Since the release of his debut in 2011, James Blake has continued to chart deeper and deeper into the dance realm.
Last year’s Mercury Prize-winning followup Overgrown saw Blake’s delicate sound augmented by club, rap and hip hop influences. Continuing to evolve his electronic sound, Blake’s new 16-minute EP ‘200 Press’ – released under his own dance-oriented label 1800-Dinosaur – contains glimmers of the English producer’s most club-skewed work to date.
The title track – called that because it’s only getting 200 vinyl presses – is a deep and sweaty slow burner driven by wobbly, off-kilter synths, clanging cow bells and warped vocal samples.
Elsewhere, downtempo track ‘Building It Still’ sees Blake hopping back on the piano, while ‘200 Pressure’ is a more experimental, less accessible cut; its dark and swirling atmosphere making it pretty clear why a post-Yeezus Kanye has reportedly collaborated with Blake on the Englishman’s next album.
Could this be a hint of the direction Blake is taking for that upcoming third LP, due out next year? Possibly, but considering the sonic disparity between the 26-year-old’s LPs and the trickle of tracks he releases in between, it’s hard to be certain.
‘200 Press’ is streaming now on Spotify. Listen below.
