Jamie xx
“Sometimes it’s easier to be in a group. Sometimes it’s easier to be inside your own head,” says Jamie xx. Full stop. Jamie always speaks succinctly. No more, no less. As a listener, you might feel short-changed, but in hindsight, you can glean volumes from what he does (and doesn’t) say. In this instance, Jamie is describing his headspace as he created his second solo album, In Colour.
In Colour eschews the trademark broodiness that has garnered The xx worldwide acclaim over the past six years. It’s upbeat. It has thump. It’s happy (!). For Jamie, it was a release that needed to happen. He explains, “I could continue to tinker with things, but at some point you just have to let it go.”
Even as a kid, club music is always present. New genres come out all the time. It pushes me to make music that’s very eclectic.
In Colour pays homage to the London music scene that raised him. “Even as a kid, club music is always present. New genres come out all the time. It pushes me to make music that’s very eclectic.”
Jamie processes his influences but ensures they travel through his filter before finding their way to the listener’s ear. That’s what makes his music so inherently Jamie xx. It’s one thing to stay ahead of the curve; it’s another to ignore the curve altogether. Jamie explains: “Because there are fewer and fewer boundaries in both pop and dance, it’s less about cutting less of a niche, but more about being classic.”
The drum and bass overtones of “Gosh” hit unlike anything Jamie has previously released. The ad-libs of jungle MCs navigate the listener through the frenetic percussion. “Sleep Sound” is perky with its jacking house bassline. “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” employs Young Thug and Popcaan to complement its easy-going bop. Relative to previous releases, adjectives like “minimal”, “ephemeral” and “whispery” do not apply this time around.
In Colour culminates Jamie’s journey as an artist to date. He was adamant in releasing In Colour only if it was in step with his own development. “I kind of feel lucky because I had time to ease myself into this,” he explains. “I’ve always had somebody else to take the weight from my shoulders. I had been gaining confidence, and this just seemed like the right time to do it.”
Jamie feels the prolonged creation period was a test in itself: to make music that isn’t a flash in the pan. “It was made over a period of six years – I wanted it to be timeless,” he says. Such displays of patience and reluctance are scarce amongst people his age. At 26, Jamie has a music career so many would covet. Just as he speaks, each of his contributions to the musical ether is carefully deliberated.
Downtime is a luxury that Jamie can’t afford at this time. The next group xx album is being primed and a ballet scored entirely by him is set to debut in both the UK and New York. It makes sense that a person like Jamie xx is so soft-spoken. His actions do all the talking.
