James Blake brings his ever-evolving sound to Hong Kong
British musician James Blake's sound has grown more vibrant and diverse with each new release, writes Oliver Clasper
club in London which has had a virtually unrivalled impact on the progression and growth of contemporary music in Britain during the past decade. And if you happened to have attended any of its seminal dubstep nights from around 2007 onwards, you would likely have bumped into a tall, fresh-faced Goldsmiths music student, lost in the tracks, taking it all in, composing melodies in his head.
The club was Plastic People, the night was FWD and the tall figure in the shadows was James Blake. The producer and singer-songwriter was obsessed with Plastic People, where he now runs his own night, 1-800 DINOSAUR.
"I was hooked, as everybody else was, by new tunes, listening to mixes, and finding new music the whole time," Blake says. "In few other genres was there such an exciting array of new music."
Fast forward six years, and Blake is now regarded as one of the most exciting and original British artists to have emerged from any genre for some time. Since his first release in 2009, the post-dubstep 12" Air & Lack Thereof, he has put out a slew of singles, at least six EPs, and two critically acclaimed albums - including last year's Mercury Prize-winning Overgrown - all before his 25th birthday.
Blake is excited ahead of his January 23 gig, since his only other Asian appearance to date has been in South Korea. He will bring his entire live set up to Kitec in Kowloon Bay, and while he wants to fully recreate the "vibe of the albums" on stage, he's also insistent on "bringing something new and fresh".
Blake's latest album, Overgrown, which made it onto many best-of-lists for 2013, picked up where his 2011 self-titled debut left off. His voice is as ever-present, but the body of work and production as a whole feels weightier and more pronounced. This was a conscious approach from Blake, who was concerned about being labelled "minimal".
"There's definitely more stuff going on as I wanted to get away from the word 'silence'. There were a lot of words surrounding the first LP that I decided I didn't want to be. I wanted to do something new, and in doing that I shed a skin. The idea of my music being minimal was pointed out on the first LP, and I think the second one is less so. The weight of minimalism that year [2011] was evident. I didn't want to do that anymore."