Skream - Outside The Box: A Review

Today I have decided to put together a brief review of Skream's new LP, Outside the Box. Please forgive me for the rather small review, I am meant to be revising for a resit next week! I hope you agree with my opinions, but if you don't, please give your reasons in the comments box at the bottom.

The album itself comes out this Monday, the 9th August, on Tempa Recordings. It is a fantastic LP, taking in many different styles and genres on it's way. As I am trying to keep it brief, I have just given a small review of each individual track.

Perforated

Despite having no discernible beat to it, the popping synths and mountains of reverb make this an emotional introduction.

8 Bit Baby (featuring Murs)

Nice light production, but is really let down by the vocals.

“Guess who came through the front door bangin//

one leg up on the speaker nuts hangin... danglin.”

Err.. I guess it is quite fitting that the weak point of the whole album is a guest appearance.

CPU

Real grower. On first listen appears immature and underdeveloped. When given further attention, however, you see past the incessant vocals and begin to admire the ebbs and flows of the track. Some old school Nintendo sounding keys are subtly brilliant as well

Where You Should Be (featuring Sam Frank)

My personal favourite track. Great sub bass punches every 4 bars aide the tracks introduction before the vocoded voice of Sam Frank punctures the beautiful instrumental. Purple vibes run throughout, counter acted by some pretty deep vocals, the track has the emotion and epic nature to push it beyond anything else on the LP.

How Real (featuring Freckles)

Again some vocoded vocals. Not as great as the previous track, but still huge. The crashing cymbals transport the track along it's duration, with some key synths and subs joining in to herald each passing chorus. The chopped vocals on the chorus are superb as well.

Fields of Emotion

A trade mark Skream dancefloor smash. Quite simple production is used to great effect, minimal percussion that take a back step for the synths and heavy stabs of 'wobble bass.' Just wait for the final drop, the reverbed wobbles are just fantastic.

I Love The Way

The most 'commercial' track on the record, to say it reminds of Labrinth's production could be taken as a positive or negative. An un-attributed vocal, I presume a sample, is used to great effect in 'I Love the Way'. Some brooding synths and a nice breakbeat bring the track along to an epic dnb style crescendo that is well worth the wait.

Listenin’ To The Records On My Wall

We all know this track, the Amen loops and great 'Midnight Request Line' style delays. It's a great club track that would get almost any crowd going.

Wibbler

The hardest track on the record. Constant metallic 'wobbles' accompanied by hard hitting drum patterns force the track on. Subtle alterations in chord and tempo keep you guessing and keep you interested.

Metamorphosis

At 85 BPM, this is another Autonomic style production, similar to Reflections. The track begins some different and intriguing drum patterns joined by rumbling sub bass before at around 90 seconds a great swirling synth track and slight 'wobbles' slide in to create a great concoction of noise that Skream does very well to handle.

Finally (featuring La Roux)

Skream received quite heavy flak from other blogs for this track when it leaked recently, I disagree. In my opinion the vocals fit superbly with the track. Her high pitched calls fit very nicely with Skream's forboding and quite stripped production.

Reflections (featuring D:Bridge & Instra:Mental)

As with Acacia Avenue (No.3 on our Tracks of the Year so far), Skream brings in D:Bridge and Instra:Mental to help with the production. Some fantastic breakdowns and interesting drum patterns as usual from the Autonomic crew.

A Song For Lenny

Very similar to the opening track, with some nice keys and strings, again a very emotional track. Ties in with Perforated to create what I'd call the logical end of the album...

The Epic Last Song

Hearing this track I had the impression that A Song for Lenny was originally the conclusion to the record, but I guess Skream opted to end with an upbeat banger. I kept that belief as the track rattles along, appearing to go nowhere until around the 2:30 mark it breaks down and begins a build up to an epic and fitting finale to the record.

Skream - Where You Should Be Ft. Sam Frank by iroel

Skream - Finally feat. La Roux by bissnyytaa

2 New Skream. Overload!

After the previous posts attack of the ZIP files, I have decided to take it down a few notches with a couple of nice streaming attacks, one youtube, one soundcloud.

The music today comes courtesy of the increasingly poppy Magnetic Man and a third of that group, Skream.

Despite almost universal previous belief that they would be an underground phenomenon, recent released tracks I Need Air and this track, Perfect Stranger, have revealed that they are in fact aiming for the charts.

This may sound bad, but I say to you, who else would you prefer to take dubstep to the masses than three of the 'original's?

Here is Perfect Stranger featuring great guest vocals from Katy B;

Skream ft Sam Frank - Under The City Lights (TEASER) by SKREAMIZM

Free Ish

Its been an incredible 48 hours for LEGAL FREE downloaders. Firstly, Rusko released part 1 of his 'Lost Dubs' tracks. And then, just a day later, Skream dropped the third of his Freeizm series.

Rusko's Lost Dubs appear to be very rushed. No indexing on the track names, mis-matched volumes, these appear to have been pritt sticked together. Nonetheless, there are some big tracks here. A unique version of The Girl From Codeine City being the definite highlight.

Download Link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/bo5kbg

Tracklist

1 gully flute

2 rusko-gyal-dem inna codine style

3 japes yeah

4 jump up

5 red eye (live mix)

6 snes dub 2

Freeizm is a whopping 9 track EP, with some absolute gems from down the years. As with Rusko's compilation, there is no time for nicely indexed tracks, just an amalgamation of tunes that must have just popped into Skream's head as he went to upload. In particular Meta Lick and Pick Ya Knees Up are superb.

Download Link : http://www.sendspace.com/file/ct4p90

Tracklist

1.Behind The Curtain

2.Meta-Lick

3.Rollin

4.Metal Mouth

5.Pick Ya Knees Up

6.Geeneus-Now Is The Time-Skreamix

7.Geiom-Reminissin-Skream's Tribal 44 mix

8.Lets Go Fucking Mental

9.Dr.Blue and The Time Travellers - Dr.Who Dub - Skreamix

Halfway Point Awards

As we reach the end of June, AbandonSilence has decided to take a celebratory look back at the previous six months of 2010. It seems an age ago, back in January, when I decided to create this music blog. It has slowly grown and now is well established, for that I thank all of you readers. The lists below are my own personal opinion, so I apologise for any problems that you may have with these lists. If you disagree, plleeeease feel free to vent your own opinions with a comment, I promise to reply to each and every one. Thanks again, AbandonSilence.

Top 3 Albums

1)Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma == no competition, a masterpiece in cross genre production

2) Foals - Total Life Forever == the best indie record of the year, moving away from the 'Math Rock' of Antidotes has seen Foals mature into a terrific band

3) Gorillaz - Plastic Beach == just the complete record, Bobby Womack's two guest spots take this away from the crowd

Top 3 Tracks (right click on link, open new tab for Download - no CMYK dload available sorry)

1) James Blake - CMYK == recent addition, but just one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard

James Blake - CMYK by jdillon89

2) Deadboy - If U Want Me == heard this live so many times since it's release earlier this year, the droning sound at first appears irritating but in fact is genius, guiding the track along it's awesome duration

3) Skream/Instra:mental & D:Bridge - Acacia Avenue == autonomic. is. amazing.

Top 3 Remixes

1) Zomby - Float (Skreamix) == first released in 2009, but I only heard it in 2010, just miles ahead of any other remixes I have heard.

2) Goldie - Inner City Life (Sbtrkt timeless edit) == the ultimate chill out track, 6 minutes of epic bliss

3) Emika - Double Edge (Pinch Remix) == nice old style dubstep, just simply a great remix that adds layers and atmosphere to an already fantastic cut.

Top 3 Artists to Emerge in 2010

1) James Blake == so much potential, gaining hype from all sides, AbandonSilence hopes he can follow up the CYMK EP with equally great music

2) Sbtrkt == coming from no where, the anonymous Sbtrkt has had a fantastic 6 months, with some great remixes and brilliant releases.

3) Deadboy == I know very little about this guy, but since I heard U Cheated in January I have been blown away with everything that has come since.

Disappointment Award

Rusko -OMG == Had the potential to be THE crossover, but instead was a childish, unsophistiated mish-mash of good ideas in the wrong hands.

New Skream FREE download

Slow on the uptake yet again I know, but Skream has recently dropped this filthy banger for FREE download via his Soundcloud.

The track in question is titled Clap Your Hands is recognisable from his live shows - it's the one where everyone in the venue stomps around like some military badmen. It is a big tune and serves to increase the ever-increasing hype surrounding Skream's forthcoming sophomore LP, Outside the Box.

It's free, and it's a LEGAL free download, what's not to lose!

Clap Your Hands by SKREAMIZM

Facebook and Tunes

Join our Facebook page! Well, it's actually a 'person', but still, become my friend... please? Haha, well, let's move onto the music. A biig triple header for you today, with a big Skream remix, a very nice Joy Orbison remix and the new Pendulum dubstep (?!) track.

Firstly, we have a remix of Skream's Make Me, coming from Distance. Distance's tracks usually take the way of an instrumental, with long drawn out 'riffs'. This remix is no different, but by splicing in the vocal samples from the original, Distance has almost bettered the original and created a great track.

Skream - Make Me (Distance Remix)

Joy Orbison has had a very impressive six months; after the hype of Hyph Mngo threatened to devour him, he pressed on with the fantastic The Shrew Should Have Cushioned the Blow EP, and some highly rated Live shows adding to his burgeoning reputation. This new remix is of a Todd Edwards track, I Might Be. The remix is just plain nice, the light vocals of the original remain intact, with some great 2steppy beats thrown around with some added trademark chopped vocals. Enjoy...

Todd Edwards - I Might Be (Joy Orbison Remix)

Finally, after the previous YouTube post praised Pendulum's new dubstep direction, here is the track in question. Set Me On Fire has it's influences all over it, just like their drum 'n' bass work I guess. This could be a good or bad thing, as the track essentially copies the ideas of Doctor P, Nero and Trolley Snatcha in the female rave build up and the huuuge billowing bass wobbles that are just silliness. But that's what we like, isn't it?

Pendulum - Set Me On Fire

New Skream feat. Newham Generals

Fresh from their Breakage collab, Newham Generals are working with Skream for a track, I Can't Wait, that will be on the producer's forthcoming LP, Think Outside the Box.

Below is a preview embedded from Skream's Souncloud, and it sounds huge. The great sampled hook sounds fantastic when supplemented by the bass punches and the great rap.

This is really stoking up interest in the LP, AbandonSilence has big hopes for this one.

I cant wait by SKREAMIZM

Go 'ead!

Skream, Caspa, Mix Master Mike, Chase and Status (well, maybe it'll be good) = one helluva line up

This is tonight's plan. Whether AbandonSilence will ever post again after all this bass, only the next 8 hours will tell :s

Zomby vs Skream... Finally?!

Ever since hearing this back in November when I saw Skream at Chibuku I have been scouring the web for this track. Finally through the magic of a 'Free mp3s but please buy a Ringtone' website, AbandonSilence have been able to bring this to you.

The combination of Skream and Zomby is just too good to be true. I absolutely love the original track, Float, and Skream's remix track record is unrivalled in the dubstep world. Skream's remix of La Roux's 'In For The Kill' went platinum, and fully rubber-stamped dubstep in the consciousness of the UK masses.

The original track, Float, is one of the highlights of Zomby's "Where Were U in '92" LP, so the task of adding to the song through a remix certainly is a tall one. Skream, at over 6 feet, is a tall man, so few worries. He adds even more piano, even more synths, even more high hats and adds a little extra tempo. There really is so much going on, but I guess you would call it Controlled Chaos.

I know this track was first heard in 2009, but at AbandonSilence it is our track of 2010 so far.

Zomby - Float
Zomby - Float (Skreamix) .. 128kbps sorry