James Blake is the London-born singer and producer whose falsetto-and-static post-dubstep reshaped electronic music and alternative R&B — with production credits for Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Frank Ocean. His self-titled 2011 debut and the Mercury Prize-winning Overgrown (2013) are the entry points. Browse James Blake vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
James Blake Litherland was born in Enfield, London on September 26, 1988. He studied at Goldsmiths, University of London. His self-titled debut James Blake (2011) was a critical landmark, with his sophomore album Overgrown (2013) winning the Mercury Prize. He has continued releasing material across multiple decades alongside extensive collaborative production work for Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Vince Staples, Travis Scott, Bon Iver, and many others.
James Blake's sound combines electronic, post-dubstep, alternative R&B, art pop, soul, and ambient with his distinctive falsetto vocal delivery, dense atmospheric production, and integration of electronic dance music traditions with intimate singer-songwriter aesthetics. His work has been a defining contribution to contemporary alternative R&B and electronic music.
Polydor and Republic pressings of the James Blake catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to James Blake typically start with James Blake (2011) or Overgrown (2013).
