James Blake Says ‘Nothing Touched The Bravery Of Early Grime’
Written by SOURCE on October 8, 2021
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James Blake’s new album, Friends That Break Your Heart, dropped today and along with it the requisite press tour.
Much of these interviews have touched on the usual topics; inspiration, how it differs from the others, as well as his thoughts on the world around us. One interview in particular, a conversation with Seth P for GRM Daily, saw him share his thoughts on a topic that surprisingly few journalists have quizzed him about in the past: grime.
“In terms of production, early influences for me were Wiley, Ruff Sqwad, J Sweet and Alias,” he said. “There’s something sonically about grime that felt incredibly free and un-self conscious. Some of the sounds being used in the Eski era of Wiley’s stuff was just to me completely new; new in a way that I don’t think any other music was as brave as that.”
He added: “Even Timbaland, even that kind of R&B from that era, nothing touched the bravery of early grime if you ask me.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL1DGLOtiV8&w=750&h=415]
It shouldn’t be too surprising that Blake’s an avid grime fan. The genre’s formative years in the early noughties would line up pretty well with the producer’s teen years and let’s not forget the Harmonimix remix of Trim’s “Confidence Boost” or the 1-800 Dinosaur album that Blake helped get out into the world.
From the post-dubstep-esque dancefloor experiments of 2011’s CMYK EP right through to the faster tempos of 2019’s Assume Form and into the colourful R&B grooves of the latest album, it’s always been present. These past two releases have seen a marked brightening of his sonic palette, no doubt a reflection of his Los Angeles surroundings, but they’re also symptomatic of a more open and collaborative James Blake.
