Producing music requires being genuinely inspired rather than replicating a past sound — forced genre consistency produces hollow work

Skream describes 2012 as a quiet production year because ‘I need to be inspired, and there wasn’t enough stuff inspiring me.’ He was being inspired elsewhere but trying to produce within his old bracket — and found that impossible. The same principle appears in his remark: ‘You can’t just automatically flick straight into another genre.’ The lesson: authentic production follows genuine enthusiasm, not genre assignment. He contrasts this with ‘painting by numbers’ EDM: technically produceable on demand but lacking personal investment.

Examples

Skream making seven tracks a week in the dubstep peak; going quiet in 2012 when uninspired by the bracket; being re-energized by Boddika/Joy O’s ‘Mercy’ and deciding to follow that enthusiasm into house.

Assessment

What does Skream mean by ‘painting by numbers’ in the context of production? How does his account of his quiet year illustrate the relationship between inspiration and output?