Skream

Ollie ‘Skream’ Jones is on a major roll. The 24 year old Croydon DJ, producer and original dubstepper had the festival anthem of last year with his Let’s Get Ravey remix of La Roux’s ‘In For The Kill’; he’s just been featured on the cover of NME with his Magnetic Man co-stars Benga and Artwork; and as we speak, he is all over Radio 1 with the first single from his second solo album, Outside The Box. The tune in question, ‘Listenin To The Records On My Wall’, is the perfect introduction to why Skream’s current level of success is just the beginning. It’s a joyful, ragingly energetic celebration of the last quarter decade of British street music, inspired by the hardcore and jungle records used by his older brother Hijak who was part of Grooverider’s Internatty Crew. It’s also a brilliant pop record that makes perfect sense to everyone who grew up surrounded by the breaks and beats of the 1990s – and to those who didn’t.

This, however, is not a revival record. A natural born modernist, Skream has selected 14 tracks that cover hip hop (‘8-Bit Baby’, with LA rapper Murs from Living Legends), bass-wobbling dubstep (the self-explanatory ‘Wibbler’), dreamy electronica (‘Perferated’), a dark and tribal track with La Roux, and a strong dose of euphoric jungle on ‘The Epic Last Tune’; a track that is inadvisable to listen to whilst driving – unless you want another six points on your licence.

A lot has happened since the 16 year old Skream left school with no GCSEs and a top-flight training in white labels and nightclubs. “I hated school and school hated me. I was rarely there and rarely wanted to be there. When I first saw music being made on a PlayStation, that was it. There was never going to be anything else. I know people who got 5 A-Cs but now they look like they’re dying of boredom.

Towards the end of the album, there are moments that point in a whole new direction, like ‘Reflections’, a tune written with talented drum ‘n’ bassheads dBridge and Instra:mental. “It’s opened my eyes to a whole new way of working. I was playing the bass, and they were programming drums and playing the pads and strings. I was used to sitting in front of a screen.” And then there’s ‘Song For Lenny’, a sad and very personal musical dedication to a lost friend.