Jamie xx’s impact on the electronic scene (and beyond)

Anyone who has had the opportunity to interview the xx at the time of the first, eponymous debut album of group that has redefined electronics for the last fifteen yearsin 2009, recalls how between Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie xx the latter was by far the quietest of the three: James Thomas Smith, this is the musician’s real name, was there in the room but it was as if he wasn’t there, totally unconnected to the conversation. A paradox. Yes, because Jamie has always been the mind of the xx, the eminence grise, the dark director, even though he was the last to arrive among the three. Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft had known each other and been making music together for many years when in 2009 the two were joined by Smith, a (then) twenty-one year old struck by DJing who discovered his passion for the console thanks to two uncles, both disc jockeys, one from New York and the other from Sheffield.

Long-time record producer commemorated the influence of Jamie’s sonic visions on “xx”, the album that, just a few months after its release, allowed the English trio to win the coveted Mercury Prize, one of the most sought-after music awards in the United Kingdom.Richard Russellhead of XL Recordings, the label that owned Young Turks, who shipped the album to record store shelves. Smith produced “xx” practically on the side, after the trio had tried working with other producers, including Diplo: “I found him really inspiring as a beatmaker. He played the MPC as if it were an instrument, when in reality it is a piece of equipment that is used in the studio for recording and sequencing. That idea blew my mind.. I started imitating him, doing the same thing with the projects I was working on with Bobby Womack and Damon Albarn.”

From Robyn to Radiohead: Everyone’s Crazy About Jamie

Fifteen years after the release of “xx”, as he releases his new solo album “In waves”, Jamie xx is universally recognized as one of the greatest innovators of the electronic macro-genre of the last decadescapable of reconciling icons such as the Avalanches, Panda Bear and Robyn – all present among the guests of the album – with Adelewho in 2011 entrusted him with a remix of his “Rolling in the deep”. And to also please the rock world: ring the bell Radioheadwho in unsuspecting times commissioned him to revisit “Bloom”, one of the songs originally included in the album “The King of limbs”.

With “In waves” Jamie xx aims to consolidate his place in the global electronic scene nine years after his solo debut with “In colour”, which in 2015 was released thanks to his ability to skillfully mix nostalgia and innovation, with a sophisticated use of sampling and the mix of great melodies and catchy rhythms.It was critically acclaimed and even received a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Dance/Electronic Album” (the statuette ultimately went to Skrillex and Diplo with their “Skrillex and Diplo present Jack Ü”).

The style that made him an icon

The style of “In waves” is what made Jamie xx the dark director of the xx and, by osmosis, of the entire global electronic scene, considering the impact that the trio had on the genre with albums such as the aforementioned “xx”, “Coexist” from 2012 and “I see you” from 2017: a fusion of genres ranging from dubstep to soul music, from house to garage, passing through techno. However, further enriched by the Influences of 60’s and 70’s music: “I’ve been on tour most of my life and that ability to stop and reflect on everything was crucial in making this record,” he said.

Among the most representative tracks of the album there is “.Dafodil”, featuring Kelsey Lu, Panda Bear and John Glacier, based on a sample of “I just make believe (I’m touching you)” of the late R&B star J.J. Barnes: “It was the first song that made me realize I could make an album again. It felt fresh, like something I’d never done before. I mostly listened to songs from the 60s and 70s because that was the music that made me think less about having to finish an album.”.

A record that sounds like a DJ set

Last May Jamie xx played a series of nights, ten in all, at Venue Mot of London, a cult nightclub in the south-east of the British capital. Guests include Charli XCX, 2ManyDJS, John Glacier, Jockstrap, Axel Boman, DJ Python and others. He then tested the tracks from “In Waves” on the stages of the festivals he performed at this summer: “A lot of the ideas for the track structures came from playing them and watching the crowd, changing the tracks slightly each time. It definitely ended up sounding more like one of my DJ sets.”.

“Treat Each Other Right” is a breakbeat anthem meets futuristic soul. “Life,” featuring Robyn, is a nu-disco self-empowerment overlaid with a riot of horns and filtered loops. .The album also features Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim, in “Waited all night”: “There’s just a certain chemistry that works between the three of us. I’ve worked with a lot of other people, but there’s something between the three of us: when it works, it works, and each of us comes up with something that we never would have come up with on our own.” Now all three are focused on their respective solo careers, but they meet at least once a month to work on new music together.