Emerging out of the streets of South West London, Scener is an up and coming UK Grime and hip-hop artist with addictive mixes and quick lyrics. At only 18, Scener spits with a tight sound defying boundaries. Spitting for two and a half years, Scener’s style has evolved quickly becoming a master of sorts in such a quick time, as he’s focused entirely on his craft. Attending Kingston College for music technology, there are no limits to what he is about to achieve.
I got a chance to sit down with Scener and talk about his mix CD, what he’s got in the works, and life in south west London.
What inspired your name, ‘Scener’:
Scener: ‘Scener’ means the scenery all around us—in our everyday lives, everything our eyes witness. Basically, ‘Scener’ is everything we see. I use everyday experiences in my lyrics and mixes, not making it beautiful, but seeing the beauty in everything and exposing things for how they are, raw, pure, and uncomplicated.
How did you create your song ‘Lyrical Master?’ It’s addictive.
Scener: The tune was conceived by Finker (for his promo ‘High Work Rate, Volume One’) and Gifted. After I was sent the beat, I played it on repeat. I got into it deep and wrote two catchy sixteen’s. Before I went studio, I had the bars on lock to get them out clean, and be sounding my best. We mixed it down, and felt a good vibe off it, especially the chorus. We’ve had a lot of good feedback on the tune, so that’s good news.
Tell us about your song ‘We Show Dem’.
Scener: ‘We Show Dem’ includes Myself, Finker, Gifted, Syner, and Ransom (all members of the Show Dem Team), and was conceived for Gifted’s promo ‘I Am Gifted’. I had no idea dis tune was planned. So, when I got to the studio, I was put on the spot to jump on it, and had to think of some bars to use to be suitable for the track. Everyone was happy how the tune turned out.
Tell us about Show Dem Entertainment:
Scener: Show Dem is made up of 10 artists all from around the London area (mostly south). There are 7 mc’s and 3 producers all working at good industry standard, all very much focused on their music. Basically, the name Show Dem is like a statement, for those with doubt.
What inspired you to be a lyricist?
Scener: Hearing people I know doing it gave me the inspiration to get into music and writing. I was also inspired by artists in the Garage and Grime scene, as well as hip hop artists. At first, it was nothing serious, just a bit of fun, but gradually, I started to really enjoy it.
What’s it like growing up in South West London?
Scener: Growing up in South West London, well, it isn’t a pretty place. But, I’ve lived here all my life, and its home to me; I don’t think I could live anywhere else. When people think of South West London, they see it as ruff—not the best of places to live, but there’s a lot of artist support in the area. They take the time to help each other—the community is really supportive.
Influenced by lyricists such as?
Scener: A big influence for me was one of my close friends ‘Finker.’ When I first started, I never really had anywhere to record. Finker started bringing me in on tunes, and giving me good advice to help me progress with my music. Also, being exposed to the scene as a whole has helped me progress to the level I am at now.
If there was one person you could work with, dead or alive, who would it be?
Scener: Dr Dre. He’s been such a big influence in the whole hip hop scene, with his beats, tunes, and in fact, most of his work. It would be a great experience to even just sit in the studio with him and watch him work his magic. Working with him would be more than a lot.
If you could collaborate with anyone, for example NDUBZ, Lethal Bizzle, NAA, who would it be?
Scener: (in the UK at the moment) ‘Griminal.’ He’s been doing a lot lately, and been getting a ton of promotion from within the Grime scene (tunes, sets, radio, etc). I also enjoy listening to his music as it gets me kind of hype.
It seems that a lot of the talent emerging from the streets are now doing it for themselves, and have stopped thinking they need a record label to release the music. Tell us more about that.
Scener: Well basically people have realized that sometimes it helps jus to get on with it yourself, as there’s not always going to be someone there to help you. Record deals aren’t always going to be chasing you down. If you want to get noticed you need do most of it yourself, to get your name out there, and to show them that you have what it takes to succeed in the business.
What are your musical aspirations?
Scener: First of all I would defiantly at least like to make a video that does well in the UK. It would be a dream if I got an album on the shelves in some of the well known music stores, and it would be an even better dream if it sold well. It would be nice to hear my voice on some of the better radio stations around London, and even all over the world.
Give us an insight to the recordings you’re doing now in the studio.
Scener: Right now I am currently recording my mix CD ‘To Me It’s Nothing, Volume One’, which consists of twelve tunes, with features from a lot of the Show Dem members. I have currently completed three of the tunes with another six started, so it’s coming along nicely.
Last words? Any Big Ups?
Scener: I would like to big up everyone who’s shown faith in me and supported my music in anyway; it’s truly appreciated. I would also like to big up Roya Butler for helping the cause and giving me a chance to put my name more out there, lots of love for this. Not forgetting to big up all of the Show Dem team (Finker, Syner, Oopsie, Lokes, Gifted, Ransom, Herotik, Magikal, and Tham). I’d like to big up Myspace because it has been a big help for me in promoting my music. (www.myspace.com/sceneronline) (www.myspace.com/showdemuk)
Interview by Roya Butler
0 comments:
Post a Comment