Oliver Dene Jones— or Skream, his stage name— has been a Dubstep producer for almost nine years. Born in West Wickham, Bromley, London, Skream began producing when he was 17. As a student, Jones met up-and-coming DJ Hatcha in a Croydon-based record store called Big Apple Records. Jones began working at the store, along with another up-and-coming artist, Banga. Jones began making music with a darker quality— something like the “UK gargage” music of the time— but soon shifted to a softer, more melodic Dubstep feel incorporated with Jazz influences. He became more well-known through increased media coverage. One favored feature of his style was the change of key from verses to the chorus.

In 2006, Skream released his debut album, Skream!. Two of the songs on the album— “Check It” and “Tapped“— featured guest vocalists Warrior Queen, a female Dubstep artist influenced by Reggae, and JME, a North London Grime artist with Nigerian decent. He has made many public appearances. In 2007, he appeared on BBC Radio 1‘s Essential Mix. Skream also played a part in mixing Harmless‘s “Watch the Ride.“

His second album, Outside the Box, was released in 2010; it featured the singles “Listenin’ to the Music on My Wall” and “Where Should You Be,” as well as guest appearances by La Roux and Murs, an American rapper, among others. Skream was praised by Alexis Pedridis, music critic for the The Guardian, for “trying to do something different” [and for] “pushing at the boundaries of his chosen genre.”

Since the start of his career, Skream has recorded for a variety of labels— including Tempa and Tectonic— and has performed throughout Great Britain and in Europe, Japan, and the United States. Skream’s talent shines on the drum machine, the music sequencer, and the sampler. He also frequently mixes on his personal computer.