james blake

Kanye West Previews New Music, Including A Collaboration With James Blake, In London

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Kanye West
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Kanye West has finally taken a break from his daily social media antics, from asking us all to band together to fight the Adidas and Gap machines to sharing the intimate details of his messy divorce with Kim Kardashian, to share a snippet of new music.

The last we heard from Ye was an underwhelming feature verse on Cardi B’s “Hot Sh*t” and a better ‘feature of the year’ contribution on “City Of Gods” with Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys. But we have yet to hear any new music from Mr. West himself since Donda 2 was released back in February.

During his appearance in the UK for London Fashion Week, at what looks like an intimate event, Kanye leaves fans in a frenzy begging for him to play more of a head-bopper featuring London native James Blake.

Blake took to Twitter to address speculation that the song is not an “Always” sample but rather an entirely new track. In another tweet, Blake reveals that he also produced the song and received the best birthday gift ever. “It’s my birthday and kanye west is playing tracks we made I’m good for presents thanks,” he said, followed by a series of heart-faced emojis.

Hopefully, Ye will reveal more new music in the weeks to come instead of another black screen referencing losing his queen like London did Queen Elizabeth II.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Freddie Gibbs Shares ‘Dark Hearted,’ His Vulnerable New Single Produced By James Blake

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Freddie Gibbs proved his versatility this week. On Tuesday (September 20), the Gary, Indiana-bred rapper visited Funk Flex on Hot 97 and performed a freestyle, taking shots at disgraced R&B figure R. Kelly and rival Benny Butcher. Today (September 23), Gibbs shows his vulnerable side with the introspective new single “Dark Hearted.”

The James Blake-produced track opens with an ethereal beat and Gibbs proclaiming, “I hope the chopper never jam on me.” He chronicles his struggles while entrenched in “murder land,” reminiscing on being in a crowded apartment where they pushed molly and powder, and prays for God’s protection. He acknowledges, “I know I took a risk with this sh*t when I put my hands on it” and laments that “this game got me dark-hearted,” but his most brutally honest admission comes when he expresses fear that “police might shoot and kill me over my dark skin.”

“Dark Hearted” comes after “Too Much” featuring Moneybagg Yo, Gibbs’ first release of the year, arrived earlier this month. The singles are generating momentum for Soul Sold Separately, his major-label debut studio album due next Friday (September 30) via Warner Records. Gibbs unveiled the full tracklist earlier this week.

Gibbs told Funk Flex on Tuesday that he’s “coming for album of the year” with his new one, “like I did last year.” His first Grammy nomination was earned for Alfredo, his May 2020 collaborative album with Alchemist, under the Best Rap Album category at the most recent ceremony.

Soul Sold Separately is out 9/30 via Warner Records. Pre-order it here.

Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Portola Music Festival’s Loaded Inaugural Lineup Features Flume, MIA, And Jamie xx

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Coachella 2017 Music Festival Concert Crown Audience
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Just when you thought that we had enough music festivals announced for 2022, San Francisco’s brand new Portola Music Festival has splashed onto the circuit with an incredibly diverse lineup of marquee electronic-leaning dance, pop, and hip-hop crossover acts. This is a seriously stacked lineup with big names at the top like Flume, The Chemical Brothers, Jamie xx, and a #rare performance from MIA.

Pier 80 is the grounds for the inaugural edition of the Goldenvoice-produced two-day festival on September 24th and 25th. Also appearing on the very well-curated bill are acts like Kaytranada, Jungle, Charli XCX, The Avalanches, Caribou, Toro y Moi, James Blake, Four Tet + Floating Points, Caroline Polachek, PinkPantheress, DJ Shadow, Lane 8, Yaeji, Slowthai, The Blessed Madonna, Justin Martin, and more. While late to the party, this is a legit unbelievable lineup.

And while the festival takes place nowhere near San Francisco’s Garden District known as the “Portola,” it’s actually named after the short-lived Portola Festival of 1909, which celebrated San Francisco’s re-opening following the great fire of 1906. Back then, the festival was built around a parade down Market Street. It then disappeared in 1913 for 35 years before re-establishing itself as a series of Mardi Gras-style parades in 1948, and then fading into the abyss in 1950. Now we have a full-on dance party in a refurbished warehouse and tents on a historic pier. Sure.

Check out the lineup poster below and tickets go on sale on Friday, May 20th, here.

Portola Music Fest Lineup
Portola Music Fest

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E4?

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Cal Derek Euphoria S2E4
HBO

This latest episode of Euphoria ended on a cliffhanger. Rue, Jules, and Elliot’s love triangle has become more intimate, but their bond is put at risk thanks to a discovery that’s made by one of the characters. Meanwhile, Nate and Cassie’s affair reaches toxic levels as a result of the latter’s decision to spend more time with his ex-girlfriend, Maddy. Then there’s Cal, who goes on quite the bender, which comes to a dramatic end, all while Kat reaches a conclusion in her relationship with Ethan.

All of these events are soundtracked by great music selections that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.

What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E4?

The big stand-out songs on this week’s episode are Towns Van Zandt’s “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” and Sinead O’Conner’s “Drink Before The War.” The former was used in the opening scene as Rue describes her love for her girlfriend Jules. The latter was used during Cal and Cassie’s most vulnerable moments as they dance at a bar as well as Maddy’s birthday party.

The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes:
Baby Keem — “Trademark USA”
Montell Jordan — “This Is How We Do It”
Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes — “Don’t Cha”
Faith Evans — “Love Like This”
James Blake — “Pick Me Up”
Jonathan Richman — “I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar”
INXS — “Devil Inside,” “Need You Tonight,” and “New Sensation”
Mahalia Jackson — “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child”
Red 7 — “Heartbeat”
Ericdoa — “Sad4whatt”
Pavel Sporcl and Petr Jirkovsky — “24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1: No. 14 in E-Flat Major”
Can — “Vitamin C”
Daryl Hall & John Oates — “Method Of Modern Love”
Artery Eruption — “Swarmed By Mosquitos Place Larvae Into Your Cranium”
Skatt Bros — “Life At The Outpost”
Spandau Ballet — “True”
Mindfulness Healing BGM Project — “Gemini & Detox”

James Blake And Labrinth Collaborate On The Gorgeous ‘Euphoria’ Song ‘Pick Me Up’

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Euphoria is one of the hottest shows on TV right now, but it’s also been a goldmine for music fans in recent weeks. Aside from Dominic Fike appearing in the show, the series has yielded some enticing original new music, like Lana Del Rey’s “Watercolor Eyes” and Tove Lo’s “How Long.” Now, James Blake and Labrinth (the show’s composer) are joining the party, too, as they’ve debuted their new Euphoria collaboration, “Pick Me Up.” The tune skews more towards Blake’s softer side, as it’s a piano- and string-driven track that sees him flexing his falsetto.

Speaking of collaborations, Blake recently penned a lengthy Instagram post in which he reflects on working with Dave on his 2021 album We’re All Alone In This Together. He wrote in part, “I woke up today thinking about the craziest experience I had, when @santandave flew to LA and played me the beginnings of ‘We’re all alone in this together’. I told him I’d never heard anything like it. He asked me if I’d work on it with him and I said I didn’t know if I could make it any better, but I’d love to help him arrive at what he [envisioned]. It seemed so clear to him what he wanted that the best idea would be to get out of the way. I mean what do you even say when someone comes to you with a song like ‘three rivers’? [head exploding emoji] the level of penmanship was a shock to the system to be honest. Also I felt blessed just to hear his story, the story of his mother, and the way he was writing about immigration in the UK. It was illuminating.”

Listen to “Pick Me Up” above.

James Blake And SZA Weigh Both Sides Of ‘Coming Back’ To A Past Love

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Two years removed from his fourth album Assure Form, which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album, James Blake is back in action with his fifth full-length release, Friends That Break Your Heart. The 12-track album is highlighted by a soothing appearance from SZA on “Coming Back.” The song showcases the aftermath of a lover’s attempt to depart from a past relationship. Regret and humility fill Blake’s voice as he comes to the realization that what he was running away from is actually what he needs. Despite this, SZA plays the woman in question as she uses her verse to reveal the concern she has with a second try at love.

Blake’s new album also features appearances from JID, Swavay, and Monica Martin, in what lands as a more solo effort in comparison to Assure Form. during an interview with British GQ last month, Blake explained the title of his fifth album. “It’s a Ronseal title,” he said, adding, “It feels relevant to the moment — if I may say so myself — because a lot of us had to contend with friendships where we weren’t getting what we needed out of them. Maybe we were moving on or people were moving on without us.”

You can listen to Blake and SZA’s collaboration in the video above.

Friends That Break Your Heart is out now via Republic. Get it here.