Skream shares video for ‘Funky Sailor’ featuring Trim

Beloved DJ and producer Skream returns with an official music video for ‘Funky Sailor’, his nostalgic grime tune featuring legendary MC Trim.

Directed by Iain Simpson, who has previously worked with the likes of Rudimental and D Double E, the video centres on a man who embarks on a day of revelry with Trim and co. “Two drinks max”, he says, before heading out for pints, pool, edibles, raves, and some ice cream for good measure. Havoc ensues, including trippy hallucinations of the Grim Reaper, before the video ends as any night of partying should: with a cathartic dance in a field.

Iain Simpson says, “From a personal perspective this video is a reflection of my own journey of going through depression and coming out the other side. Having fun with your best mates can shine a powerful light during dark times. At the same time I didn’t want to get too deep with this video and wanted to make something playful and fun. The song is just so bonkers and hectic (in the best possible way) so I wanted to take you on a mad trip to reflect that. Skream has been an important part of my life musically from when I first moved to London 15 years ago and it’s class that we’ve gotten to work together on this.”

Taken from Skream's full length album Skreamizm 8, ‘Funky Sailor’ brings together elements of UK funky and grime, with its oboe riff particularly reminiscent of the early grime era. Trim’s laid back delivery belies the ferocity of his lyrical content, riding the beat with simmering menace and panache, as always. 22 years in the game and Skream has become a shining example of the power of diversity, skillfully weaving together a variety of styles and influences in a way that makes sense.

As one of the UK’s best-loved selectors Skream (AKA Oliver Jones) has enjoyed the kind of consistency most DJs and producers can only dream of. His passion for collecting and playing music is unrelenting; disco, house, techno and everything in between... it runs deep into his core and he lives it every single day. Following early collaborations with fellow genre pioneers Benga and Loefah, he released one of dubstep's most easily recognizable tracks, ‘Midnight Request Line’, before releasing one of the genre’s earliest albums, Skream! In 2006. Commercial success soon followed with Skream's involvement as part of supergroup Magnetic Man (with Benga and Artwork), whose self-titled debut album reached #1 on the U.K. dance chart in 2010. Never limited to one genre, Skream has also produced countless remixes for an array of artists (including La Roux, Depeche Mode's David Gahan and Klaxons), house, techno and electro DJ mixes such as 2018's Fabriclive 96, and a relentless conveyor belt of single releases on every label in dance music worth mentioning, from Steel City Dance Discs, to Circoloco Records to Crosstown Rebels: the list goes on and on… and on… regularly providing heavy club ammunition.

Skream has achieved more in the last two decades than most people do in a lifetime, yet his hunger and enthusiasm is akin to that of a man who is only just getting started. Today, he operates in a genre-less field, shifting between styles at will, standing tall outside the bounds of one particular sound.