Skream's playing all night long on new European tour
"I feel like sets like these give me the best chance to give a broader sense of who I am"
Skream is holding an Open To Close tour from October to December.
Playing in cities across Europe, including Milan, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Manchester, he'll be in control all night in "a conscious effort to resurrect the 'back to basics' element of club culture to the forefront again."
Skream says it's a chance to show off his eclecticism: "The Open To Close tour was something I decided to do in North America last year so it really gives me a chance to showcase where I'm at musically now. The music policy can be anything from funk, to disco, to house or techno.
"Generally starting at about 100bpm and ending around 130bpm, but allowing the vibe inside the club and on the dancefloor to take me wherever it desires. I'm super excited to bring the Open To Close tour to some of my favourite venues in the UK and Europe. It's gonna get wild!"
Read an exclusive Q&A with Skream and see the full list of tour dates below.
Q: You've done all night long sets before, so what made you decide to do a whole tour of them?
A: I’ve been playing out for a while now and I’ve played a number of different styles so I feel like sets like these give me the best chance to give a broader sense of who I am and where my tastes are at right now. Coming off the back of festival sets, I’ve been playing a lot of one or two hour sets so these really give me a chance to set the vibe for the night a lot more.
Q: What can we expect from your sets on this tour?
A: I’ll be getting a little deeper into the styles of music that have formed my tastes over the last few years. There’s also going to be a lot of music you’ve never heard me play before because of time constraints. Not exclusively playing at peak time means I can start off with some of the slower, more melodic music that I’ve always loved but never had a chance to play out.
Q: Will you be using it as a chance to air new music? You're due an album soon surely?!
A: There will be a lot of surprises on this tour. I’m obviously not going to give the game away but I have a lot of time to fill so there will be more than a few special moments on each date.
Q: A lot of clubs and DJs are going back to the all night long format. Why do you think this is?
A: I think it appeals to a DJ to play all night a lot more from a curatorial aspect. It’s great to be able to set the tone for yourself with longer sets and to be in complete control of the atmosphere on the dancefloor. That vibe generally comes off as more authentic and I think that appeals to clubs and promoters a lot more too.
Q: How did you choose which clubs to play at?
A: Each of the clubs on this tour has a special place in my heart, whether it’s times I’ve had an incredible night there as a punter, I’ve played an amazing set there behind the decks, or it’s somewhere I’ve heard so much about that I’ve had to play there myself. I’ve tried as hard as I can to keep every aspect of this tour personal to me and I think that the venues I’ll be playing at reflect the special, music-focused element of club culture that really means something to me.
Tour dates:
October 8 - Wall, Milan
October 28 - Village Underground, London
October 30 - Opium Rooms, Dublin
November 4 - Patterns, Brighton
November 5 - Switch, Southampton
November 11 - Transport, Rotterdam
November 12 - Blackbox, Birmingham
November 19 - Labyrinth Club, Hasselt
November 24 - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
November 25 - Gorilla, Manchester
November 26 - Marble Factory, Bristol
December 3 - Mint Club, Leeds
December 9 - Stealth, Nottingham
December 18 - Sub Club, Glasgow