elektro exclusive interview with James Blake + live performance at Terminal 5 NYC 5/9 Reviewed

It’s one thing when an artist puts out an album that challenges their previous sound and further pushes their own limits, but it’s another when those songs are preformed lived and they exceed your own expectations. James Blake releasing his second album, “Overgrown,” is now touring worldwide playing before packed tents at festivals to crammed venues in cities. Before his second sold out show at Terminal 5 in New York, we got to catch up with the artist to speak about how far he has come, the album and what his plans are for next.

Did you ever have a plan B?

James: no there was no plan B…. in music you can survive in way’s that become only know to you when you are in that situation.

Did you think you were going to progress this fast in your career?

James: In terms of success it has been an amazing reaction, I am rolled over about how people are reacting to it and how people will let me get away with what I want to do, that’s pretty novel. I definitely expected to move as fast as I do, not to mention the fact that I have an album deal.

Where was the first played your new album, Overgrown, or any of the songs from it and what was the initial response?

James: First time we played retrograde was at the Music Hall in Williamsburg and I was very nervous to play the song because I had never done it before. It went really well and everyone sang along. It was the easiest way to sing a song for the first time because everyone’s voice is covering yours because then you can sing along with them if anything.

How did the progress go in building a track with RZA?

James: I sent him something over the Internet, it’s fairy unremarkable circumstances. I sent him this bit I had worked on and I just really hoped he liked it and he sent something back and said oh I will do something on this and I was just fingers crossed he liked it so much he would want to do something on it and he did. Before this I had never really got in touch with a rapper or vocalist, so to do someone I didn’t know was a weird experience but it worked out and he has great energy and we met at Coachella because he played with us because it was really cool.

So is there a favorite song?

James: yeah I would say “Life Round Here” even though I say that song is not 100% finished, I would say I think it is one of my favorites.

You have said that you knew after writing overgrown on a plane flight back to LA that it was going to be a song on the album, did you know it was going to be the album name?

James: No I did not, it was everyone’s favorite song. All my friends, my girlfriend and my parents, that was the song they liked the most, even more than “Retrograde”. They wanted “Overgrown” to be the first single.

Well then why did you choose Retrograde?

James: Well they are not very good A&R’s. For not having released anything in quite a while, “Overgrown” would have been kind of heavy, the song would need sort of smack around the face to remind people, hi im still here. “Retrograde”, because of the sound of it and because of its trajectory its just works as a lead single and then release the other songs.

What made you want to experiment with all of these different songs?

James: I’m just inquisitive in general, in my nature I like to learn and a lot and a lot of that is from messing about. What a job, I can just sit there and twiddle with synths and make funny little sounds and use them in my tracks.

What made you use such a variety of sounds?

James: If there was one word I heard the most from interviews, it was the word “silence”, anything from avoiding hearing that word so I made busier music to kind of get away from what I have just done. The whole shift minimal thing, I love it, and it worked but it only worked once. I didn’t want to have a signature thing and people would be like oh yeah that’s what he does, I wanted to move on and do something else and have a broad pallet and a few more strings to my bow than people realize.

What can we expect from the show tonight?

James: Well Overgrown has a diverse range of tunes so I assume it will feel like a diverse show and we also draw from my EP’s and a couple of other things as well so there are plenty of things from any of the things I have done and the broad spectrum of things I want to do. The thing is we got more tunes now so we can arrange a more potent set because we quite literally have more music. Ben and Rob, we have had a couple of years playing so we have tightened up and it feels great to play.

So what can we expect next?

James: God I don’t know, I am going to work it out I suppose. Work it out in my head. I am moving house and setting up a new studio to make music so until then I will be fairly quite and releasing maybe a few songs or two.

And onto the show!

In the jam packed crowd, Blake, along with his synthesizer, guitarists and drummer, appeared on stage with little light to a roaring crowd. Whistles and yells filled the air as the three sat down and began to play.

Blake’s songs are not ones you fist pump to, nor are his performances about the lighting or the background visuals. Perched between his two keyboards the entire show, he spoke softly to the crowd from time to time with one to two lights focused directly on him.

Playing songs from both James Blake and Overgrown and his EP’s, Blake is now able to mix and match the different songs throughout his set. Regardless of the song chosen, there was always an anticipation at the end of one song waiting for the excitement of a new one to begin. Playing key songs such as “Vouyer”, “Retrograde” and “Overgrown," Blake also incorporated old favorites such as “Limit to Your Love” and “CMYK." Ending on covering Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You," Blake sat on stage alone with his keyboard with everyone wishing for just one more song. With the never-ending applause after his final exit of the stage, it definitely not Blake’s last sold out show in New York.

Written by: Samantha Wolfson