Skream

While Skream’s name was once synonymous with the deepest, darkest dubstep, the London producer eventually turned into one of UK dance music’s most versatile figures. Born Oliver Jones in 1986, Skream was part of dubstep’s founding generation; his 2005 single “Midnight Request Line” drew the blueprint for the genre’s low-end throb and carnivalesque melodies. Despite a decade’s worth of bass investigations, Skream eventually gravitated toward more diverse sounds—hence the title of his second album, 2010’s Outside the Box. By the mid-2010s, he was turning out tech-house rollers, piano-house anthems, and even retro homages to New Wave and disco. No matter the style, what ties all his music together is its singular focus on the dance floor, combined with a determination to transmit as much super-sized emotion as a rousing chord or a rubbery bassline can convey.