Those familiar with Jamie Smith more often than not recognize his stage name due to its ties to popular Brit-electronica trio The xx. The group has risen from relative obscurity to almost celebrity-like status since releasing their debut LP, xx, almost five years ago. Certainly they deserve the success; the album pervaded so many demographics with its simple melody constructs and highly emotional love lyrics, making it one of the decade’s best-produced records. Yet, it’s unfortunate for Jamie xx as a producer that his band’s work overshadows his own.
A product of the same London high school as a handful of legendary British electronic musicians (Four Tet, Burial, and Hot Chip to name a few), he’s developed an uncanny ability to combine the most polarizing sounds to create cohesive tunes. This was especially on his 2011 genre-bending tape, We’re New Here, where he somehow combined Gil-Scott Heron’s celebrated spoken word with his own production that ranges from electronically twisted steel drums to post-dubstep. It’s a project that cemented his place in the United Kingdom’s DJ scene but went largely unnoticed by his American audience. Hell, I’m not even sure most people realize he produced a large part of Drake’s second studio LP, Take Care.
“Sleep Sound” is a collective hybrid of Jamie’s more recent output. It has the vocal samples that resemble those of xx chanteuse, Romy Croft, while containing the heavily dubbed feeling found on more experimental tracks like “Far Nearer.” This track heavily borrows from the 2-step movement, but Jamie injects his own personality to make “Sleep Sound” an instant hit. It’s truly a shame he doesn’t release more solo work, yet the time gap makes us savor and revel in these sparse moments.