James Blake has released his new EP Before. The four-track was teased over the weekend and officially announced in full yesterday.
The EP is a mix of slow, crooning records and some tracks designed for a long lost dancefloor. He describes these collection of tracks as “a yearning for dancefloor elation.” This reminds me of seeing him at Governor’s Ball for a closing set a few years ago. While it started slow with softer songs, it eventually ended with ravey tracks with lights flickering, synths firing and drums at full blast. This EP is him “finally having confidence to put my own voice on dancefloor rhythms.”
It may seem like an odd time to release new, dancefloor focused music when the dancefloor is at its most empty in decades. But this EP is good for your own meditative dancefloor that doesn’t batter you in the face and can allow you to just vibe without making you cry (more than his other projects). If this EP also went along with an initiative to support struggling nightclubs, given its lean towards the dancefloor; that would be great (looking at you Cadillac).
He will perform the records on a Boiler Room set this Friday at 5pm ET on boilerroom.tv, YouTube and jamesblakemusic.com.
Stream the EP below and get your copy here.
