UK quartet Rudimental dropped their RnB inspired house production “Hell Could Freeze” last fall. The soulful track featured vocals from rising rapper Angel Haze, creating a blissful beat with vocal conviction. Now with the first weekend of Ultra Music Festival quickly approaching, Skream is ready to preview his rework of the track. Skream’s rendition of “Hell Could Freeze” throws back to a funkier time with a four-on-the-floor dance rhythm, giving fans another disco-flavored product from the dubstep-pioneering producer.
Every year on his road from Miami to Ibiza, Pete Tong delivers a compilation of what is, in his mind, a aural record of that particular moment in time. The All Gone series has and will continue to be an important indicator of the current musical landscape, and there is no better man to orchestrate such a thing than Tong. For this year’s Miami mix, Pete has recruited the multi-talented and hugely successful Skream. Mixing out for an All Gone piece is an understandable move for him at this point — many of the originals we’ve seen out of the Skream camp in more recent months have steered away from his roots in bass and dubstep and towards harder house, disco, and garage sounds.
Back in January, Duke Dumont dropped “Need U (100%)” on Blasé Boys Club, and now the groovy, deep disco track has gotten the Skream treatment. Just what the “Skream treatment” entails has come to change over the past few months. After going back-to-back with Disclosure in the Boiler Room, releasing the soulful Kreepin’, and recently previewing his newest house original “Bang That,” we are witnessing the dawning of a new Skream. His take on Duke Dumont’s “Need U (100%)” is a resplendent and genial house remix on the cheerful vocal track: a dazzling declaration of his new direction. Skream’s remix of “Need U (100%)” will be released on March 31st.
Skream continues to push the boundaries of bass music, veering away from his traditional dubstep roots. His latest showing “Bang That.” is a merging of his bass-heavy tendencies with house and gives listeners a versatile storyline from beginning to end. Starting with synthesized sub-bass, Skream delivers fans a grinding introduction that leads into a percussion-driven beat before jumping into jamming piano chords to finish the multifaceted production. Loefah dropped “Bang That.” on his RinseFM show last night, so Skream decided to bring the unrelased track to fans via SoundCloud. Hop below the break to listen to the dubstep mastermind’s latest experiment.
Many producers have attempted to remix tracks of the late R&B princess Aaliyah and few have done so with the polished precision of Skream. The dubstep producer’s latest release “Kreepin’” is his take on Aaliyah’s notorious song “If Your Girl Only Knew,” giving listeners more ’90s R&B inspired house productions from the UK. Touching on the sounds of garage, Skream maintains the soul of the 1996 original while adding the 2-step rhythm of newcomers like Disclosure and Bondax have helped champion. The rework was featured in Skream’s December mix last year and now the track is available as a free download.
Click below the break to listen and head over to his Soundcloud for the free download.
If you got into electronic music through the sounds of dubstep as I did, Mary Anne Hobbs should be a name that is synonymous with the development of the genre. Her early efforts at BBC Radio 1 helped foster the infamous radio station’s experimental show—formerly called Breezeblock, where she launched Dubstep Warz in 2006. The show is considered to be a pivotal turning point for the bass-heavy genre, allowing the sounds of dubstep to emerge from the underground club scene to international airwaves. The 2-hour set showcases UK dubstep OGs such as Mala, Skream, Hatcha, and Kode 9 to name a few—giving listeners completely different interpretations of the genre categorized by its sub-bass. With that said, turn up your subs and feel the power of dubstep’s roots.
Dave Spoon has made it pretty clear in 2012 that Shadow Child is not just a side project anymore. Spoon made his debut under the Shadow Child veil in March of this year with the release of “String Thing” on Dirtybird Records (you may also recognize it from Eats Everything‘s Essential Mix). Shadow Child’s sound is a spot on representation of the UK garage and bass sound that has dominated much of our beloved industry in 2012.
Earlier this week, he released a four part EP, 23, on Food Music, a label he shares with Kry Wolf, Tom Flynn, Hannah Wants, and James Talk. We first noticed the title track back in November when it jumped out as a highlight in Skream and Disclosure’s b2b Boiler Room set. You’re going to have a hard time forgetting this bass line. “Sensible Haircut” weaves in and out of its 2 step and bass vibes, bringing a rad vocal refrain along for the ride. Shadow Child’s original of “The Verdict pt2″ hammers out muted synth riffs within a soulful framework while labelmate Kry Wolf’s remix adds in a bit more of that spooky bass this group of producers are all relying on heavily in productions as of late.
Last night dubstep OG Skream, took to his twitter to find a vocalist for his new demo “Smiler.” The track, which is a venture from his typical down tempo dark dubstep vibes, bubbles over with chiming piano chords and synthesized horns to form a relaxed yet upbeat tune.
Following in the footsteps of Deadmau5, who found the vocalist for his massive track “The Veldt” earlier this year in a similar way–Skream is hoping to find the perfect vocal hook from his beloved fans. Click below the break to listen to the instrumental demo and keep an eye on Skream‘s Twitter and Facebook for the email address to send your vocal submissions.
Skream unveils his latest creation, “Copy Cat” featuring the sultry vocals of hip-hop songstress Kelis. An even slower take on Skream‘s typical downtempo dubstep vibes, the track starts off with whispering vocals from Kelis. Her seductive voice takes hold on “Copy Cat,” while Skream‘s simple yet airy beat wraps around each breath, making for a rare R&B–EDM union.
The track will appear on Skream‘s next installment of his Skreamizm EP series, click below the break to listen.
If you have ever questioned if they do it better in the UK, this video will probably clear up any doubt. Pitchfork recently released a mini-documentary on the now prodigious Warehouse Project club in Manchester. These people have been throwing parties in Warehouse Project form since 2006 and have been consistently known for pushing the limits of what is known, accepted, or cool in the dance music industry.
In turn, the producers and DJs lucky enough to perform for these discerning crowds only have multitudes of praise to give about the planning, atmosphere, and originality of the events. Hear what names like Skream, Diplo, Four Tet, Nicolas Jaar, AlunaGeorge, and Scuba have to say about the experience.
