dutch flowers/raw survival

Leo

Well-known member
do you think these skream tracks represent an interesting evolution or more of a "logical progression"?

i sort of *like* them in the context of what came before but wonder if i'd just dismiss them if heard out of that context.
 

Sick Boy

All about pride and egos
Dutch Flowers is good, although I wouldn't call it a progression. Personally, I think the darker, less-reggae sounding a-la Coki tracks are more progressive than the dubby ones.

Raw Survival on the other hand is just bad. It sounds underproduced and unfinished. Definetely doesn't measure up to the high standard of the rest of Skream's output.
 

mms

sometimes
the album is dismally run of the mill, it's just like when a d and b artist released an album, instead of trading on skreamz strengths it goes for a showcase of versatility, contrasting moods and 50 quid man pleasers , the vocal tracks are pretty bad, warrior queens vocals are out of time over the beats and jme's vocals are drivel. Too many digi dub numbers, that may suit some other people but are not skream's strength and do not sound very good. It seems the thing hasnt been thought about, rushed out etc and all the good tracks are on 12"s so there is no need to buy it, which is a shame, as skream has with a bit of timing and thought a much better album in him, as he's exceptionally talented, instead he'll be remembered for being dubstep's andy c...
spend your money on kode 9's album and hold tight for pinch's i reckon..
 

tatarsky

Well-known member
Yeah, as much as I usually hate the overly 'dubby' dubstep (i.e. lazy off-beat rhodes, or brass stabs), I do like Dutch Flowers. Mainly because the bass is so damn cheeky. Another one that only skream could pull off.
 

mms

sometimes
Yeah, as much as I usually hate the overly 'dubby' dubstep (i.e. lazy off-beat rhodes, or brass stabs), I do like Dutch Flowers. Mainly because the bass is so damn cheeky. Another one that only skream could pull off.

its the only one of those tracks that work cos the bass melody is so lovely.
but it's on 12" so ...
 

boomnoise

♫
the album is dismally run of the mill, it's just like when a d and b artist released an album, instead of trading on skreamz strengths it goes for a showcase of versatility, contrasting moods and 50 quid man pleasers , the vocal tracks are pretty bad, warrior queens vocals are out of time over the beats and jme's vocals are drivel. Too many digi dub numbers, that may suit some other people but are not skream's strength and do not sound very good. It seems the thing hasnt been thought about, rushed out etc and all the good tracks are on 12"s so there is no need to buy it, which is a shame, as skream has with a bit of timing and thought a much better album in him, as he's exceptionally talented, instead he'll be remembered for being dubstep's andy c...
spend your money on kode 9's album and hold tight for pinch's i reckon..

going to have to pull you up on this mate. i agree that it is showcase but it would be near impossible for a skream album to be anything else given that he is so prolific and the dub plate culture he is part of. but i don't think it's run of the mill. 50 quid man pleasers!???? i'm sure the notion of the 50 quid man has mutated and he's been adventurous with his nifties but i don't think that you can frame the album within the context of tracks which are aimed to please that demographic.

still, my main gripe has to be with what you're saying about the vocal tracks. warrior queen's lack of precision is exactly what is endearing about her. a rawkus tirade about her perfect man. so anti-cerebral in its delivery its clever and perfect in its imperfections.

jme's 'drivel' is dumb - are you dumb? ;) but that's almost the point. for me it works.
its ultraparanoid, future now rhymes continue skream's phoneline theme and is almost delirious.

skream's got more in him yet as you say but i don't think you can write off this album quite as easily.

with fifty quid you can easily get skream's album AND kode9's so at least that's not a problem. :)
 
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mms

sometimes
going to have to pull you up on this mate. i agree that it is showcase but it would be near impossible for a skream album to be anything else given that he is so prolific and the dub plate culture he is part of. but i don't think it's run of the mill. 50 quid man pleasers!???? i'm sure the notion of the 50 quid man has mutated and he's been adventurous with his nifties but i don't think that you can frame with album within the context of tracks which are aimed to please that demographic.

still, my main gripe has to be with what you're saying about the vocal tracks. warrior queen's lack of precision is exactly what is endearing about her. a rawkus tirade about her perfect man. so anti-cerebral in its delivery its clever and perfect in its imperfections.

it doesn't sit on the rhythm, it's out of time, it should have been quantised a little to sit on it easier, you wouldn't have a drummer playing out of time with a band and this is what it sounds like. it's just skreams inexperience as a producer.
jme's verses say nothing they just signify unfortunatley.
don't getme on to the last track either, anyway i said the best tunes are on 12" already which is true, but skream is much better than this lp.
And you know i'd love to say this is a good album, i'm a fan of skream's stuff, i wish it was but it ain't.
 
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boomnoise

♫
it doesn't sit on the rhythm, it's out of time, it should have been quantised a little to sit on it easier, you wouldn't have a drummer playing out of time with a band and this is what it sounds like. it's just skreams inexperience as a producer.
jme's verses say nothing they just signify unfortunatley.
don't getme on to the last track either, anyway i said the best tunes are on 12" already which is true, but skream is much better than this lp.
And you know i'd love to say this is a good album, i'm a fan of skream's stuff, i wish it was but it ain't.

fair enough. and i do get what you're saying. but for the majority of skream fans and dubstep newcomers this is going to hit the nail on the head. which, i guess alludes to your 50 quid man comments. i don't think it's run of the mill but i agree it could have been more solid.
 

gek-opel

entered apprentice
So is it worth spanking £10.99 on then? I like Skream at his best but I reckon at his worst his productions are little better than lazy doodles (actually reckon Benga's probably more consistent quality-wise and varied in terms of sound).
 

mms

sometimes
but for the majority of skream fans and dubstep newcomers this is going to hit the nail on the head .

yeah i don't think that's true really, i reckon i pretty much rep the average fan of his stuff, got most of his records since the early big apple days, think request line etc is incredible etc..
and it doesn't work for me as an album on very many levels, as a showcase it's wrongfooted at the very least, and as for dubstep newcomers it's real shame they'll pick this record up as an entry point, hopefully they'll overlook it for other things.
 

DJ PIMP

Well-known member
> (actually reckon Benga's probably more consistent quality-wise and varied in terms of sound).

True, but Benga is more techy/fiddly whereas Skream's tunes are simpler - better flow imo.

Hes a bit like classic rolling jungle... i'd die if he remixed something like 31 Seconds or Nookie's Drum, bass, piano.
 

muser

Well-known member
im not really feeling it to be honest but I havnt heard it out yet id probably have a bop to it, seems to me like skreams falling in a rut of his own creation, I still havnt heard anything hes made since skreamizm that imo is better than glamma or that untitled track.
 
That's a bummer about Skream's album, not that I'm going to take any ones word for it but to be honest I've always thought he was overrated with exceptions made for youthful exuberance in discovering a talent for producing. Having a rich history of dub and electronica waiting to be reinterpreted and channeled through his own life experience means with time his sound will mature and blossom. His best is defintiely yet to come. Cant wait to hear his album though. Presently I find myself more and more listening to Benga's newstep CD and liking what I'm hearing.
 

UFO over easy

online mahjong
that untitled track.

best track he's ever made as far as i'm concerned. don't think he's really explored this avenue at all, which is a bit of a shame.

as for the album, I won't be getting it but I will be buying tapped/dutch flowers. that's not to say I dislike the album - i've skanked out to every tune on there at one time or another - I just think he's capable of a lot better, and considering how many tunes he makes and how many he's had out this year, I think I can afford to let a couple slip by.

as boomnoise says, the album does it's job very well.. it's pretty functional. but i don't think it's at all fair to compare the skream album with the kode 9 album, as they're aiming for such totally different things.
 

Grievous Angel

Beast of Burden
Dutch FLowerz is one of my tunes of the year, i love it love it love it love it love it. And I really want some vocal versions. I think this is one of the directions dubstep should take - sweetly melodic with great groove.

I don't have the LP but I'm looking forward to it.

I think that to draw a distinction between Coki tunes and the more reggae-oriented dubstep producers is absurd. Not only do all his tunes have a strong dancehall influence, but he is one of the very few dubstep producers to actually make reggae tunes.
 

elgato

I just dont know
i dont like dutch flowers, i find it irritatingly twee, the upbeat guitar drives me mad, and i think the drums are so standard. the redeeming features for me are the curious scraping whistle melody, and also the pads which come in. but by that time im already too irritated to really enjoy it. so for me, clearly, i do not see this as a whole as a step forward for dubstep (especially re: average drums and upstroke guitar), but i certainly approve of development towards uplifting styles and use of pads. i dont know raw survival unfortunately but look forward to it judging from the response.

surely the claim that warrior queen's vocal is off time because of skream's inexperience is ridiculous?!...maybe im wrong, but i cant imagine he just didnt clock, or couldnt be bothered to re-record it... as boomnoise says, its a love song, and as such an uncontrolled and unstable passion is clearly appropriate! i dont like it so much for the club but as a piece of music, conceptually, i think its sick. is there not a place for unhinged spontaneity in dubstep anymore? must it all be polished and perfect?

as for my feelings on the LP, there are quite a few crap tunes, but I will certainly be buying it for Kutoff, Colourful, Check It and Mala's Request Line Remix. Its not a coherent piece in the same way that i expect kode9's to be, and as such will not be a 'classic' album, and could have been much more, but i think that there is potential for skream to produce a wonderful LP sometime in the future, and this (a) has enough tunes for me to be reasonably happy, and (b) is probably a necessary stage in his development
 

swears

preppy-kei
. Having a rich history of dub and electronica waiting to be reinterpreted and channeled through his own life experience means with time his sound will mature and blossom.

I think the best thing about Skream is that he isn't too referential, his tunes might allude to D'n'B or Dub, but it never turns into record collector music. That's what's fresh about it. (Haven't heard the album yet, this opinion is based on MRL and Skreamism 1 & 2. )
 

Leo

Well-known member
my mistake: meant to ask opinions of "summer dreams" and "raw survival" (not "dutch flowers"). those are the two that seem to stick out a bit...
 
I was CD shopping last week

and saw this boy's album promo for sale in sister ray's in berwick st for £8.95 - someone call his label and get them in trouble please. I don't like this guy's stuff but I know you lot love him off and I hate that selling promo s*** so inform them like...
 
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