Skepta vs. N-Dubz - So Alive

I’ve always had a soft spot for N-Dubz, there’s just something about them that stands out. They kind of exist as their own entity, quite apart from anything else in the current musical landscape – not quite the sound of underground hip-hop and grime, but equally not quite part of the mainstream either. And it’s tracks like this, a brilliant collaboration with Skepta, that sum that essence up best.

Probably the band’s best work since the synth-based bounce of I Need You and the epic Number 1, the buzzing bassline leading into creepy, echoing chants, it’s the frenetic piano-laced chorus that really hits the spot. There’s a nervous-ness, a twitchy raw energy to the whole song that really plays to the best of both N-Dubz and Skepta. It makes you stand up and listen. Radio friendly and club friendly, we’d love to see this become one of the new year’s first big hits.