Watch Justin Bieber, Diplo & Skrillex Deconstruct “Where Are U Now” & Its Famous Dolphin Squeal Sound

Carl Williott | August 25, 2015 10:41 am
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Justin Bieber, Diplo and Skrillex recently sat down for an interview with The New York Times to explain how Jack Ü‘s Bieber-assisted hit “Where Are U Now” came together. The video is full of some interesting insights, like Bieber admitting he was reluctant to collaborate with the two EDM gods, but then had his mind blown by the final result. Diplo also reveals that his Jack Ü partner Skrillex is his favorite drum producer.

But the most interesting part of the video involves the song’s two most striking characteristics: the way Bieber’s vocals are manipulated and that high-pitched squealing sound during the drop (Skrillex calls it the dolphin sound, Diplo refers to it as the violin/flute sound). Turns out those two qualities of the song are one and the same. Diplo explains all the processing he used for Bieber’s vocals, and then deconstructs that indistinct noise, revealing that it’s actually just a chunk of Bieber’s vocal that has been worked over and processed into oblivion.

Watch the video about the making of a hit over at the NYT site.