Spinner

James Blake Plots New Music, Not 'World Domination'

Jerritt Clark, Getty Images

With the release of three EPs, an endless world tour that included a recent stop at the Pitchfork Music Festival and now a Mercury Prize nomination for his self-titled debut record, James Blake is having an excellent 2011.

"I feel really happy about it," the dubstep musician tells Spinner. "It's amazing. I'm not really interested in anything else. It's allowed me to have a great time. It's given me time to write more music and to know that there will be an audience for it, hopefully."

Blake is quite a prolific composer and is able to write on tour if he can get the "head space" for it. He recently released two new tracks, 'Pan' and 'Order,' and promises there will be another EP released soon. He records all of his tracks on a computer in his bedroom but admits that method might come to an end. "I get tired of the same process so I will have to change at some point."

For those unfamiliar with dubstep, it's an electronic genre that developed in South London in
the late '90s and early 2000's, featuring drum, bass, clipped samples and moments of darkness and intensity. "I'm happy about that," Blake says of the attention the genre's received. "People would've found out about dubstep without me. It's such an inspiring genre of music. It was already being heard in the US, but yeah, it's nice. I'm glad to be helping it along."

Blake isn't the first dubstep artist by any means, but he's surely getting recognized for his minimal productions, soulful vocals reminiscent of fellow Brit Jamie Lidell and his glitchy cover of Feist's 'Limit to Your Love.'

When performing, Blake does everything live including having a drummer and guitarist perform onstage while he positions himself at the synths instead of near a computer. Since his music is so moody, Blake doesn't think it fits a daytime setting. "The afternoon shows have been a little strange," he says. "My music doesn't really suite the daytime, really. It's more like an early evening, late-evening thing -- even nighttime. Nighttime's been really good."

Blake will play a few dates back home in England then tour Australia and come back to the States again in September for Austin City Limits, augmenting his already five-month stint on the road.

"This isn't about world domination," he says. "I don't know where things are going but I do in terms of what I'm going to release. I don't know where that's going to take me. It remains to be seen."

James Blake Performs 'A Whilhelm Scream' on the BBC

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