One For The Heads Who Remember - Skream (2008)
Blissful, joyous, nostalgic 2-step from one of dubstep's founding fathers
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There is a pleasant irony to my appreciation of One For The Heads Who Remember. The same is applicable to grime crew Roll Deep’s Remember The Days from their 2005 debut album In At The Deep End. ‘Remember’ being the operative word and common factor, needless to say.
When I first heard them, because I never danced to 2-step garage or dubstep in the clubs in their original heyday or heard grime whilst it was still only a hyperlocal phenomenon on pirate radio, I wasn’t old enough to fully appreciate their nostalgia.
But I took in Roll Deep’s words about growing up in East London and, a few years later, vibed to Skream’s blissful vocal cuts, prolonged keys and rolling bass lines.
Now, enough time has passed for me to access my own fond memories of silly, carefree youth when I hear them.
One of my favourite nights out in recent years was to Skream’s Skreamizm residency at KOKO in Camden, north London, in June 2022. As the summer light lasted longer and longer each day outside, across four consecutive Saturdays he ran as many events, packing out the historic venue’s dance floor with good vibes.
The second night that I attended on 11th June was themed around garage (the first had been Skream playing solo open-til-close, the third was house and techno, and the fourth was dubstep, b2b with Mala (which I am gutted I missed)).
The set list was ridiculous: Skream, DJ Q, Plastician, Riz La Teef, Yung Singh (big up to YS for the invitation). Me and my friend Dan, who I’ve known and listened to music with for over 20 years, found a quiet spot by the canal to drink beers and catch up beforehand. Then we headed inside and stood on stage behind the DJs, giving us full view of the dance floor’s beaming smiles, an atmosphere of soulful celebration that I can only hope it must have been a bit like for garage ravers back when I was still just bopping my head to it at primary school.
One For The Heads Who Remember featured on Skreamizm Volume V which dropped in 2008, a few years after he’d first made his name forging dubstep bangers in Croydon, south London, as an elusive teenager. It is joyous music, a track I play to lift me up and carry me through.
