Oliver Dene Jones (born 1 June 1986), known professionally as Skream, is an English electronic music producer based in Croydon.[1] Skream has released records on several British record labels, such as Tempa, Tectonic, and Big Apple Records,[2] and has performed throughout Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan,[3] as well as the UK.[4] Skream is known as an early and influential architect of the dubstep genre.[5][6]
Since 2013 Skream has primarily focused on House music and Disco.
Origins
Jones was born in West Wickham, Bromley, London.[8] As a teenager, he worked at Big Apple Records, a Croydon-based record store that was at the centre of the early dubstep scene; even prior to this, Jones had become acquainted with Hatcha, another dubstep pioneer, because Jones' brother worked on an adjacent floor in Big Apple Records.[8] As a result of this encounter, Hatcha was the first DJ to play Skream dubplates.[1]
He began producing music at the age of 15,[8] (using FruityLoops)[1] and later claimed to have roughly 8,000 tracks in various stages of development.[9] He reports that he was frequently truant when he was a teenager, and spent a considerable amount of time at Big Apple Records. On occasion he attended FWD, a club night that was first hosted at the Velvet Rooms, but which moved to Plastic People in Shoreditch.
Career
Skream in 2009
Skream's early productions were stark and sinister works he co-produced with another frequenter of Big Apple, Benga.[10] Together, they produced several tracks that Big Apple Records published on two EPs: The Judgment in 2003, and Hydro in 2004. One of his first solo singles, 2005's "Midnight Request Line," has been credited as a key factor in the evolution of a more melodic sound in the dubstep music.[10] Justin Hampton of the LA Times called the track "dubstep's most recognizable crossover hit".[11] and has been praised by producers as diverse as grime producer Wiley, and minimal techno producer Ricardo Villalobos.[12] A writer for The Wire wrote that the song has "an epic change of key and tempo that recall[s] the classicist mannerisms of Derrick May."[13]
In 2006, after producing several singles, he released his first full-length album, Skream!, considered to be one of the more influential entries in the early dubstep period.[14] Around the same time, he began hosting a weekly Rinse FM show called Stella Sessions.[15] In 2010, Benga joined the broadcast, which was renamed The Skream and Benga Show.[16]
In 2007, "Angry" and "Colourful" from Skream!, as well as an exclusive mix, were featured in the E4 teen drama Skins. This marked the first instance dubstep was featured on television.[17] Skream was also featured on BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix that same year.[18]
In September 2008, Harmless released Watch the Ride, an album mixed by Skream. On 2 October 2008 Skream featured in a fly-on-the-wall German TV show Durch die Nacht mit … alongside drum and bass artist Goldie. In this, Skream stated that he currently had writer's block, but he was working on music in other genres, also mentioning a possible Skream & Goldie collaboration.
In 2010, Tempa Records released Skream's second album, Outside the Box. Spin magazine rated the album 7 out of 10.[20] Later that year, further commercial success was seen through the release of Magnetic Man, the debut album under the live electronic music project with fellow dubstep pioneers Benga and Artwork. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart[21] and its lead single, "I Need Air" reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.[22]
In January 2011, he and Benga left Rinse to replace Alex Metric in his 'In New DJs We Trust' slot on BBC Radio 1. The duo was eventually given a weekly slot on Radio 1, which began in April 2012.
Jones has worked with many prominent pop artists. In addition to La Roux, he has produced for and collaborated with the likes of Kelis, Miles Kane, and Chromeo,[23] as well as Katy B and John Legend as part of Magnetic Man.
In response to his success, Jones launched his Skreamizm tour to offer himself a change of pace from arena and festival performances, opting to play three-hour sets in small clubs. These shows saw a greater incorporation of disco, house, and techno in his sets. Productions from this time period increasingly veered away from dubstep into these various genres, seen in tracks such as "Sticky," "Bang That" and "Kreepin'". He addressed the change in direction on his Twitter[24] and in interviews, noting that he was inspired to do more varied sets by the likes of Jackmaster.[25] In March 2013, he contributed a house mix to Pete Tong's All Gone Miami 2013 on Defected Records, a leading house label that releases yearly compilations dedicated to Miami and Ibiza. Resident Advisor wrote that with the release, he gained "entry to one of the most established institutions in house music."[26]
In 2023, Skream returned to the stage with Benga and SGT Pokes for the first time in 10 years at the fabric club in London. Following this show, additional shows were announced for April 2024, to be held at The Black Box in Denver, Colorado.[27]
Personal life
In July 2011, Jones had his first child, a son.[28]
UK bass, also called bass music, is club music that emerged in the United Kingdom during the mid-2000s under the influence of diverse genres such as house, grime, dubstep, UK garage, R&B, and UK funky. The term "UK bass" came into use as artists began ambiguously blending the sounds of these defined genres while maintaining an emphasis on percussive, bass-led rhythm.
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken beat, grime, and drum and bass. In the United Kingdom, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s.
Chris Reed, also known as Plastician, is an electronic musician from Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon.
Tempa is a garage and dubstep music label founded in 2000 by Neil Jolliffe, who also coined the term "dubstep" in 2002.
Skream! is the self-titled, debut album by dubstep producer Skream. It was released in 2006 on the Tempa label. The album is considered to be an important stepping stone for dubstep. BBC Music described it as having "accelerated dubstep’s transformation from hyped underground scene to [a] sort of influential [genre]", as it fuzes more "old-school rave" sounds with more accessible "pop" sounds. The album predates the highly popular and influential dubstep works by producers such as Skrillex, sometimes disparagingly referred to as "brostep". It essentially serves as an accessible entry into "classic dubstep".
Adegbenga Adejumo, known as Benga, is a British musician from Croydon, known for being a pioneer of dubstep record production. He has been featured on a variety of compilations including Mary Anne Hobbs's Warrior Dubz, Tempa's The Roots of Dubstep and the BBC Radio 1Xtra anniversary mix.
Horsepower Productions are an English electronic music duo, initially a larger musical collective who released experimental garage recordings, and helped pioneer the dubstep genre.
Rinse FM is a London-based community radio station, licensed for "young people living and/or working within the central, east and south London areas". It plays garage, grime, dubstep, house, jungle, UK funky and other dance music genres popular in the United Kingdom.
Magnetic Man is an English electronic music project from London, consisting of dubstep producers and DJs Benga, Skream and Artwork. The trio first met in the late 1990s at the Big Apple Records store in Croydon. They performed using three computers, one playing drum samples, one playing basses and the third playing leads and other samples. Artwork controlled the master laptop, to which the other two are synchronized via MIDI. Their sets usually consisted of a mix of original tracks produced together, and live remixes of Benga and Skream's tracks, accompanied by synchronized projected visuals by Novak Collective. They signed to Columbia Records in 2010. Magnetic Man completed their first full-length sellout tour on 5 November 2010. Their self-titled debut studio album, Magnetic Man, was released through Sony by Columbia Records on 10 October 2010.
Diary of an Afro Warrior is the second album by dubstep producer Benga. Released in 2008 it was met with favourable reviews and has been credited – along with fellow Tempa artist, Skream – with introducing the genre to a more mainstream audience.
Tectonic is a British electronic music label, founded and run by Rob Ellis (Pinch) which focuses primarily on dubstep and its related genres. As one of the founding dubstep labels, alongside Tempa, DMZ, Hyperdub, and Hotflush, Tectonic became a focal point for the Bristol scene, as well as introducing artists and releases that were among the first to bridge a gap between dubstep and techno.
Outside the Box is the second and latest album by British dubstep producer Skream, released on 9 August 2010 on Tempa records. The album features collaborations with electropop duo La Roux and American rapper Murs, amongst others. Two singles were released from the album: "Listenin' To The Records on My Wall" and "Where You Should Be".
Trim is an English grime MC from East London and a former member of Roll Deep. Trim has an eclectic subject matter, beat selection and delivery.
On a Mission is the debut studio album by British singer Katy B. The album was released on 1 April 2011, by Rinse and Columbia Records and in the United States on 13 September. Katy worked with producers and writers DJ Zinc, Benga, and Rinse FM founder Geeneus. Katy had been recording songs for the album since June 2007 and continued recording for three years until December 2010. The album was heavily influenced by the singer's life experiences and her journey into the music world.
"Getting Nowhere" is a song by English electronic music project Magnetic Man featuring American singer John Legend. It is the third single to be released from their debut album Magnetic Man. It was released on 18 February 2011. It only managed to peak to number 65 on the UK Singles Chart but had some success in Flanders where it reached number four. The song was also used in a Sony PlayStation Move advert in November 2011.
Oliver Dene Jones, known as Skream, is an English electronic music producer based in Croydon.
Terry Leonard, better known as DJ Hatcha or simply Hatcha, is a South London producer and DJ notable for his seminal work in the musical genre dubstep. He had a regular show on the prominent pirate radio station Rinse FM in the early 2000s, before bringing dubstep to a wider audience with his regular show on mainstream radio station Kiss FM.
Rowan Tyler Jones, known by his stage name Route 94, is an English record producer and remixer from Richmond, London. Initially producing dubstep as Dream, Jones worked with the likes of Skream, Benga and Katy B. He then began producing house music. His single "My Love" was a commercial success, reaching number one in three charts.
Tony Williams, better known as Addison Groove, is an electronic music artist from Bristol, United Kingdom. Noted for his fusion of styles such as Techno, Jungle, Soul, Juke and Dubstep, he released his first album 'Nomad' on Tempa in 2008.
Big Apple Records was a record shop and label in Croydon, South London that opened in 1992 and closed in 2004, although the label continued to release music until 2007. It is known for pioneering the sound of dubstep in the early 2000s, with dubstep DJs and producers working in and frequently visiting the shop. The record label was the first to sign Skream and Benga.
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