I’m glad there’s a market for Jamie xx. There’s certainly risk in the work of the esteemed DJ behind The xx’s electronic soundscapes and beats. It doesn’t offer the emotive depth and traditional instrumentation that The xx does, and it doesn’t offer the ceaseless thudding and mainstream pop appeal as much of the EDM genre. Instead, Jamie xx’s sets feature nuanced blending of sounds, moments of stripping away everything to reveal minimalist beats, and good old fashioned improvising with a vinyl collection.
The set demands patience from concertgoers, and it also provides rewards–sure, the ability to lose yourself in a sea of moving bodies during a continuous stream of beat-based sound, but also thoughtful, careful DJing that accesses a greater spectrum of electronic music. And I’m glad that this kind of approach can pack the Mohawk on a Wednesday night.
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