James Blake | Biografie

  

New York, NY September 8th, 2023 – Today, Mercury Music Prize and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake presents his highly anticipated new album, Playing Robots Into Heaven, available now.

 

James Blake has carefully curated the record’s eleven tracks, threading together an arresting vision steeped in cinematic sonic architecture and elevated by emotionally charged vocals and eloquent songcraft. For as much as each individual cut captivates in its own right, the album traces a journey from “Asking To Break” through the epic conclusion on the title track “Playing Robots Into Heaven.” Throughout the album, he artfully integrates alternative, electronic, indie, and experimental vibes like only he can.

 

Check out the full tracklisting below.

 

Playing Robots Into Heaven was heralded with recent single “Loading”. Highlighting the intricacies and nuances of James’ signature style, it represents yet another artistic leap forward with its immersive production and irresistible refrain. Rolling Stone dubbed it “pulsating‚” and HYPEBEAST noted, “Blake also shows off his vocals on ‘Loading’, tapping into his impressive falsetto that meshes seamlessly with the song’s melancholic melody.” DIY praised how it “showcases immersive production and glitchy beats alongside James’ rich vocal tones.” Complex summed it up best, “James Blake season is upon us.”

Blake initially set the stage for Playing Robots Into Heaven with the single “Big Hammer” (which samples The Ragga Twins), and the accompanying music video directed by Oscar Hudson (Radiohead, Bonobo).

Playing Robots Into Heaven follows the critically acclaimed Friends That Break Your Heart – James’ highest charting album in the UK to date – and will see James once again return to the electronic roots of his Hessle, Hemlock and R&S records days. It will also nod to his latest creation, the CMYK event series with Ronda INTL which kicked off in LA last March. All the CMYK events over the past year have sold out within minutes and featured appearances from special guests including Steve Lacy, Channel Tres, HAii and more. Arriving in the UK in July, the London CMYK event featured DJ Sets from, Fauzia, Luxe, Airhead and Mr Assister with surprise appearances from The Ragga Twins and Erick The Architect, while James was joined by Lil Yachty in the DJ booth.
 
To mark the release of Playing Robots Into Heaven, James will be embarking on a headline international tour, with dates in the UK, Europe and North America. Kicking off at the Fabrique in Milan on September 18th it will see James travel to his home town in London for an Alexandra Palace show on September 28th, before wrapping up in Los Angeles on October 20th. See below for full list of dates.

Tickets are available to purchase now at www.jamesblakemusic.com

 

1.            Asking To Break

2.            Loading

3.            Tell Me

4.            Fall Back

5.            He’s Been Wonderful

6.            Big Hammer

7.            I Want You To Know

8.            Night Sky

9.            Fire The Editor

10.         If You Can Hear Me

11.         Playing Robots Into Heaven

 

 

 

Sep−18

Milan, Italy

Fabrique

 

Sep−20

Paris, France                     

L’Olympia

 

Sep−21

Brussels, Belgium              

Forest National Club

 

Sep−22

Paris, France                     

L’Olympia

 

Sep−24

Berlin, Germany                

UFO im Velodrom

 

Sep−26

Tilburg, Netherlands          

013

 

Sep−28

London, UK                        

Alexandra Palace

 

Oct−03

Atlanta, GA                       

Coca Cola Roxy

 

Oct−05

Queens, NY

Knockdown Center

 

Oct−06

Queens, NY                       

Knockdown Center

 

Oct−09

Boston, MA                      

MGM Music Hall at Fenway

 

Oct−10

Montreal, QC, Canada

L’Olympia

 

Oct−12

Toronto, ON, Canada

Rebel

 

Oct−14

Chicago, IL

Aragon Ballroom

 

Oct−16

San Francisco, CA  

The Masonic Theater

 

Oct−19

Los Angeles, CA

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

 

Oct−20

Los Angeles, CA

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

 

 

The GRAMMY® Award-winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer unassumingly operates as the enigmatic engine behind some of the most influential albums of the 21st century.

 

He produced choice cuts on Frank Ocean’s Blonde, Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and Dave’s We’re All Alone In This Together, as well as JAY-Z’s 4:44 and Beyoncé’s Lemonade—to which he also lent his voice in both cases. Feature appearances span “Stop Trying to Be God” with Stevie Wonder and Kid Cudi on Travis Scott’s epic ASTROWORLD and “King’s Dead” with Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future from the chart-dominating Black Panther: The Album. The latter not only went triple-platinum, but it also earned Blake his first GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Rap Performance.”

 

Simultaneously, James emerged as pop’s most celebrated outlier with his dynamic solo output. He introduced a singular sound on 2011’s James Blake. Awarding the record a rare 9.0-out-of−10 score, Pitchfork crowned it one of “Top 100 Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014).” On its heels, the 2013 Overgrown illustrated his rare magnetic ability to align the likes of Brian Eno and RZA on the same project. It notably received the 2013 Mercury Prize and secured Blake’s “Best New Artist” nomination at the GRAMMY® Awards. After 2016’s The Colour In Anything, he reached new critical and commercial peaks with Assume Form during 2019. It bowed at #21 on the Billboard Top 200, marking his highest entry to date. Beyond clocking 300 million cumulative streams in under a year, it garnered the GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Alternative Album” and graced “Best of 2019” lists for outlets including Time Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, Billboard, DJ Booth, and Esquire. Since then, Blake has treated fans to Instagram live performances, new music sneak peaks and two critically acclaimed EPs; Before and Covers. The artist entertained fans through COVID−19, while live music was put on hold.

 

James released his fifth studio album Friends That Break Your Heart in October 2021, debuting at #4 on the UK charts and receiving mass critical acclaim. He has recently collaborated with Metro Boomin for the Spider-Verse soundtrack on tracks “Hummingbird” and “Nonviolent Communication” ft. A$AP Rocky & 21 Savage.

 

As he prepares for the release of his sixth album, James Blake’s shadow over popular music only continues to grow.