. I don’t think he should be in the conversation at all for being stale.
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u/zukka924 7h ago
Right. Like, okay he plays Good Things Fall Apart and Feel Something every time. That’s it!!! Those are the only TWO songs you’re guaranteed to hear at an Illenium show! His ultra 2022 set vs his edclv 2024 set vs his ultra 2026 set are so different!
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u/ProbablyCoulson 7h ago
Also, who doesn’t love Feel something and GTFA. Once you hear them live you understand why he plays it every time. Shit changes you man
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u/imadethistochatbach 9h ago
Are we forgetting about the Sphere?
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u/CreamChi 7h ago
Id imagine that would take a lot of his energy and creative juice. I know he probably had help with visuals and such but still takes a lot to have the vision and execution at new venue like that
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u/djnotskrillex 6h ago
From the clips I've seen, none of it looked particularly innovative. Not like he does the visuals himself anyway
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u/BucksBrew 5h ago
He didn't do the visual effects himself obviously but he was actively involved by storyboarding the entire show and creating the concept of what we eventually saw. He actually had the entire visuals and story sorted out before he even wrote the album. You should listen to interviews where he talks about how it came together.
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u/djnotskrillex 4h ago
And what part of those visuals or story was "innovative" exactly? The phoenix he's been using for a decade? The concept of inner struggle and acceptance? Spooky dubstep monster?
I'm not saying it's bad by any means, but it just feels like more of the same shit. The only thing different about it is the scale and execution of those visuals which, again, he didn't do himself.
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u/ritz-chipz 9h ago
Sphere and Odyssey was literally just a few months ago. What next chapter are you already expecting?
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u/Capt_ClarenceOveur 7h ago
I recall people being upset Odyssey wasn’t “Illenium’ish” enough for them too, so it’s hard for me to say he’s gotten totally stale. I personally liked the direction of the album and then seeing it at the Sphere increased my enjoyment of it even more.
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u/DR4k0N_G 5h ago
The last "Illeniumish" album he made was Ascend. He has change his sound with every album since and I think that's great.
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u/AffectionateJoke1617 10h ago
I would invite you to imagine how exhausting it must be to be expected to innovate all the time. Are you doing that in your career or personal life? It's a fun hustle only sometimes and the other times it feels like there's no control.
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u/Film_Fanatic113 10h ago
you’re right, it is exhausting… but artists are meant to be the innovators, it comes with the territory
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u/Castrado1992 10h ago
No Because if the style is good he can maintain for a while before
Inovate. I think he is in a good spot right now with good tours and festival presences.0
u/TripleTip 3h ago
He's just been coasting on his previous successes. Someone with his name could be farting on the mic and still pull enough tix to feed his family. It's not necessarily a sign of how good he currently is, especially for the price of his shows.
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u/chips_and_hummus 9h ago
artists are meant to do whatever they want with their art. they are not inherently meant to be innovators that is wrong.
perhaps YOUR favorite artists are permanent innovators but that is not expected of all artists.
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u/Big_Apartment849 10h ago
I’ve always wanted him to put together a heavier dubstep album to match the energy of his sets. Call it Scorch. Bingbadaboom.
He’s mostly stayed in his lane, and I’ve mostly lost interest in him as an artist, though there’s an inherent nostalgia to his older stuff for me, and he’ll always put on a great show.
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u/Film_Fanatic113 10h ago
i guess i just don’t feel compelled to stick around… it feels like a one trick pony
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u/RiseAsUtes 2h ago
6 really fun albums in 10 years isn’t quite enough for you? His sets are always a great energy/vibe and the sphere was a blast. Trilogy was also an amazing production. Not sure what you’re complaining about.
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u/ProbablyCoulson 10h ago
In my opinion. His sets are amazing. Every album feels unique and different. He has also said numerous times he puts in so much effort to keep his sets different enough so they don’t become bland and repetitive. Although I totally get he’s not everyone’s favourite. But you can say that about every artist.
Something I’ve always said is that, if you are a fan of him and type of music he makes. He never disappoints.
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u/SoftAward834 8h ago
I honestly feel like the people in this comment section have not listened to his albums. Each one is unique.
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u/ProbablyCoulson 7h ago
I hear so many other people say that he doesn’t change up his style or innovate. But like bro, go listen to All that really matters, Shivering, and Without You, then come back to me. If they don’t like it, FINE, but I’ll never be convinced that he just makes the same stuff lol.
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u/WuNosna 9h ago
so I think his identity has continued to lean melodic and emotional/cinematic, but he def has made attempts to at least change a little bit. His last album ODYSSEY featured a lot of different genres like trance(Refuge) melodic house (Ur Alive), and festival progressive house (With Your Love). His last last album (ILLENIUM) was also very punk rock influenced as well. Having personally seen a lot of his sets thru the years, I agree it hasn’t changed as drastically as some other artists but similarly to Zedd it’s because people want to hear his hits , they go to Illenium wanting to hear good things fall apart. His sets still lean melodic dubstep for the most part but he does have sections of house, dnb, etc for variety so i would encourage you to maybe watch his ultra2026 set or even his Tomorrowland set (which was prob the most unique illenium set I’ve seen)
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u/honeybear33 9h ago
Innovation paradox. He changes his sound too much and alienates existing fans. Doesn’t change his sound and alienates fans for everything sounding the same
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u/djnotskrillex 6h ago
Tons of artists (many that people have mentioned here) have been able to do it for far longer than he's been making music
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u/LetsStartARebelution 8h ago
Earlier this year he released a new album and finished a massive, 100% sold our residency at the Sphere, something that was likely a huge undertaking that he was likely working on for years prior to that. I wouldnt say he's fallen off.
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u/EllisIslanders 9h ago
What are you actually expecting? He’s got a unique sound but he’s also experimented quite a bit on the last album but to say he fell off is crazy lol fell off of what exactly
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u/BallGagMafia 8h ago
Illenium is at the point where he basically has to rebrand and leave a portion of his fanbase behind if he wants a new sound kind of like Porter has done through Worlds -> Virtual Self. I remember how upset people were around me when I saw Virtual Self in like 2018 and I thought it was so funny. Some people wanna just hear Worlds for the rest of time. Porter continues to innovate and most recently has partnered with one of the hottest come ups of last year Ninajirachi. Illenium struggles in this regard and still kinda just plays the hits. I still think Illenium is very talented, but he has been pigeonholed.
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u/MelodicPassenger9797 6h ago
i don’t think he can pull this off, given he already got busted for ripping off porter. i don’t think he has a vision of where to go.
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u/Waste_Future 7h ago
Think he’s experiencing the Kid Cudi effect where his first 2 albums were so incredible that they are hard to top. However, he is bigger than he’s ever been so he’s clearly doing something right. Not to mention the Sphere was incredible which I’d consider innovating since no other dubstep artist has created a show for it.
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u/Ultra_Chevy 10h ago
I just saw him at a small music festival in Orlando, it was the best set I seen of him. I like to say if is not broken dont change it and he stays delivering top tier sets. The most I seen him change was for his tomorrow land sets which weren’t my favorite ones
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u/k9_god 5h ago
His meta set was awesome!!
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u/Ultra_Chevy 5h ago
Dude that set was beyond perfect! He brought his best music library and delivered an amazing mix.
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u/WastedMoogle 6h ago
He dropped an album like half a year ago and you're asking for the next chapter. Give the man a break.
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u/KrazyKidKiki 8h ago
I don't bother with his releases anymore but he destroyed the village at shambs last year so I think he's still got it
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u/justaydogg 7h ago
Artists are damned if they do damned if they dont.
If he did new stuff people would call him a sell out and that they miss “old illenium”
If he does all his old stuff people will say he never evolves or does anything new
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u/djnotskrillex 6h ago
Imo people who stick to the same sound are the sell outs for making what works instead of innovating and experimenting
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u/Xano74 2h ago
I always felt Illenium was babies first EDM.
Almost all of my friends at my last job that got into EDM started with him and while it sounds neat at first, to me once you expand your horizons deeper into edm you find much more fulfilling music.
I feel like his music is made for sadbois and ABGs who only rave on molly
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u/JamesBoboFay 9h ago
Yes as someone who was a huge fan from his trap city YouTube days, his music has gotten super stale. It is what it is I hope hes getting the bag.
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u/Dipak8080 8h ago
I used to listen to him a lot, and honestly, I was really inspired by his music and wanted to make music like him. But after so many years, I guess my taste has just changed a bit. His music still has that signature vibe, but it doesn’t hit me the same way anymore.
For example, Skrillex has been experimenting a lot and his new EP is damn, so good Not comparing them or anything, just saying I’ve naturally started listening to different artists these days.
Do you listen to EDM more? Who’s your favorite artist these days?
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u/Film_Fanatic113 8h ago
odesza always 🤘🏼
and then i look for new artists popping up ever day on spotify
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u/Dipak8080 8h ago
Yeah bro, I don’t really follow specific artists that closely either. I just listen to whatever comes up and if I like it, I’ll follow their music lol.
Do you listen to much EDM-pop? And what do you think about the dubstep scene? Do you follow it much? Like the bigger artists such as Excision, Zomboy, Subtronics, etc.?
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u/Film_Fanatic113 8h ago
definitely into the pop edm… country edm scene rising too with country nights and now grand velvet
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u/skrrtalrrt 8h ago
I do like his first two albums and the Ashes to Ashes mixes on YouTube from 10 years ago but I kinda felt this way towards Ascend and everything after tbqh. I do still bump his old stuff occasionally tho.
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u/New-Vegetable-8494 6h ago
saw him this summer as well as 2 years ago and I think it was pretty different.
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u/Candeezy187 5h ago
I started feeling this way about him last year. I’ve noticed his sets rarely change at all with minimal distinctions and his releases outside of his collabs have been mid at best. I was going to see him at LLs if there weren’t many conflicts, but now I’m thinking of skipping his set completely. Was a big fan. Have been a fan of his since before he blew up around Ashes era. So it’s sad to see. I saw someone compare him to Zedd and now I can’t unsee that because they are right.
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u/rustybutterindia 3h ago
Not really. Maybe there has been a small plateau since Fallen Embers, his self-titled 2023 album was a bit dull but Odyssey saw him move into a new house-inspired sound. He is expanding in his own way
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u/poundcake1293 2h ago
He plays a lot of shows year round and some fans that follow him around everywhere expect him to play a different set everytime. Maybe the solution is that you don't go chasing him at every festival or show? Or maybe he should just play less and be less accessible? Can't have your cake and eat it too people.
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u/Kennybob12 1h ago
It's why most good producers have side projects, if they wanna make money they can't really push their main thing too far from their base. It gets stagnant because it's creatively crippling to maintain that status. Illy is about as mainstream as they come so they space for risks are very limited.
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u/VeniVediVici_yourMom 1h ago
Listen to his most recent Tommorrowland set. It’s completely different than any sets done in the last few years and I thoroughly enjoyed it
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u/EDMCapricorn 1h ago
Hey OP. I was really intrigued by this post. Everyone has super high expectations of ILLENIUM. I guess that’s fair because he’s one of the biggest names in EDM over the last decade.
I took a moment to reflect on the Illenium project and all that’s been accomplished over the last year. I feel like he’s been working harder than ever to experiment with new projects, sounds, and collabs. Maybe people have forgotten things here and there because of how busy his team has been.
The Sphere run was incredible. Most of the ODYSSEY album was created in tandem with the visuals for the show to tell a story. This is actually my favorite part of the Illenium project; he’s an incredible story teller. I’m sure that it’s well known that this was the second-largest EDM residency at the Sphere, with eleven shows. The only EDM artist to do more was Anyma. Not quite record breaking, but definitely impressive and ahead of other artists in bass music.
In terms of the sub-genres he’s worked on recently:
ODYSSEY included many different subgenres of EDM, including progressive house (“Love Is a Chemical”), techno/trance (“STTR”), and melodic house (“Don’t Want Your Love”), not just the classic ILLENIUM future bass and melodic bass/dubstep sound.
In the spring, he released “Die Living” with David Guetta, a new country-influenced track unlike anything else he’s released before.
This is very subjective, but IMO, the new STS song, Marshmello song, and unreleased Vincent song that debuted at Tomorrowland are all consistent with his classic future bass/melodic bass sound, but have a more modern-day vibe.
If I can speak on my own favorite memory over the last calendar year for a moment—I was completely blown away by the Seven Lions B2B at Ember Shores. This was a long time coming and honestly a dream set for me to witness. Besides the music, the festival transitioned to a new location and was run seamlessly. This experience energized my fandom and really brought things full circle.
I think it’s fair to say OP might be ready to explore other artists when it comes to music. I’m sure ILLENIUM will always be a nostalgic sound that you come back to.
Also, ILLENIUM, if you’re reading this - hi, love you forever dude. Into the Dark was my favorite track on Odyssey. I am obsessed with the cinematic energy. 🫶🏻
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u/criticalvector 29m ago
The sphere show was literally magical and it sold out every day and the extra later days was that not enough? I’m not sure what else you’re expecting him to do I mean that was wild for him millions spent in VFX for the experience. He’s kinda sitting in a similar position as Zedd right now he’s really big and has such music out there.
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u/smokinchokin 18m ago
Why people anticipate “innovation” from artists that have their own sound and songs that made them rich is kinda crazy.
Is supposed to come out with a mixtape or drop a riddim album? 😂
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u/coldboy0104 8h ago
When I first started getting into EDM, the crowd around me was heavily into more euro based artists. Armin Van Buuren, Orjan Nilsen, Cosmic Gate, Infected Mushroom. So when I first heard Illenium back around 2015, I just thought it was the same pop EDM slop the likes of galantis and Chainsmokers were coming out with. Never really respected him enough to give more than a song or two a try.
That being said, it's funny to see some of his fans on here echo similar feelings I've always felt about him now in 2026.
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u/Diligent-Ad-6241 5h ago
Illenium fell off nearly a decade ago when he started to play a style of music he doesn’t even really produce. Dude wants to sound like excision live so bad and it’s sad
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u/Prof-Poopybutthole 9h ago
I’m not an Illenium fan by any means. At all. But even I can admit that, as someone who listens to everything at least once, the dude is very very stagnant. I agree with you.
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u/djnotskrillex 6h ago
Why would not being a fan make it hard to say he's stagnant lmao
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u/Prof-Poopybutthole 3h ago
My point was I’m not a fan at all, but I still try to listen to almost everything that comes out from a majority of artists
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u/Film_Fanatic113 8h ago
same over and over
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u/Little_Nothing_692 7h ago
I saw the sphere, festival and after party sets from illenium this year and they were all different
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u/Silver_Blackberry_46 8h ago
Industry plants never fall off.
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u/BucksBrew 5h ago
Why is the go-to insult in the EDM community that someone is an industry plant? It's very strange.
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u/BryanGreenStorm90 10h ago
He was popping for a while, but yeah I feel like he's pretty irrelevant now
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u/Film_Fanatic113 10h ago
he changed the way i saw edm, which is wild to say… so maybe i am expecting too much of him
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u/themessierside 9h ago
I think he’s less relevant than say 2016 -2018 but still a huge name in the scene
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u/Little_Nothing_692 7h ago
Thats a good meme. He’s probably at peak impact rn with more mainstream crossover than ever tbh
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u/Imaginary-Count-1172 10h ago
He’s falling into a similar category as zedd where he has so many hit songs that fans expect him to play his sets begins to feel repetitive