James Blake

Love What Happened Here

BY Vincent PollardPublished Dec 12, 2011

This latest EP contains Blake's best material since the release of his debut album, which led to his sharp rise to fame earlier this year. The title track, having been performed live on several occasions, isn't exactly new, but it's great to finally have a definitive version released. It is quintessential Blake, with a surprising keyboard sound palette that's more playful than his customary Rhodes sound. The supporting b-sides ― both excellent ― are "At Birth," a quirky, dub-laced take on house music, and "Curbside," a tribal, percussive, trippy bass number. All three tracks harken back to his early EPs, his greatest of which were also released on R&S. Let's hope that this is a sign of things to come and that Blake will dive back into, at least for some of the time, the thrilling, wonky, R&B-tinged UK bass that he made his name with in 2010.
(R&S)

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