James Blake

Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond

Pushkin Industries

Society & Culture, Music

4.5 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2023

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Since his major-label debut in 2011, James Blake's haunting vocals and brilliantly edited, collage-style tracks have helped usher in a new sound in popular music. James has both produced and contributed vocals to a ton of artists including Travis Scott, Jay-Z, and Spanish megastar, Rosalia. He even earned a Grammy for best rap performance alongside Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock and Future on the song “King’s Dead” from the Black Panther soundtrack.

This month James is releasing his sixth solo album, which is a nod to his electronic music roots. It’s called Playing Robots Into Heaven—a title inspired by the modular synth James built for the album that creates sounds meant to evoke a spiritual experience conjured by machines. It’s a heady concept that translates into some of the most heartfelt and energized tracks James has made to date.

On today’s episode, Leah Rose talks to James Blake about how he and his longtime collaborator Dom Maker constructed key tracks on the new album. James also recalls how a conversation with Rick Rubin changed his life. And he reveals how he spent months making new music with Andre 3000 only to learn on this podcast that it may never be released.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite James Blake songs HERE.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:01.7	Since making his major label debut in 2011, James Blake has become one of the most distinctive voices in pop music.
0:23.6	His gorgeous haunting vocals and brilliantly edited collage-style tracks have helped usher in a new sound in popular music.
0:32.2	James has both produced and contributed vocals to artists like Travis Scott, Jay-Z, and Spanish megastar Rosalia.
0:39.7	He even earned a Grammy for Best Rap Performance alongside Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, and Future on the song Kings Dead from the Black Panther soundtrack.
0:49.7	This month, James is releasing his sixth solo album, which is a nod to his electronic music roots.
0:56.0	It's called Playing Robots Into Heaven.
0:59.0	A title inspired by the modular synth James built for the album that creates sounds meant to evoke a spiritual experience conjured by machines.
1:09.0	It's a heady concept that translates into some of the most heartfelt and energized tracks
1:14.6	James has made to date.
1:16.6	On today's episode, Leah Rose talks to James Blake about how he, in his longtime collaborator,
1:22.6	Dom Maker, constructed key tracks on this new album.
1:26.6	James also recalls how a conversation with Rick Rubin
1:29.7	changed his life and reveals how he spent months making new music with Andre 3,000, only to learn
1:36.5	on this podcast that it may never be released.
1:43.0	This is Broken Record.
1:45.2	Liner Notes for the Digital Age.
1:46.9	I'm Justin Richmond.
1:48.7	Here's Leah Rose with James Blake.
1:51.9	Do you remember last time you were on Broken Record and it was in 2020 and you spoke to Rick?
1:56.9	Yeah.
1:57.5	Do you remember what Rick said to you about the first time he heard your music? You know what?
	...

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