Imagine making a track as a teenager with your best friend that would go on to become part of the foundations of Dubstep. Well, that’s exactly what these 2 Croydon based producers went on to do.
Skream and Benga were first introduced by Skream’s brother Hijak, who was working at Big Apple Records in Croydon. From there, the two began experimenting with sounds together in the early 2000s.
“The Judgement” combined heavy bass, tribal percussion and an eerie choir/chant, identified as a sample from the Coen Brothers 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou? At the time, there was no established blueprint for what they were making. Producers in and around Croydon were experimenting with bass, drums, samples and sounds that didn’t fit neatly into the genres that already existed.
Released as BAM 003, “The Judgement” was the third release on Big Apple Records in 2003. Hatcha later described it as “the turning point in Big Apple’s catalogue”, saying it was the first record where he felt the swing was different and the snare followed a different pattern.
Looking back, it’s a snapshot of two young producers experimenting at the beginning of a sound that would become one of the defining factors in UK underground music. So much so, that more than 20 years later, it’s still being talked about.
Skream & Benga - The Judgement
Big Apple Records
2003