- The dubstep pioneer talks fatherhood, reinvention and Skreamizm.
- "Everyone knows I'm a lively character, I like the party." Oliver 'Skream' Jones is attempting to explain his stamina over a near two decade-long career and true to his unpretentious personality, he makes it sound easy. The 36-year-old has been making music since the age of 15 and despite being a busy father, this unfiltered conversation at RA's London headquarters confirms that his love for the dance is as strong as ever.
Discussing his childhood, Dubstep Forum and finding confidence through music, the dubstep legend reveals how his social skills, born from childhood visits to the pub with his father, gave him his first record store job. "My musical taste is all over the place, my range is broad," he says. That includes pop, a style that he likes for its collaborative songwriting process.
Skream's endurance in an industry that's synonymous with burnout is remarkable but he simply attributes it to pure instinct. "When something feels right, I do it. I don't see it as change, I see it as a natural feeling." That's why he made the decision years ago to focus on house and techno instead of dubstep, a sound that he transformed from dark and slow to ravey. "I play for myself but that's what my fanbase has grown to love."
That intuition also applies to his productions. "I've got to a point where I know what I want to hear and make it happen. That comes from doing the same thing for a long time." In the studio, he says he listens to a track repeatedly "and if it ever gets boring" or doesn't bring "a certain feeling," then he knows it's not ready.
To hear about his approach to remixes, his parenting style and what he has in the pipeline, listen to the conversation in full.