When you first hear James’ voice, your ears perk up to a soothing sonic register seldom heard. Channeling tones in the tune of Aaron Neville, his pitch is a remarkably well controlled vibrato. Joined by a guitarist and drummer while playing live, together they master looping techniques, effect pedals and sampling with seeming ease and expertise. Their creations are surprisingly soulful thanks to James' signature swoon and Stand By Me-esque piano melodies.
But perhaps you heard he was a dubstep artist? Well, yes, some layers of his music do weave in and out of heavy electronic droning with overwhelming bass lines and sampling familiar to the dub style, but there are many other layers here worth mention. A few tracks on his album, notably Lindisfarne I, are gospel inspired, while other songs bring forth irregular beat timing reminiscent of the garage style made popular in the UK. It seems everyone is trying to find a label for this music and many are going so far as to say James Blake is 'changing the concept of music'. It's remarkable to see what artists like James are capable of achieving with electronic sound these days. Manipulating loops and effects live and in sync is far more complicated than it looks.
Notice some of the looping techniques in this video
One thing's for sure, this music is best experienced live. James' stage presence is quaint and humble, he sits down to his synthesizer/keyboard setup and the room sits quiet in anticipation. Soft sounds slowly surround while all three musicians cleverly loop their creations together. The beat builds and grows until suddenly the bass booms through you as if you were immersed in a Gaspar Noe film, your head lost and spinning, your heart grounded and pounding.
I don't normally film artist's live but I was so blown by this performance that I decided to take it upon myself to do some promotions and marketing for him as a justification for capturing his content. Here below I've compiled the best content I could find on James Blake, with hopes it will entice you to support and share more about this talented newcomer.
A taste of the build up.
The Wilhelm Scream - Live on Later with Jools Holland
Limit To Your Love Official Music Video
People all over the world have gone crazy for remixing his repertoire of music, especially dub style. Soundcloud is amass with it.
Also of worthy mention, Marques Toliver was the opening support at this Splendour Sideshow. An ex-busker from New York, his confidence and charisma made me smile. His drive to succeed is undeniable and I hope his efforts are rewarded.
Marques Toliver
Now that you've had a taste, I highly recommend you check out James Blake's self-titled album (available on iTunes here), and/or see him live if you have the chance. He's inspiring young talent doing something new and different - get into it!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamesblakemusic?sk=info
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/jamesblake
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jamesblakeproduction
Official: http://jamesblakemusic.com/
Tumblr: http://1-800-dinosaur.tumblr.com/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/jamesblakeproduction
Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/James+Blake
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