Jamie xx

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Jamie xx. When his group, The xx, arrived, I was floored. It was gothic but not that energetic, neurasthenic without being too cold, pop but not that dancey. It was impossible to not to love this group who were obviously trying to do something new in a UK indie scene that had spent the past few years just chasing its own tail. Into the already well known claustrophobic pop style of Massive Attack and The Cure, The xx infused an RnB sensibility and state-of-the-art electro production. Jamie xx made all the difference in the incredible work that The xx were making, but he really came to our attention when he went solo.

For him, a return to the England of the 60s or 80s wasn’t of interest. Rather he wanted to push forward, notably with dubstep – perhaps the only significant musical genre to have emerged so far this century. At his school in London Jamie xx not only rubbed shoulders with future bandmates, but also with Burial – a major dubstep producer – as well as with Four Tet and the members of Hot Chip, makers of some of the UK’s most inventive and exciting avante-garde electro pop. It was in this more innovative and curious world that Jamie xx found his home, rather than in coming back to more of the same depressing crowing.

He marked his territory with a remix of a Gil Scott-Heron track, followed by We're New Here in 2013, an album where he remixed the entirety of the rap veteran’s album I'm New Here using a mix of dubstep and garage, a potentially clashing mix of genres that really paid off. Since releasing his only solo album, 2015’s In Colour, Jamie xx has established himself as one of the most exciting producers around. There are so many ways that he can captivate you in just 11 tracks, adding a splash of colour to the year – even to the decade – thanks to his skill. Melancholic ballads, dancefloor hits, trippy instruments, singing… As if the title of the album were a way to break with the monochrome of The xx, In Colour displays a rare artistic coherence, real proof of James Thomas Smith’s talent – and yes that is his real name.

It’s hardly surprising that he’s been hired to remix everything from Adele to Radiohead, via Florence and the Machine and the less well known Nosaj Thing and Glasser. Even the great Alicia Keys brought him on board to produce one of her songs, and in the meantime he also enjoys working on his own band’s repertoire. An eclectic and sensual DJ, our boy is as reserved in his music as he is in life. Given that it took him 6 years to produce his masterpiece, I think we can give him a bit more time while we wait for the next. But not too much.