RockFeedback

James Blake

08.11.10

BIOGRAPHY

Electronica producer James Blake was still studying at Goldsmiths (breeding ground for many of the late 20th Century’s most influential artists – Blur, anyone?) when he started releasing music under his own name.

The recent trend of emerging artists being young and outrageously talented is as depressing as it is exciting (if you’re in your mid twenties, that is), and Blake fits this mould perfectly. He’s a classically trained pianist and possesses what we tentatively believe is an impressive voice, although you wouldn‘t be able to tell from much of his early, instrumental music. His output has been described in a seemingly endless stream of sub-genres and superlatives, but has most prominently been identified as that genre best whispered under one’s breath, Dubstep.

It’s a promising sign that James Blake doesn’t distance himself from this tag, as many of his contemporaries have tended to do. This comfort in knowing his music will stand up against any genre is indicative of just how good he knows he is, and how good he will be in the near future. Inevitably though, this tag proves to be somewhat inaccurate, with enough irregular structures and awkward pauses to be classed as IDM, and flashes of melody and soulfulness that could point towards a Pop underbelly.

The difference between him and his peers, and impressive variety within his own music is most evident when comparing his two EPs released this year, CMYK and Klavierwerke. The first is a collection of tracks not too far away from the beats and bass of the dancefloor, albeit with enough irregular elements to make them dangerous for any DJ to attempt to weave into a set. Each track contains a number of samples from 90s R&B tracks, most of which bear no resemblance to the source material after Blake’s had his way with them, along with his own vocals passed through seemingly thousands of filters and vocoders.

The second EP (translated literally as Piano Works) is a far more sparse affair, based loosely around, surprisingly, piano. Blake’s own voice plays a larger role in these tracks, having been treated slightly less extensively with his effects rack, although don’t expect to be singing along at his next gig. Blake seems comfortable to leave a lot of empty space in these tracks, a trademark exhibited by many artists’ successful ventures into minimalism in the past. The EP serves almost as a comedown from the heady experience of the first, a moment of clarity to counterbalance its more intense brother.

The future promises to be extremely bright for James Blake. A highly anticipated debut album is expected in the coming months, with early signs pointing to a sound floating somewhere between his two EPs, and with more of his soulful vocals (finally exhibited on his recent cover of Feist’s ‘Limit To Your Love’). Of course, everything he comes out with will feature the kind of immaculate production you’d expect from someone already being described as Urban music’s next superstar producer. Add to this his impressive remixing skills, under his own name and his Harmonix moniker, and it’s clear that James Blake will have to try very hard to fail to live up to his huge promise.

VIDEOS

CMYK

Klavierwerke

Limit to Your Love (Feist Cover)

TOUR DATES