1-800-Dinosaur

Last Monday night, thanks to my most awesome doody Dad, I had the pleasure of seeing James Blake perform at a KCRW studio session. He was utterly unbelievable. I swayed so close to him, I could pinpoint each droplet of sweat on his keyboard and other electronic gadgets I’m oblivious to the names of. He’s somewhat of a genius if I may say so myself. He and his two band members played so in sync all I could think was chemistry, teamwork, rhythm, connectivity…boom repeat.

The best part, despite his emo and sometimes melancholy rhythms and lyrics (which he admitted to being oftentimes weird), was that when Jason Bentley interviewed James during the set, he was hilarious, down to earth, really cool, and self-deprecating, all the while exuding an incredibly smart vibe. Even while playing he kept smiling in that suppressed trying-not-to-laugh-grin when his stool started squeaking. After the song he asked for WD-40.

And although he sits while playing, the way he moved on that squeaky stool had me daydreaming of how magical it would be to dance with him in his nightclub, where he and his bandmates DJ under the label 1-800-Dinosaur. Yes, he and his bandmates have a DJ night in London dedicated to the let-loose-late-night partier. Freshity Fresh!!

Sadly I was unable to take pictures, videos, or even document our romantic kiss, but live feed from the set is out May 13th and you can read about my intimate night with James here. If you want to fall in love, or just feel again (thank you, OneRepublic), go watch him live.

James Blake, you make electronic music look like a Picasso.

Spotify playlist of the setlist below – Monday night was the first time I heard his song, I Never Learnt to Share – it is now one of my favorites based on his performance. He harmonizes with himself and as contrived as it sounds, I could feel his emotions

Other favorites he didn’t play + a freshh Voyeur remix:

Every Day I Ran