Edinburgh Feature: Skream If You Want To Go Faster
Standfirst/ <br/>Tempa Records ingénue Skream is a young producer who is going places. As he prepares to drop some serious sub-bass on Edinburgh's Volume!, we ask him how his sound has evolved since he witnessed the birth of dubstep.<br/><br/>Pull Q/<br/>""The term dubstep came about because it was the best way to describe it, but some of it has no relevance to dub... it's just the instrumental part that carries that association. I just play what I play.""
| 08 Oct 2007
Ollie Jones, AKA Skream, can lay claim to being there at the very start of the dubstep phenomenon. At the age of 14, he was producing deep, brooding, tech-y beats, before moving to his current home on respected dubstep originators Tempa. "I originally started on Big Apple," reminisces Skream. "For me, it all started when I was working in a record shop – that was when it really started to evolve."
Talk of evolution crops up more than once in our discussion. You get the sense that Skream is a man who enjoys watching things in flux and motion: "I'm always trying to do something different or new. My tracks have evolved to be more musical, and I've gotten a lot better at engineering – like any producer, I'm just trying to construct my own sound." Soon after he began his musical journey, he hooked up with Tempa players Benga and Hatcha at the Forward> nights, and his releases on Big Apple were characterised by a dark, moody, atmospheric sound. Over the course of his 3-volume (thus far) Skreamizm series, he has displayed a remarkable diversity of textures and influences, constantly pushing boundaries. "Volume 4 is finished, there's one last drop on one of the tracks I need to fix, and then it's ready. It's another six-tracker, because that's what I set out to do – show versatility. I just have so much music here, releasing extended EPs is a better way to get it all out. When I was releasing 12"s, I found that by the time I had something released I had so much more new stuff that the releases felt old. So the Skreamizm EPs are a chance to get a burst of music out."
Tempa releases are often characterised by their attack and energy, marking them as a solidly dancefloor-oriented dubstep label. Skream argues once more that their sound has simply evolved: "Originally, the Tempa sound was a lot deeper, but we've moved with the sound. The early Horsepower Productions records were a lot deeper. It was headstrong music. It still is headstrong, but it's changed with the scene. I don't think there's ever going to be a set template for dubstep, that's the nice thing about it. You can go to a dubstep night and hear five DJs, and they all play completely different sets. I think the term dubstep came about just because it was the best way to describe it, but some of it has no relevance to dub. I think it's just the instrumental part that carries that association."
Skream comes to Edinburgh's finest dubstep / mashup night, Volume! for an exclusive night at The Bongo Club on Friday 12th October, and he's very much looking forward to seeing the Edinburgh crew show some appreciation: "I love playing outside of London – I've been in the scene since the very beginning, so I've seen the clubs changing. Now you go out to play and it's totally different vibes. In London, you're very spoilt for choice for music – so when you play in London, it's just a regular gig. When you go abroad, or play elsewehere in the UK, it's more special, you're a bit more wanted. Not a lot of places have the same choice of music as London – you could go out there and listen to any sort of music you like on any given night."
I ask if he's looking forward to hearing the dubstep coming out of Scotland, from the likes of Rustie, Gravious and others. He's excited at the spread of dubstep across the UK, and offers this advice: "I think the important thing with it is that it has to be original. You can't just copy someone, and then get that status. You have to be original. As long as producers keep those ethics, it will be cool."
DubPressure, The Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 25 Oct
DubPressure is Brighton's original dubstep night, the brainchild of the Clandestine Cultivations crew and established under the premise of presenting the most innovative artists on a brutalizing soundsystem your neighbouring town wouldn't like. Some serious poaching has taken place and as a one-off, DubPressure will hit Edinburgh. Over the past few years they've had Benga, Skream, The Bug, Kode9, Plastician and Youngsta to name but a few, and with the recent rise in levels of dubstep satisifaction, has been applauded by DJ Magazine as one the top five dubstep nights in the country. A special and varied selection of musicians are lined-up for DubPressure's Scottish debut: ex-jungle DJ Bandit of Slaughtermob will be lashing out with Londons grimiest subterranean dubs, whereas Leeds' Rusko is a prolific advocate of the digi-melodic, skankin' end of the scene. DubPressure resident Unlikely (Clandestine / Rinse FM), and Life4land's Monsta form the support with their own brand of dubbed out tunes. In the second room, more from Cambridge soundsystem Life4land: Ed Cox's "ska, techno, jungle, drum'n'bass fusion" is completed by his accordion playing and general mash-up nonsense, Stivs with jungle and dubstep, Ghost with breakcore, and a d&b set from Edinburgh's homegrown cider master Tekamine. Continue your October education in dubstep with this event. [Rosie McLean]
Talk of evolution crops up more than once in our discussion. You get the sense that Skream is a man who enjoys watching things in flux and motion: "I'm always trying to do something different or new. My tracks have evolved to be more musical, and I've gotten a lot better at engineering – like any producer, I'm just trying to construct my own sound." Soon after he began his musical journey, he hooked up with Tempa players Benga and Hatcha at the Forward> nights, and his releases on Big Apple were characterised by a dark, moody, atmospheric sound. Over the course of his 3-volume (thus far) Skreamizm series, he has displayed a remarkable diversity of textures and influences, constantly pushing boundaries. "Volume 4 is finished, there's one last drop on one of the tracks I need to fix, and then it's ready. It's another six-tracker, because that's what I set out to do – show versatility. I just have so much music here, releasing extended EPs is a better way to get it all out. When I was releasing 12"s, I found that by the time I had something released I had so much more new stuff that the releases felt old. So the Skreamizm EPs are a chance to get a burst of music out."
Tempa releases are often characterised by their attack and energy, marking them as a solidly dancefloor-oriented dubstep label. Skream argues once more that their sound has simply evolved: "Originally, the Tempa sound was a lot deeper, but we've moved with the sound. The early Horsepower Productions records were a lot deeper. It was headstrong music. It still is headstrong, but it's changed with the scene. I don't think there's ever going to be a set template for dubstep, that's the nice thing about it. You can go to a dubstep night and hear five DJs, and they all play completely different sets. I think the term dubstep came about just because it was the best way to describe it, but some of it has no relevance to dub. I think it's just the instrumental part that carries that association."
Skream comes to Edinburgh's finest dubstep / mashup night, Volume! for an exclusive night at The Bongo Club on Friday 12th October, and he's very much looking forward to seeing the Edinburgh crew show some appreciation: "I love playing outside of London – I've been in the scene since the very beginning, so I've seen the clubs changing. Now you go out to play and it's totally different vibes. In London, you're very spoilt for choice for music – so when you play in London, it's just a regular gig. When you go abroad, or play elsewehere in the UK, it's more special, you're a bit more wanted. Not a lot of places have the same choice of music as London – you could go out there and listen to any sort of music you like on any given night."
I ask if he's looking forward to hearing the dubstep coming out of Scotland, from the likes of Rustie, Gravious and others. He's excited at the spread of dubstep across the UK, and offers this advice: "I think the important thing with it is that it has to be original. You can't just copy someone, and then get that status. You have to be original. As long as producers keep those ethics, it will be cool."
DubPressure, The Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 25 Oct
DubPressure is Brighton's original dubstep night, the brainchild of the Clandestine Cultivations crew and established under the premise of presenting the most innovative artists on a brutalizing soundsystem your neighbouring town wouldn't like. Some serious poaching has taken place and as a one-off, DubPressure will hit Edinburgh. Over the past few years they've had Benga, Skream, The Bug, Kode9, Plastician and Youngsta to name but a few, and with the recent rise in levels of dubstep satisifaction, has been applauded by DJ Magazine as one the top five dubstep nights in the country. A special and varied selection of musicians are lined-up for DubPressure's Scottish debut: ex-jungle DJ Bandit of Slaughtermob will be lashing out with Londons grimiest subterranean dubs, whereas Leeds' Rusko is a prolific advocate of the digi-melodic, skankin' end of the scene. DubPressure resident Unlikely (Clandestine / Rinse FM), and Life4land's Monsta form the support with their own brand of dubbed out tunes. In the second room, more from Cambridge soundsystem Life4land: Ed Cox's "ska, techno, jungle, drum'n'bass fusion" is completed by his accordion playing and general mash-up nonsense, Stivs with jungle and dubstep, Ghost with breakcore, and a d&b set from Edinburgh's homegrown cider master Tekamine. Continue your October education in dubstep with this event. [Rosie McLean]