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Jamie xx and Quayola recently brought their creative vision to life, live in Shoreditch. Using two 15-metre HD screens, Quayola and his team, Abstract Birds, created live sound visualisations of Jamie xx’s set using their bespoke Partitura software.
A fantastic bit of technology here, and probably the closest thing I’ve ever seen to simulated synesthesia: you almost see the sounds come to life, as the visualisations have a very anthropomorphic quality in their movements and pulsations. It’s essentially the basic concept of a visualiser, but amplified via some very abstract thinking, and of course is aided by an excellent instrumental from the talented Jamie xx. Blending together soft bass hums, airy synths and a mixture of electronic sounds, Jamie creates a mellow and intricate production that only has one flaw: it’s far too short. Hopefully an extended version surfaces soon, but for now enjoy this unique audio-visual.
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Probably the best track from their collaborative album, and hence a great choice to give the visual treatment. It’s a fantastically unique bit of music, and they’ve certainly done it justice with a video that really captures the imagination.
It would have been easy for the duo to grab some camera time for themselves, but being pretty artistic guys they’ve shown their integrity here as they spotlight the struggles of a single mother who also has a challenging line of employment: boxing. The boxer analogy always works well with music, as it spotlights the personal battles of people and both visualises and compares them with actual physical battles.
It’s a sport from which the ‘glamour’ can be easily removed too, and hence generally works very well when placed with a meaningful track. Here, the story certainly works with the audio to make this a realistic, relatively feel-good package (helped by the pretty adorable kid!) that is definitely worth a watch.
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New solo material from Jamie xx is always a rare treat, and having really cultivated his reputation in recent months with a spate of remixes (including this remix album), there’s no shortage of anticipation for his material either.
The quality is far from perfect, but you can get a pretty good feel for the track. It’s heavily experimental, veers into offbeat sections at times, and switches between minimalistic styles and busier sections. This bipolar, schizophrenic style makes it pretty difficult to pin down and enjoy for me, as it seems to be trying to cram an awful lot in and hence is difficult to really get into. However, ears that are more accustomed to electronic, experimental and house music will be much more trained to the style and will surely enjoy the finer points of the track.
Jamie xx-Beat For
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Very nice surprise here, as the much-anticipated remix album from this unusual duo is made available for a full stream.
The previous two tracks made available have both shown the potential in this duo, fusing together Jamie’s experimental and often enjoyable production style with Gil’s diverse, vintage vocals to great effect. I’ve skimmed through the album very briefly, and it seems as though that quality is consistent throughout, as Jamie serves up a multitude of styles that manage to work with Gil’s voice, for the most part.
Fans of The xx will be clamouring for whatever new material they can get, and hopefully this collaboration has won over many others that weren’t previously familiar with either artist’s work. You can pre-order and listen to the whole thing in the widget.
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As the release date for their collaborative project draws nearer, we’re treated to another track from the highly-anticipated We’re New Here.
This has a considerably more positive feel than the previous offering, with Jamie serving up a lighter production that reflects off Gil’s voice with a positive exuberance. Lots of diversity in the production too, with keyboard melodies alongside futuristic synths, all served up over a mid-tempo percussion that keeps your head nodding all the way through.
It’s another nice show of eclecticism here, and I’m really looking forward to that album!
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Probably one of the most unexpected collaborations of the year. The legendary Gil Scott-Hero’s I’m New Here album from earlier this year is set to undergo treatment from Jamie of The xx, resulting in a full remix album entitled We’re New Here due out 21st February 2011. It’s been a huge 12 months for The xx, and it’s great to see Jamie getting involved in this sort of artistic diversity.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to give the original NY Is Killing Me the review and acclaim it deserved, but it was a really interesting track that was held together by nothing more than claps and the odd bass pound. Jamie strips that away in favour of an atmospheric electro production that manages to retain the slightly disquieting and uneasy vibe of the original. You can watch the video here, and grab the track/pre-order the album here.
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I’m not really sure how to describe this track. Before we get into that, some quotes from Jamie: “It’s a tune I made on one of our short breaks from touring and I was eager to make some new music. I got a steel pan and made this track”.
The steel pan influence is definitely heavy in this, and actually add a really nice light, playful feel to the track which otherwise has some pretty thick basslines (I’m not a dubstep fan, but these seem pretty close to that sort of stuff) which alternate with some thin percussion elements. It’s really unique stuff, and oddly compelling. Only a radio rip for now sadly, I’ll provide the high quality when I can.
Jamie xx-Far Nearer (Radio Rip)
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