Oliver 'Skream' Jones has seen at all. Having first emerged in the heady days of dubstep's formative years—an era he captured perfectly on his debut self-titled album—Croydon's Skream has since gone on to expand his horizons beyond the minimalist, dark 2-step he cut his teeth on. Over the years, his productions and DJ sets have taken in house music, disco, techno and more and in the process he's become a producer/DJ no longer confined to, or associated with, any one sound. Nowadays, there's no such thing as a "definitive" Skream record, and that freeness is plain to hear.
Just last month, ravers were treated to an example of that when he played Desperados' Epic House Party at London's new Magazine venue, a club night with just a few special touches to set it apart from the rest. Door security was handled by Risky Roadz's Grime Gran, while everyone in the crowd was given a custom-built haptic jacket so that they could literally feel the music. This was just one in a list of impressive events being run by Desperados as part of their #WeAreTheParty campaign, and to celebrate, we tapped up Skream to talk us through the tracks that made him the artist he is today.
Your move from dubstep to house and techno has been one of the smoothest transitions we've ever seen. How have you found it?
It's crazy to think it's been nine years since the transition. It's been amazingly smooth, and I'm so thankful for the promoters who just let me do me.
Do you miss the dubstep days of old?
I had such an amazing time, so I'm just so grateful. I don't think it's possible to miss those days because I'm still making music and doing the same thing. I do miss some of the people I used to be with all the time—a lot of them were like family.
What would it take for a dubstep revival in 2019?
I write music at all tempos so there's definitely a chance of me writing a record at 140BPM. I've got some stuff in the pipelines, but it won't happen in 2019. Keep a lookout!
Who are some of your favourite house and techno producers out right now, and why?
There's these three boys from Liverpool, called Matter Of Fakt, that I've recently signed to my label. Their production is amazing and they're bringing something new to the table: high-speed techno with funk elements and live vocals—really fresh. There's also Eat Enders who are very popular at the moment—they've got such a groove to their work, but still keep it very minimal.
Plans for the rest of the year?
Well, recently, I partnered with Desperados and party legends Elrow to transform one of London's newest venues, Magazine London, into the most welcoming house party—people's wild party ideas were turned into a reality! I played a five-hour set, while party-goers got to experience wild surroundings, including octopus bartenders. I've also just released "Song For Olivia" and I've got a lot of music coming out before the end of the year, including work with Patrick Topping's label, a remix coming out on Dense, and I've also signed an EP for Jamie Jones' Hot Creations label. And then there's the tour, which will take me all over the place.
Soundtrack To My Life...