Jamie xx on Breaking His Stereotype for Bright Solo Debut ‘In Colour’
On the first Monday of October, Jamie xx was announced as a last-minute guest at New York DJ Francois K.‘s weekly Meatpacking District residency. Although an e-mail blast promised party regulars an advance listen of the 26-year-old’s debut solo album, his set ultimately traveled from the vintage R&B of the Split Decision Band to contemporary U.K. dance tracks like Pinch & Mumdance’s gaunt “Turbo Mitzi.” These weren’t original tunes, but they still proved revealing: For two hours, the selections not only moved a dance floor of both discerning house heads and leisure-class clubbers, they also introduced the wealth of sounds that had become the basis for that finally-arriving LP.
Sitting in the office of his label, XL, a few months later, Jamie speaks carefully but enthusiastically. “Before the first xx record, I pretty much exclusively listened to electronica,” he says, referring to the trio from which he takes his name. “Now, I listen to anything. I think the most inspiring thing is just learning more about more and more different kinds of music and becoming a fan of so many different types and so many different genres.”
Though the finished body of work remains rooted in the producer’s intellectually-stimulating, emotionally-available aesthetic, In Colour is expansive enough for the producer to describe it as eclectic. As the title suggests, it also offers a radiance that might take some by surprise. “People always think the xx are, like, moody and all dressed in black.” He pauses, realizing that his current ensemble fits the stereotype. “We do all dress in black, but we’re actually quite fun people – and we’ve come out of our shells a lot since the first album.”
The xx formed in London, 2005, and released their debut, xx, in 2009. Where Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sims plucked guitars and traded hushed vocals, Jamie (né Smith) programmed beats and created vast soundscapes across which every element could reverberate. In 2011, he remixed Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here into the electronic We’re New Here, and the following year Drake’s Jamie-produced “Take Care” reworked one of its tracks into a U.S. Top 10 hit. As his first full-length release with only one name on the spine, In Colour provided a challenge that was both artistic and personal.
“I’ve never released something where I have all the weight on my shoulders,” he says, explaining his current combination of fear and excitement. “Even with the Gil Scott-Heron album, I still had Gil, and the fact that he was such a legend, to sort of rest on. I don’t get to hide in the back anymore. Luckily, I can still hide behind other people’s music when I’m DJ’ing. I’m not just completely onstage baring my soul – which I wouldn’t be able to do.”
Unlike most producers who moonlight with club gigs, Jamie avoids making tracks targeted specifically for the dance floor. Although he enjoys DJ’ing, he also thinks that it can prevent him from being creative: “I find myself starting to make music to play to make other people dance, rather than just making it for the sake of just enjoying making music. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but I’m happiest when I’m in the studio on my own and I’m making something that I like.”