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Air & Lack Thereof
Electronic · 2009

Air & Lack Thereof

James Blake

Jittery, percussion-heavy electronics that define the post-dubstep era. Sub-bass weight meets surgical silence in a cold, urban soundscape.

July 6, 2009 · Hemlock Recordings

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Air & Lack Thereof is a masterclass in the architecture of tension. Released before James Blake became synonymous with soulful crooning, this debut single captures a producer obsessed with the physical properties of sound. It is music built from the ground up: heavy, oscillating sub-bass provides the foundation, while brittle, staccato percussion skitters across the surface like rain on glass. There is a clinical coldness here that feels both futuristic and deeply rooted in the damp, nocturnal energy of South London.

Moments Worth Listening For
The moment the sub-bass first drops in the title track, shifting the focus from brittle treble to physical vibration.
The way the vocal sample in Sparing the Horses is chopped so finely it becomes a percussive instrument rather than a voice.
The sudden silence between the frantic rhythmic clusters that makes the listener lean in before the next bass hit.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Air & Lack Thereof sound next to the rest of James Blake's catalogue?

Tense+4.0σ

Tense saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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