Jamie xx | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Working with and without his Mercury Music Prize-winning group the xx, Jamie xx established himself as a forward-thinking beatmaker and producer. Born Jamie Smith in Putney, London, he began his musical career playing the drums, but after realizing he couldnt use his innovation skills on the instrument, he instead turned to the 80s Media Production Centre, which programmed his computer-based sounds onto electronic percussion pads, allowing him to play both live and in the studio. In 2008, he teamed up with former school friends Oliver Sim, Romy Madley Croft, and Baria Qureshi to form the xx, who signed to XL subsidiary Young Turks a year later and went on to record one of the most well-received albums of the decade with their self-titled debut. As well as reworking his own bands tracks, he also became a sought-after remixer for a number of pop artists including Adele, Jack Peñate, and Florence + the Machine. His atmospheric version of the latters "Youve Got the Love" sparked the interest of XL boss Richard Russell, who asked him to remix rap pioneer Gil Scott-Herons Im New Here, which was retitled Were New Here upon its release in 2011. That year, Smith also released a solo single, "Far Nearer/Beat For," which won critical acclaim and made it to number 128 on the U.K. singles chart. Also in 2011, Smith worked on Drakes album Take Care, producing the Rihanna-featuring title track, and also worked on remixes of Radioheads "Bloom" and co-produced Alicia Keys "When Its All Over" for her Girl on Fire album. The following year, the xx returned with the even more polished and subdued Coexist, and Smiths remixes of "Reconsider," "Sunset," and "Missing" followed in its wake. In 2014, he returned to his solo career with "Girl/Sleep Sound," a sleek, propulsive single released by Young Turks. That year, he also released the "All Under One Roof Raving" single, an homage to raves heydays of the 90s. In March 2015, Smith issued two singles on the same day: "Loud Places," a smoldering track featuring his xx bandmate Madley Croft, and "Gosh," a hard-hitting instrumental. Both appeared on his debut album, In Colour, which also featured Sim, Four Tet, Young Thug, and Popcaan and arrived in June 2015. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 7 Title: We’re New Here Released: 2011-02-21 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:11:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Im New Here (03:27) 2 Home (03:11) 3 Ive Been Me (interlude) (00:28) 4 Running (03:32) 5 My Cloud (04:27) 6 Certain Things (interlude) (00:10) 7 The Crutch (03:10) 8 Ur Soul and Mine (04:18) 9 Parents (interlude) (00:29) 10 Piano Player (01:16) 11 NY Is Killing Me (05:44) 12 Jazz (interlude) (00:50) 13 Ill Take Care of U (04:43) 1 Im New Here (03:27) 2 Home (03:11) 3 Ive Been Me (interlude) (00:28) 4 Running (03:32) 5 My Cloud (04:27) 6 Certain Things (interlude) (00:10) 7 The Crutch (03:10) 8 Ur Soul and Mine (04:18) 9 Parents (interlude) (00:29) 10 Piano Player (01:16) 11 NY Is Killing Me (05:44) 12 Jazz (interlude) (00:50) 13 Ill Take Care of U (04:43) |
| We’re New Here : Allmusic album Review : Gil Scott-Heron proved he still had it on 2010s Im New Here, his first album in 16 years. Simultaneously, Jamie Smith (aka Jamie xx) established himself as a sonic architect on his bands moody, minimal debut, then as a producer remixing other artists and DJing in clubs across the U.K. This pair comes together on Were New Here, the remix of Scott-Herons album. It is structured in similar fashion to its predecessor: 13 tracks with songs broken by four brief interludes; the set is rhythm-heavy and suffocatingly close, but not a track-for-track take. Richard Russells production on Im New Here kept Scott-Herons voice front and center; Smith displaces it often, all but covering it with effects, beats, and pitched vocals in styles that cross the electronic music gamut from house to electro to dubstep. "Im New Here" begins skeletally; Scott-Heron recites solo before a keyboard shimmers in. Gloria Gaynors "Casanova Brown" in chipmunk pitch is sampled in just under a dread dub bassline and a skittering rhythm track with squiggly keyboard sounds before Scott-Heron counters -- its delightfully unsettling. The strange, outer space sound library effects on "Home" accompany Scott-Heron singing "home is where the hatred is..." amid a clipped, heavily reverbed, and euphoric keyboard sample that repeats just over a drum loop; it adds gloss without altering the darkness. "Running" has his spoken poetry coming from just around the corner and through a tunnel. Its juxtaposed against a full-blown post-Dilla hip-hop rhythm. On "Ur Soul and Mine," a house rhythm leads the charge and Scott-Herons vocal moves right into a blanket of synths. "The Crutch," with its layers of high-pitched, blissed-out female backing vocals atop frenetic drumnbass, is a rhythm collision. In "My Cloud," with its lilting tempo and slippery bass drum, a shimmering bassline and watery Rhodes piano provide the backing for the sweetest soul vocal Scott-Heron has ever cut. Smith even evokes the sound of his own band in the closer, "Ill Take Care of U," with his sparse guitar line, as pianos and basslines pulse under sets of squelchy synth chords. Were New Here is a mercurial collaboration; its full of nods to other club styles and eras, but Smiths expansive direction is his own. He accomplishes a difficult task in successfully (re)presenting Scott-Herons music -- integrity intact -- in the present tense to a fickle yet discerning groove-centric culture without kitsch or excess. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 7 Title: FACT Mix 239: Jamie xx & Oneman Released: 2011-04-13 Tracks: 1 Duration: 1:35:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 FACT Mix 239: Jamie xx & Oneman (1:35:45) |
 | Album: 3 of 7 Title: FACT Mix 282: Jamie xx Released: 2011-09-12 Tracks: 1 Duration: 32:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 FACT Mix 282: Jamie xx (32:01) |
 | Album: 4 of 7 Title: Home Released: 2015-03 Tracks: 15 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Goodbye (?) 2 Nuits Sonores (?) 3 Supertrip (?) 4 Drunk Sequence (?) 5 Gobble That (VIP) (?) 6 Fool Be Cool (Marquis Hawkes remix) (?) 7 Into Our Midst (?) 8 Lucky Star (?) 9 Strength Through Fragility (?) 10 Stretch (?) 11 Fall (?) 12 No 34 Dove, Part II (?) 13 Spastik (?) 14 Onset of Decimation (John Talabot edit) (?) 15 Plastic People (?) |
 | Album: 5 of 7 Title: In Colour Released: 2015-05-29 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Gosh (04:51) 2 Sleep Sound (03:52) 3 SeeSaw (04:28) 4 Obvs (03:51) 5 Just Saying (01:23) 6 Stranger in a Room (02:57) 7 Hold Tight (04:03) 8 Loud Places (04:43) 9 I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (03:33) 10 The Rest Is Noise (04:58) 11 Girl (04:05) |
| In Colour : Allmusic album Review : Compared to Jamie xxs impact on music, its easy to forget that he hasnt released much on his own. The distinctive yet surprisingly versatile blend of indie, R&B, and dance in his work with the xx, Gil Scott-Heron, and his remixes helped shape the sound of the late 2000s and 2010s, but his solo discography was limited to a handful of singles, many of which appear on his first full-length, In Colour. While one of his best singles, "All Under One Roof Raving," doesnt appear on the album, its balance of the kinetic and the atmospheric -- as well as its reverence for classic U.K. dance music -- is reflected on some of In Colours brightest highlights. "Gosh" is hard-edged yet radiant, its juddering drumnbass rhythms and shouted samples adding heft and movement before swelling synths overtake the track like a sunrise after a long night out. Indeed, for most of the album, Jamie xx uses his considerable gifts for atmosphere to make listeners remember the euphoria of dance music rather than immerse them in it. Despite its brassy flourishes, "Girl"s filtered house is haunting and aloof instead of driving, while its former B-side "Sleep Sound" fades in and out like a dream. Given his skills as a collaborator, its not surprising that some of In Colours best moments occur when he shares the spotlight. While his reunion with xx bandmate Oliver Sim on the implosive "Stranger in a Room" is almost too reminiscent of their previous work, Romy Madley Croft remains one of his most inspiring muses. She gives In Colours nostalgia more humanity on the beautifully blurred "Seesaw" and "Loud Places," where a sample of Idris Muhammads joyous "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This" makes the contrast between then and now, and alone and together, all the more poignant. However, the albums most immediate moment belongs to Young Thug and Popcaan. Inspired by a drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn while listening to Hot 97, the summery "I Know Theres Gonna Be (Good Times)" embraces pop, hip-hop, and dancehall in a way that feels evocative and forward-looking. As it moves from reflective to engaging and back again, In Colour covers the entire spectrum of Jamie xxs music, delivering flashes of brilliance along the way. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 7 Title: Loud Places (Remixes) Released: 2015-08-28 Tracks: 5 Duration: 31:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Loud Places [John Talabots Loud Synths Reconstruction] (07:14) 2 Loud Places [Tessela Remix] (05:30) 3 Loud Places [Barnt E-Mix] (07:05) 4 Loud Places [Herberts Louder Dub] (05:27) 5 Loud Places [Special Request VIP] (06:09) |
 | Album: 7 of 7 Title: I Know Theres Gonna Be (Good Times) Released: 2015-12-11 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) (03:33) 2 I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) [Skepta Remix] (03:43) 3 I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) [Dre Skull Remix] (04:32) 4 I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) [Instrumental] (03:39) |