For those of you with your finger on the pulse of the UK dance scene, you may have noticed the tides are changing. There has been a recent shift in music production that appears to praise and encourage creativity and experimentation more than ever. Most importantly there has been an increased level of experimentation across genres, which I believe has been demonstrated by two DJs in particular, the incredibly talented Fred Again and Australian producer Skin on Skin. These two have begun to blur the lines between genres, resulting in the industry equivalent of a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. Whilst Fred Again’s exciting DIY approach to sampling is fascinating, it is Skin on Skin who I will be focusing on within this post. To be more specific, I will be discussing how he created the twisted love child from two of the UK’s most popular genres and spread it like wildfire through raves across the country.
I first stumbled across SOS in the summer of 2020. A moody tech-house set in a Melbourne nightclub caught my eye as he seamlessly brought in popular samples from various genres, allowing each and every track to have a certain relatability. Naturally of course I dived into his Spotify, and found he was capable of designing an ambient space as well. Tracks like ‘Save Me’ and ‘Way Ur Touchin Me’ utilise a myriad of atmospheric sounds to entrance you through an utterly mesmerising sequence. Very quickly I saw that this guy had no ceiling. In a few years he was guaranteed to blow up and lo and behold that is exactly what happened – however, it was not for the reasons I predicted. For me at least, the ambient tracks were more enjoyable. I’ve always thought that chopping up samples in a DJ set is a bit of a cheap trick which simply takes all the best bits of someone else’s hard work, yet this is the side of his mixing which took him to newfound heights, and boy oh boy did this lad from Brisbane prove me wrong.
On the 4th of June this year, SOS performed a Boiler Room set at AVA festival in Belfast and exposed everyone to the future of dance music. Packed with spine rattling bass and punishing synth waves, the entire set is a techno lovers Elysium, with four or so noteworthy moments which set it apart from any old techno performance and there is one in particular I would like to talk about. At the 23-minute mark, SOS brings in ‘Burn Dem Bridges’, the track that thrusted him into the limelight, and produced a viral hit that took social media by storm. ‘Burn Dem Bridges’ fuses elements of hard-hitting techno percussion with vocal samples from UK Drill artists Sav’O and Horrid1’s hit track ‘Violent Siblings’. In a stroke of genius SOS had utilised a sample from a genre which is rarely used in techno music. If I had a pound for every Aretha Franklin or Sister Sledge sample, I’ve heard under the DJ tent at a festival I would be a millionaire. Now I’m not saying disco samples are bad at all, in fact I fucking love them, but what SOS did so successfully is take a risk, and in doing so he captured the attention of a nation.
Beans and toast, fish and chips, strawberries and cream. We’re a nation who appear to love things that come in twos, so why should Drill and Techno be any different? After all they are quickly becoming the two favourite genres of today’s youth. At a brisk tempo of 138 BPM ‘Burn dem Bridges’ matches the inherent pace of Drill music and holds a similar piercing sound. This sound is achieved through various incendiary ingredients which result in a combustible end-product which makes you want to punch someone in the face. The pitch-shifted vocal sample, from Sav’o and Horrid1 is masterfully blended with an abrasive synth line that loops throughout the track and builds towards an adrenaline-fueled climax of thunderous kick drums that cause what can only be described as sonic pandemonium. Just watch the Boiler Room set for evidence.
For many, this is a track that has been born out of a culture clash, but I would argue quite the opposite. Drill is the perfect match for Techno. Electronic dance music began as a form of release, allowing people to rebel and escape the grasp of the establishment, a wish which I would argue overlaps into Drill music as well. Both genres hold an inherent grittiness that binds them to their underground roots, making them both counterculture icons. They are sounds for the marginalised, the disenfranchised and the rebellious, thus, combining the two makes perfect sense. ‘Burn dem Bridges’ is a potent weapon for British ravers and a true anthem for soundtracking dinghy drug-fuelled warehouses across the country. There is nothing us Brits love more than hard hitting bass lines and lyrics filled with obscenities, therefore, it’s no wonder other producers are starting to take note of SOS’s example.
During another one of my crusades through SoundCloud, I recently stumbled across a small producer who undoubtedly takes inspiration from the Australian DJ. Baxter, who currently has three tracks posted on SoundCloud and all of them fall under this new ‘Drill-Tech’ genre. His most played track ‘FUCKBOY’ already has an impressive 233,000 plays, despite only being published three months ago. My personal favourite ‘RAMBO’ samples RV’s ‘Crep Shop’, looping the lyrics: ‘I could’ve been on the pitch doing rainbow flicks // But instead I’m in the trap with this Rambo’. Again, we see the vocal sample pitched up a few keys to align with the lightening quick tempo and sharp acoustics. Similar to ‘Burn dem Bridges’ our ears are met with a menacing tone and aggressive sonic feel. One way in which Baxter achieves this is by simply enhancing already existing characteristics of the Drill genre. A key facet of Drill music are these echoey bells or chimes which often serve as the cornerstone of the instrumentation. Such a sound helps to mould this ominous, almost threatening feel to the track and Baxter keeps to this aesthetic but increases the tempo, in turn creating a sound you would more readily associate with a vast, strobe light ridden warehouse rave.
You don’t have to look far across SoundCloud to find other Drill-Tech tracks that utilise the exact same techniques. Brion Moore’s ‘Together’, 666cmg’s ‘SPRINT ON MY NIKES’ and Skin on Skin’s ‘Eye for an Eye’ incorporate all the aforementioned techniques and most importantly are gaining some serious traction. For whatever reason it seems that dance music is moving in the direction of aggressive, dark subject matter and moody, punishing techno beats, a sound which can be traced back to the genre’s conception. Maybe it’s the foreboding arrival of winter causing ravers to retreat from the utopian festivals and congregate in dimly lit warehouses, zip up their half zips and adorn their most grimacing skank faces. Perhaps it’s just our natural pessimism as a country or a burning desire to return to our roots of comedically harsh bass lines. In all honesty I don’t know. But what I do know is rather ironically ‘Burn dem Bridges’ has helped build a few bridges. Bridges between genres. Bridges to a new era of sound.
The Jukebox 