James Blake (musician)
Encyclopedia
James Blake is a British electronic music
producer and singer-songwriter
from London
, UK. On 6 January 2011, Blake was announced as runner-up in BBC
's Sound of 2011 poll. His self-titled debut album
was released in the UK on 7 February 2011.
James Blake is the son of James Litherland
.
On the 19 July 2011, he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 2011 for his self-titled debut album.
. Having attended The Latymer School
, Blake was persistent in recording songs in his bedroom during his time in education. James began his music career by releasing his debut 12" record
, entitled "Air & Lack Thereof" in the United Kingdom
during July 2009. Having been releasing on the imprint record label, Hemlock, the extended-play was favourited by BBC Radio 1
DJ Gilles Peterson
. Soon after the release of the record, Blake was invited by Peterson to do a special mix on his international show, including an exclusive Mount Kimbie
track.. Soon after, Blake released a 3 track EP on Hessle Audio in March 2010, for their eleventh release.
A third vinyl-exclusive EP, entitled "CMYK" was released through R&S Records
during 2010. The title track, "CMYK" was selected by BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw
as his Record of the Week and also received airplay from other DJs.
On 29 September 2010, Zane Lowe
selected Blake's version of "Limit to Your Love
" as his Hottest Record in the World. The song was a cover version that was originally recorded by singer Feist and appeared on her studio album, The Reminder
. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2010, where it debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number 47.
Blake was announced on 6 December 2010 to have placed on BBC
's Sound of 2011, an annual poll that highlights the forthcoming year's likely successful musicians. It was then revealed on 6 January 2011 that Blake has positioned in second place, ahead of fellow shortlisted acts; The Vaccines
, Jamie Woon
and Clare Maguire
, who reached third, fourth and fifth respectively. It was also revealed on 15 December 2010 that Blake had been made the runner-up behind singer-songwriter Jessie J
at the BRIT Awards
' Critic's Choice. In January 2011, Blake was awarded Single of the Year (2010) for "CMYK" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards.
Blake's work found itself on numerous 2010 year-end best-of lists, with "CMYK" ranking 24th on Frontier Psychiatrist's top 40 songs of the year, the Bells Sketch/CMYK/Klavierwerke EPs ranking 8th on Pitchfork Media
's top 50 albums of 2010, and "I Only Know (What I Know Now)" ranking 8th on Pitchfork's top 100 tracks of 2010.
Having spent the majority of 2010 recording his debut album, Blake revealed in late December that his album would be self-titled and would see release in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2011. James Blake
, an 11-track album which features the single "Limit to Your Love", will be made available as a digital download
, CD
and 12" vinyl. The vinyl release contains two extra tracks, "Tep And The Logic" and "You Know Your Youth". Only days after the announcement was made, the album was leaked onto the internet. On 9 January 2011, circulation began of "The Wilhelm Scream" being released as the album's second single, with a scheduled release date of 7 March in the United Kingdom.
Blake performed a new song at a May 8, 2011 concert in Washington D.C. The song is called "Enough Thunder"
Blake debuted a collaboration with Bon Iver
called "Fall Creek Boys Choir" on BBC Radio 1 at 7:30pm GMT on 24 August 2011. The song was first announced through his Facebook page on 17 August.
On September 17, 2011, the BBC
released an exclusive mix by Blake, which included 10 of his unreleased songs. These included "Deeds", "Olivia Kept", and "Evening Fell Hard for Us".
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
producer and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. On 6 January 2011, Blake was announced as runner-up in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Sound of 2011 poll. His self-titled debut album
James Blake (album)
James Blake is the debut studio album by London-based dubstep producer James Blake. It was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States on his own label, ATLAS, supported by A&M Records, on 4 February 2011...
was released in the UK on 7 February 2011.
James Blake is the son of James Litherland
James Litherland
James Litherland is an English singer and guitarist. He was born in Salford, England. He is the father of singer/producer James Blake.-Discography:With Colosseum*Those Who Are About To Die Salute You – 1968*Valentyne Suite – 1969...
.
On the 19 July 2011, he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 2011 for his self-titled debut album.
Career
During September 2009, Blake began his final year at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he studied popular music; one of his coursemates was fellow singer Katy BKaty B
Kathleen "Katie" Brien, better known as Katy B, is an English singer-songwriter and a graduate of the BRIT School. She is a dubstep, R&B, funky, house and UK garage singer and has also performed under the name Baby Katy. She was born in Peckham, South London...
. Having attended The Latymer School
The Latymer School
The Latymer School is a selective, mixed grammar school in Edmonton, north London, England.- Examination procedures :Approximately 180 pupils are admitted to Year 7 annually. Places are awarded on the basis of competitive examination, though 20 are reserved for students with exceptional musical...
, Blake was persistent in recording songs in his bedroom during his time in education. James began his music career by releasing his debut 12" record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, entitled "Air & Lack Thereof" in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during July 2009. Having been releasing on the imprint record label, Hemlock, the extended-play was favourited by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
. Soon after the release of the record, Blake was invited by Peterson to do a special mix on his international show, including an exclusive Mount Kimbie
Mount Kimbie
Mount Kimbie is a British electronic duo that formed in London, England in 2008. The duo consists of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos. Unlike many other mainstream dubstep artists, their style revolves around guitars, sampling, loops and ambient soundscapes....
track.. Soon after, Blake released a 3 track EP on Hessle Audio in March 2010, for their eleventh release.
A third vinyl-exclusive EP, entitled "CMYK" was released through R&S Records
R&S Records
R&S Records is an independent record label. Founded in 1984 in Ghent, Belgium, it is now based in London and managed by Andy Whittaker and Dan Foat.R&S represents the initials of Renaat Vandepapeliere and Sabine Maes, the couple that created the label...
during 2010. The title track, "CMYK" was selected by BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw
Nick Grimshaw
Nicholas Peter "Nick" Grimshaw is a British television and radio presenter. Commonly known as 'Grimmy', he has presented shows for Channel 4, E4, BBC One, BBC Two and Channel 4 youth strand T4...
as his Record of the Week and also received airplay from other DJs.
On 29 September 2010, Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
selected Blake's version of "Limit to Your Love
Limit to Your Love
"Limit to Your Love" is a single by British musician James Blake, released on his self-titled debut album. It is a cover version of a song by Canadian musician Feist, originally appearing on her 2007 album The Reminder, and written by Leslie Feist and Gonzales...
" as his Hottest Record in the World. The song was a cover version that was originally recorded by singer Feist and appeared on her studio album, The Reminder
The Reminder
The Reminder is the third full-length album by indie artist Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada....
. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2010, where it debuted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number 47.
Blake was announced on 6 December 2010 to have placed on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Sound of 2011, an annual poll that highlights the forthcoming year's likely successful musicians. It was then revealed on 6 January 2011 that Blake has positioned in second place, ahead of fellow shortlisted acts; The Vaccines
The Vaccines
The Vaccines are an English indie rock band who formed in West London in 2010. The band's debut album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, was released through Columbia Records on 14 March 2011 and reached number 4 in the UK Album Chart. They are currently the biggest selling new band of 2011....
, Jamie Woon
Jamie Woon
Jamie Woon is a British singer, songwriter and producer signed to Polydor who gained widespread acclaim in 2010 for his single Night Air which was co-produced by Burial, following his previous independent release, Wayfaring Stranger EP.The Eurasian son of a Malaysian Chinese father, and Scottish...
and Clare Maguire
Clare Maguire
Clare Rita Mary Maguire is a British singer-songwriter. She was signed to Universal Music Group Polydor Records in 2008. She was rated in fifth place in the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the top 15 most promising new artists. Maguire was also singled out as one of MTV's Brand New: For 2011 Acts...
, who reached third, fourth and fifth respectively. It was also revealed on 15 December 2010 that Blake had been made the runner-up behind singer-songwriter Jessie J
Jessie J
Jessica Ellen Cornish , better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked...
at the BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
' Critic's Choice. In January 2011, Blake was awarded Single of the Year (2010) for "CMYK" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards.
Blake's work found itself on numerous 2010 year-end best-of lists, with "CMYK" ranking 24th on Frontier Psychiatrist's top 40 songs of the year, the Bells Sketch/CMYK/Klavierwerke EPs ranking 8th on Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's top 50 albums of 2010, and "I Only Know (What I Know Now)" ranking 8th on Pitchfork's top 100 tracks of 2010.
Having spent the majority of 2010 recording his debut album, Blake revealed in late December that his album would be self-titled and would see release in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2011. James Blake
James Blake (album)
James Blake is the debut studio album by London-based dubstep producer James Blake. It was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States on his own label, ATLAS, supported by A&M Records, on 4 February 2011...
, an 11-track album which features the single "Limit to Your Love", will be made available as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
, CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and 12" vinyl. The vinyl release contains two extra tracks, "Tep And The Logic" and "You Know Your Youth". Only days after the announcement was made, the album was leaked onto the internet. On 9 January 2011, circulation began of "The Wilhelm Scream" being released as the album's second single, with a scheduled release date of 7 March in the United Kingdom.
Blake performed a new song at a May 8, 2011 concert in Washington D.C. The song is called "Enough Thunder"
Blake debuted a collaboration with Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
called "Fall Creek Boys Choir" on BBC Radio 1 at 7:30pm GMT on 24 August 2011. The song was first announced through his Facebook page on 17 August.
On September 17, 2011, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
released an exclusive mix by Blake, which included 10 of his unreleased songs. These included "Deeds", "Olivia Kept", and "Evening Fell Hard for Us".
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
BEL (FLA) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
BEL (WAL) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
DEN Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
IRE Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
||
| 2011 | James Blake James Blake (album) James Blake is the debut studio album by London-based dubstep producer James Blake. It was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States on his own label, ATLAS, supported by A&M Records, on 4 February 2011...
|
9 | 15 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 9 | 123 |
Extended plays
The Bells Sketch
|
| CMYK
|
| Klavierwerke Klavierwerke Klavierwerke is the third solo EP by London-based dubstep producer James Blake. It was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States on R&S Records on 27 September 2010... |
| Enough Thunder Enough Thunder -Personnel:Credits taken from Discogs.* James Blake - vocals, instrumentation, producer, songwriter* Rob McAndrews - acoustic guitar on "Once We All Agree"* Justin Vernon - vocals, producer and songwriter on "Fall Creek Boys Choir"... |
| Love What Happened Here
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
BEL (FLA) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
BEL (WAL) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
DEN Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
|||
| 2009 | "Air & Lack Thereof" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 2010 | "Limit to Your Love Limit to Your Love "Limit to Your Love" is a single by British musician James Blake, released on his self-titled debut album. It is a cover version of a song by Canadian musician Feist, originally appearing on her 2007 album The Reminder, and written by Leslie Feist and Gonzales... " |
39 | 63 | 5 | 42 | 3 | 7 | James Blake |
| 2011 | "The Wilhelm Scream The Wilhelm Scream "The Wilhelm Scream" is a song by British musician James Blake, released on his self-titled debut album. It is a cover of the song "Where to Turn" by James Litherland, Blake's father... " |
136 | — | 64 | 82 | — | — | |
| "Lindisfarne"/"Unluck" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Order"/"Pan" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Fall Creek Boys Choir Fall Creek Boys Choir - External links :* *... " (with Bon Iver Bon Iver Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was... ) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Enough Thunder | |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Limit to Your Love" | Martin de Thurah |
| 2011 | "The Wilhelm Scream" | Alexander Brown Alexander Brown (director) Alexander Brown is an English music video director and album cover designer.Brown's design for La Roux's debut album cover was named one of the best of 2009... |
| 2011 | "Lindisfarne" | Martin de Thurah |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organisation | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | BBC Sound of 2011 Sound of... (BBC poll) Sound of... is an annual poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003. A top 10 list is published each January.-Winners:-Sound of 2009:... |
James Blake | Sound of 2011 | |
| 2011 BRIT Awards 2011 BRIT Awards The 2011 BRIT Awards was held on Tuesday 15 February 2011.It was the 31st edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The award ceremony was held at The O2 Arena... |
James Blake | Critic's Choice | ||
| 2011 Mercury Prize Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British... |
James Blake | Mercury Prize |