James Blake has surprised his fans by dropping a new EP called Before. The record shows him returning to a more club-oriented style, which he developed in his early years behind the decks in London’s club scene. In honor of the release, Blake will be returning to the Boiler Room to DJ his first set there since 2013.
In Before, Blake expertly pairs his ethereal vocals with 2-step beats that will engulf the senses. The EP is a jaw-dropping performance from the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer. In a press release, he shared that the record is a display of him “finally having confidence to put [his] own voice on dancefloor rhythms.”
If you take a deep dive into the credits, you will notice there is a surprise guest featured. His partner, Jameela Jamil of The Good Place fame, is mentioned as an additional producer on three of the four tracks. Also featured is Mount Kimbie‘s Dominic Maker, who he’s worked closely with over the last few years. Alongside the release comes stunning visuals from Ryder Ripps, which you can watch below.
James Blake’s last studio album Assume Form was released last year. It featured Travis Scott, Rosalía, André 3000, Moses Sumney, and more. Since then he’s gone on to release “You’re Too Precious,” “Are You Even Real?” and his long-awaited cover of Frank Ocean‘s “Godspeed.”
You can stream and download Before across all platforms here. His Boiler Room DJ set will air at 2PM PT (5PM ET) on Friday, October 16th here.
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