The obvious kids of dubstep and The xx.

James Blake.

To the uninitiated, London must really seem a gloomy place. Just look at the two most interesting things that have come out of the British capital the past few years: Dubstep, the shady, shy genre of silent young DJs and wobbling bass. And The xx, a shy, minimalist posse with a godlike debut album. The likes of Rusko and Magnetic Man have mainstreamed dubstep, but as happened to other murky, underground genres such as trip-hop, drum'n'bass and grime, dubstep on the Top 40 is like a mole in the winter sun - it isn't really comfortable there. Some things are just supposed to stay underground. Not to stay unknown, but to retain the novelty of it. Although it didn't massively happen to any of the other mentioned genres, I do however think there'll be a time and place for some sort of post-dubstep sound and movement.


Now couple that with xx, the arguably most important album released in the UK the past two years, now reaching maturity and becoming an inspiration and icon, and you've got some sort of a meddle between post-dubstep and a nu-minimalism sorta thing. Enter James Blake who's gonna be the shit this year! He's hitting airwaves massively with his cover of Feist's 'Limit To Your Love' (viddy by Martin de Thurah, by the way), a daring whip at mainstream indie-pop for a guy that is the product of the deep underground.


I just listened to his two EPs, Klavierwerke and CMYK, and didn't really know what to make of it. I guess it's the sound of an indisputably talented young man still finding his feet somewhere between the many influences of late '00s Britain. It sure has a shitload of potential though, and I think he might be one of the big things of 2011.


Another feller in the same alley is Jamie Woon, whom I haven't checked out much, but it sounds really promising. Go check 'Gravity', for ex. He's a bit closer to some of the more contemporary indie-pop and shoegaze we've heard in later years, but has still got a curious edge.


I hope UK indie could get some sort of a revival through this minimalist wave. After all, I'm a bit of a Brit-aficionado, and I sure would like something opposing the omnipresent lo-fi craze!