The first of Skream and Kelis’ collaborative efforts is now available to stream.

According to NME, Kelis is “midway through” her forthcoming sixth album, which will be “kind of trip-hoppish” and “on a really 1990s vibe”. New number ‘Distance’, premiered on youth radio station Reprezent Radio over the weekend, is reportedly one of two tracks she’s cobbled together with Croydon scenemaker Skream.

The dubstep signifiers have been toned down on ‘Distance’, leaving a ghostly two-step rattle and a tumescent low end that spooks but never quite shakes. Kelis’ voice is still a beguiling instrument, and one that continues to come into its own when set against darker backdrops (cf ‘Caught Out There’). It’s an involving piece, albeit one that lacks that sparkle and character of, say, Katy B’s crossover gems. Skream is apparently also working with Miles Kane of The Last Shadow Puppets; it’ll be interesting to see if he continues making inroads into the realms of pop and R&B (something he did almost by accident a few years ago) in the months to come.

Kelis: Distance (Radio Rip) by hardcandymusic