Interview with James Blake | Rolling Stone Italy

How many tears James Blake shed on the faces of us poor sensitive people. Twelve years of sighing and crying, stimulated by touching chords and sharp vocals and melodic choices. But those who know the English artist, who has been acquired by America in Los Angeles for several years now, know that his beginnings were under the auspices of R&S Records, an independent Belgian label that has a very clear slogan “In Order To Dance” in the statement. Of course, dance and dance electronics remained an important moment in Blake’s life for many years, but on the records, the attitude that went directly to the movements was left behind in favor of vocal emotionality.

It will be that at some point the rap world fell in love with him (so there was a collaboration with Frank Ocean, Andre 3000, Travis Scott, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, etc.), making him anew discover the fun of the bass guitar, maybe 35 is a good time to get back to what we really loved in the past, but a new James Blake album. robot game in paradise – which will be released on Friday, September 8, at the concert on September 18 at the Fabrique in Milan – is a declared and explicit return to that first great love. To the surprise of many, Blake did not take control of his contact list on this album, preferring to work alone (and with his partner Jamila Jameel) in his home studio, leaving himself complete creative freedom in long jam sessions with his modular synths.

We met him during his only Italian interview, taking the opportunity to talk about the new album, electronic music and today’s music queens Beyoncé and Rosalia.

The last time we talked about getting out Friends who break your heart, an album that marked the first ten years of your career. I said to myself that for you it was “to be at the beginning of your career again.” How do you feel today with the arrival of a new job?

Now I feel the end of my career. No, I’m kidding! (He is laughing) I’m happy, excited about the release of the record and especially the fact that I’ll be back on tour. For the first time he will go on a musical tour. club-oriented.

robot game in paradise it’s actually a record that makes you dance. And basically you come from the world of the club.
The principles found in all of my most popular music apply to club music as well. I never stopped making dance music: I released very little. I needed a specific project. In fact, half of this album consists of tracks that I have been working on for the last eight years, and the other half is everything that I have done in the last year. That is why different tastes coexist on the disc. In my last tours with the band, there were always moments of club music, moments of techno.

Do you think people’s attitude towards the club and the dance floor has changed over the years?
Four-quarter music, or better yet, rhythmic music, never stops working at all. Club culture changes depending on the context: which establishments open, which close, which policies apply. In England, for example, many clubs have been closed in recent years and the club scene has shifted from the city center to more peripheral areas. These are the consequences of political change, and they will always occur. If we talk about how people perceive the club, then I think everything has remained about the same as when I started.

In addition, in Los Angeles, you launched your own party. cmyk (for example, James Blake’s self-titled 2010 EP., ed.). A necessity related to this new album?
Yes, sure. At my parties, I was able to test the tracks of the record as they were completed. I produced, rehearsed the songs for this track, went back to the studio to make changes and tried again if they worked. Until they turned the way I wanted.

You stated that some of the tracks on this album were born from a series of jams you made with modular instruments. Hence the name robot game in paradise which is reminiscent of a certain relationship with the machine.
The thing about modular synthesis is that you set up your machines, your modules, but you have very little control over what happens. You can predict something, but it is almost impossible to recreate or repeat it. You must remain focused on the present moment. Instead of being a composer, it’s like becoming a curator. Therefore, you can say that I partly edited and partly produced this record. A lot of things came from jamming the modules without looking at the computer screen.

And you produced everything in your home studio, right?
Yes, almost everything. With the exception of Big Hammer that I recorded it at the hotel during the tour. When I’m on tour, I always carry a small jam module with me. In particular, this beat was born in a hotel while on the plane I was working on a sample taken from hummingbird (track Metro Boomin with James Blake himself, ed.). So yes, the whole song was written on the street.

let `s talk about Big Hammer. A song with an aggressive, acid beat that lacks vocals, choruses, and those comforting and emotional chords that are typical of your music. And so that we do not miss anything, even a beautiful destructive video. You decided to release it as the first single, did you want it to become a return to the club manifesto?
Yes, that was the idea. I was looking for the most unexpected and powerful song on the record. What could surprise you more? I think this record will be unexpected for a large part of my audience, especially considering my recent releases.

Probably, many expected a record full of rap collaborations.
I think so. I love collaborating, it shows throughout my career, but I wanted it to be a solo album. Apart from the vocal samples, there is only my voice. It was a clear intention; functions will be enforced here. Much of the music on this album is different from what I’ve done before and I thought it would be necessary to do it myself.

Speaking of your collaboration during this latest period on your Instagram, you posted a photo in the studio with Travis Scott while recording. Delrest (Echoes)song from his last Utopia in which Beyoncé appears. The caption read: “The honor of a lifetime.” Tell us why?
First of all, because Travis Scott is an artist that I really admire. And then, because Beyoncé is an artist that I grew up with and admired throughout my career. She is a queen. She used to sing backing vocals on one of my tracks. Forwardwhich he then inserted into Lemonade. But this is the first time that Beyoncé sings what I wrote. And for me it was a great result, a huge honor.

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If you say queen, I can’t help asking you about your work with Rosalia. You’ve worked together before Barefoot in the park and you went back to the studio together for it Motomamivoted by us as the best album of 2022. Here you signed one of my favorite songs, Like G. Can you tell us how it all went?
So let me remind you, it’s been a long time. We ended up in the studio together and started looking for an agreement. We talked, played, sang together. It’s very natural. Frank Dukes was also in the studio and helped us find the song structure from some of the chords we liked. Everything happened very quickly. A year later, I received the final version, very similar to the original session. Rosalia is an incredibly special person and this is one of my favorite songs from this album which has some incredible moments.

However, your record constantly mentions the name of your partner, actress and activist Jameela Jameel, who was involved in additional production of three songs (asking for a break, Loading, Fire the editor). How do you work with her? Perhaps there is no risk of limiting yourself to avoid embarrassment?
She knows me very well and knows in what mood I express my emotions. And she notices very well the moments when this happens in my music. I work with her the same way I work with other producers. When I ask her to have a hand in one of my songs, it’s like asking any producer I respect. Because she is also a talented producer.

The last question is about your tour, which will start right in Italy at the Fabrique in Milan on September 18th. What can we expect with a dance floor-oriented album coming soon?
A club experience that reflects the sound of this album. It will be rich and with spectacular lighting design. It will be a more theatrical and complete experience than before.