James Blake

Zane Lowe· Host0:00

The Zane Lowe Interview Series One, two.

James Blake· Guest0:02

One, two. One, two. That's better.

Zane Lowe· Host0:03

Oh, it's better?

James Blake· Guest0:04

Yeah.

Zane Lowe· Host0:05

But we don't need them.

James Blake· Guest0:06

We don't need them.

Zane Lowe· Host0:06

We don't need them.

James Blake· Guest0:07

Wow, this is like- I'd, I've never done this before. [laughs] Robots realizing, realizing they can just live.

Zane Lowe· Host0:13

I just [laughs] it's like The Matrix. I just unplugged myself from the radio experience.

James Blake· Guest0:17

Gotcha. I'm doing that.

Zane Lowe· Host0:18

And now I'm just literally in a cafe being stared at by people, having a conversation.

James Blake· Guest0:22

This is weird. Yeah.

Zane Lowe· Host0:24

I mean, we've had some weird ones.

James Blake· Guest0:26

We- This, this is off to the races. We have, yeah. I, I actually prefer this, if that's all right.

Zane Lowe· Host0:30

I don't have a choice.

James Blake· Guest0:31

No.

Zane Lowe· Host0:32

I just- This is better ... you're the guest and you're like- 'Cause also sometimes, like, when you're, when you're l- oh, so I've become very aware of my own voice and how it's- You're a bit late for that ...

James Blake· Guest0:40

how it's ... I know. It's- It's like you've built a career out of singing and you're like, "Fuck, I'm really self-aware now of my voice." No. [laughs] But, you know, actually, you know what? There is a phenomenon when you're on the mic and you've got, um, you know, you got, like, a really high definition microphone.

Zane Lowe· Host0:54

Mm. I'm sorry, I can't do it. I don't ... No, I'm just gonna fake it. [laughs] [laughs] Yeah.

James Blake· Guest0:58

It makes you feel much more self-conscious ab- about what you're singing and how you're articulating. And a lot of singers actually, um, perform better when they're performing on a, on a much lower definition mic and maybe over a set of speakers- Mm ... rather than hearing it super high-def in their, in their headphones. So as a producer, kind of one, one technique you can use to get a singer sort of out of their head and performing m- more sort of r- raw and viscerally is just by giving them, like, a handheld mic.

Zane Lowe· Host1:29

Just demystify