James Blake

0:00Hi, I'm James Blake and you're watching Amazon exclusives. Thanks for coming to Canada. Yeah, I mean, thanks for having us. Oh, we loved it. Well, one of the first times I heard of you was through the vice cover. Yeah. You love Canada way back when? I know. What in the case of you cover? And the and the and the journey Mitchell cover. Oh, yeah. You do a journey cover. Yeah.

0:45I don't know that one. I'm going to do that one up. Strictly Canadian covers. That's that's what you do. And so when you come to Canada, do you make sure to play those strictly Canadian covers? Or is just like, no, those are from back. Well, limit. I was I mean, case of you always gets a nice reaction because it has the phrase, Oh, Canada in it anyway. But they're really elongated. Oh, Canada. And not everyone. So you know how to get a pop of the crowd. You it's one of those hello Cleveland moment. Yeah, people like that. What was it about Fyce Media? What was it about that tune? I mean, maybe you want to talk about the joining one instead since you brought that one up. The journey one is just a piano cover. But the first one really turned it on its head. So it became more of like an interpolation. No, I don't know. It's just different.

1:31And is it folk music that you gravitate to? I mean, they're both folky kind of things. No, it was purely song based. It's like, you know, I like that song. I'm going to have a go at singing it. I didn't even think about releasing them until. I mean, in fact, the journey Mitchell cover was just a it was called a wild card track on a radio one live thing that we did. And I didn't think it would be released. But we ended up liking the record. Are there's there's always songs like that on on on. I mean, we'll talk about the new record here overgrown. There's always songs that you don't think are going to make it that you don't. You're like, oh, it's a throw in. Then someone else says, no, no, no, that's the one that when needs to go on. What were there any times on that? Yeah. So what I mean, it was like that. Some of my sort of most successful tunes have been things that I thought were too this or too that. And then people were kind of going, no, you got released.

2:17Well, what off the new record that someone convinced you to release that you didn't think you were going to. On this record. Boya. The sort of housey. I don't know if it would fit on the record, but I mean, I think it does now. It gives you a little variation anyway. It's just not too much of the same thing. You're talking about variation. You're talking about being able to vary the set list now, now that you can tour two records and have more that people know and that you can. So how have you managed to mold the new songs in with the old ones? They're a little different. Yeah, they are. They're a bit more focused these ones, I think. They come quite easily to me to sing these ones. Because I've had a bit more practice writing as well. So I'm writing for my voice and singing for the songs.

3:04And you weren't doing that before? I just think the synergy has got a lot tighter and more harmonious. Is that happening as you continue to write? I assume you wrote all the time, I would think. Yeah. Well, not so much now. I mean, I've just done an album and I'm just saying that. I was really empty by the end of that. So I'm letting the batteries recharge and hopefully... I've got the world to write and I've been doing some beats and stuff like that. Some more beat based things. Is that where things start? On the IP1 or in Logic? IP1. Some times it just starts with a poem or a weird little sample. I don't know. It just comes from everywhere.

3:51Hopefully it doesn't. That's the most interesting way to write for me is to see it. It's kind of a way for the inspiration to hit. Speaking of history, we had Curly, she's an Estonian EDM singer on the show this morning. I mentioned I was talking to you and I said, do you have any questions for James? She was like, yeah, I love that record for sure. So she goes, you have very deep music. Have you ever really been in love and how many times have you gotten your heart broken? Was this her asking you? My heart has never been broken. So how do you write that heartfelt songs? I don't know. Your heart has never been broken. Never experienced that. No. You're a lucky man. Yeah, or on death row. I'm just waiting for the call. The arrow, yeah. No, I don't know.

4:36I mean, we all have our own shit to talk about. Sure, sure. I mean, there was one, there was one review I think it was that said something like, and I get sent these periodically so that's why I know about it. I'm not convinced by what he's singing about, what his emotions come from. What? I mean, it's hard to believe that he could be sad about something. Man, never get sad. Fuck. That's amazing. I love review. That's hilarious. I mean, there's a source of much humor. Justin Vernon Kanye influenced the record from what I've read, how so? Not really. Because I don't hear it.

5:22So I was like, no, they didn't really. I mean, Justin influenced my first record to now end. Really, I listened to florama. I listened to Stax. I listened to some of that record. This con, because I heard you love the watch the throne tour. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because that influenced me as a performer. Oh, yeah. I was really a head influence performer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you, when you go to a show like that, what do you take that maybe you can bring to your live show? Well, I think what was nice about the con, the watch the throne tour was that the visuals, it wasn't overblown, even though it was a huge show. It was subtle. It was really, it was fairly avant-garde. It was interesting. Great use of animals. Or at least, you know, images of them.

6:12And kaleidoscopes. And really basic imagery that just looked great. And it wasn't, and that kind of influenced the way we do the show in the sense that we're simple. We like to give them simple. And I think they're like, we just want lights. We don't need much imagery or anything like that. We just want to have good lighting, good music, and a rapport with the crowd in it through the music. And I know that just for me that's a good show. So, radio head, similar thing. You know, they came and did the O2. And it's an incredible show. Not just for the fact that the radio head is so good, and their songs, the back catalog is immense. Also, the way they use lighting was really thoughtful and made great use of a big stage.

7:02Made you feel intimate, even though there were 20,000 people there. It was really an important show, I thought. So we don't have too much that. We're going to do five questions how we end every interview. But I warm up Jimi Hendrix's t-shirt because I hear Hendrix is influencing what you're working on lately. Yes. How so? Because I don't hear those fuzz box guitars over over over over. Yeah, I know. I think you're here. It's band of gypsies. It's the band of gypsies album. It's just, you know. And I remember. So you play guitar too? Are you trying to? I can. I'm not going to try. You hire people to do that. Yeah, I'm not going to try. I'm not going to do. You probably want to hear much guitar unless it's Rob. Right. It's just an amazing album. It's the sound of the crowd, the crowd participation clapping.

7:47I'm quite big into the noise of a crowd. That's been something that has really caught my eye recently. And one of the reasons I realized the other day that I enjoy gospel records so much is just another thing that makes me enjoy gospel records. It's the sound of the people in the church or even the unruly choir. I like clapping in the background. It's just great. And band of gypsies has that in spades. Body miles is also my favorite drama. That helps. Yeah. Five quick questions. One more answer. Rode or studio? Studio. Leonard or McCurdy? McCurdy. When you hear a song, it usually hits you first. Lyrics, melody, or rhythm?

8:35Melody. Song you've written your most proud of. Much of great. Cool. Well, that works out well that was chosen. In one word, James Blake. James. That's good. Thank you very much, man. I appreciate it.