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In many ways, that short-lived era reached its pinnacle in 2015 with the release of 鈥淚n Colour,鈥� the debut studio album of Jamie xx, an English musician and DJ who was best known as the producer and beating heart of the massively influential indie pop trio the xx.聽

Fearlessly crafted out of dozens of generation-spanning samples plucked from dusty record bins around the world, 鈥淚n Colour鈥� served up a vibrant medley of club-inspired sounds. To this day, the record sounds like nothing else, from the mesmerizing, jungle-influenced slow-burn of the opening track 鈥�,鈥� to the steelpan stickiness of ”鈥� a wild collaboration with Young Thug and Popcaan that miraculously bridged the gaps between house, dance hall and trap.

At the time, 鈥淚n Colour鈥� felt very much like a blockbuster album, one that today might be assembled in a major studio by a small army of producers and songwriters. In reality, it was made in 鈥渁lmost total isolation.鈥�

鈥淚t came together while I was on the tour bus with (the xx) and in this tiny little studio in my house, which was only big enough for one person,鈥� Jamie xx (real name Jamie Smith) reflected via Zoom, ahead of his two shows at History in 海角社区官网this week.

鈥淚 was just passionate about the music that had been coming out of London since I was a kid and was really excited to be a part of it,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 definitely over-thought a lot of stuff at the time, which was maddening, but in hindsight that excitement is what made me feel free.鈥�

This is all very on brand for Smith, 36, a humble,聽soft-spoken musician who, in the decade since 鈥淚n Colour,鈥� has largely avoided the spotlight while quietly shaping the sounds of pop and electronic music.

Last September, after years of sharing a slow but steady drip of singles with his ravenous cohort of fans, Smith finally released his sophomore studio album, 鈥淚n Waves.鈥� The record is an almost perfect distillation of the Jamie xx sound: a vivid, meticulously composed journey into the mind of an obsessive crate-digger, never sacrificing an ounce of musicality as Smith moves seamlessly through house, disco, techno, U.K. garage and pop.

Featuring contributions from Robyn, the Avalanches, Panda Bear and many more, the record is brilliantly paced, with sudden bursts of rapturous moments of joy punctuating Smith鈥檚 expansive soundscapes 鈥� be careful if you鈥檙e driving while listening to 鈥淟ife鈥澛爋r 鈥淏addy on the Floor,鈥� songs that feature explosive horn samples that drop into the mix with the approximate impact of a small meteorite.

But there鈥檚 also a subtle thread of loneliness, an ambient sense of yearning, that weaves its way through the record, from the melancholy opening piano chords on 鈥淲anna鈥� to the instant 鈥渃rying-in-the-club鈥� classic 鈥淲aited All Night,鈥� which features panged vocals from Smith鈥檚 xx bandmates Romy and Oliver Sim.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 probably just rooted in being a sad boy,鈥� Smith said, with a slight smirk. 鈥淢ost of the music that I listen to when I’m not thinking about work is emotional or melancholic in some way. I also think it’s easier to make something that feels like that than something that’s just pure joy.鈥�

That complexity of emotion, I suggested, that slightly dark underbelly, makes his music feel more rooted in reality. After all, a dance floor is only an escape if there鈥檚 something you鈥檙e running away from.聽

鈥淒efinitely,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t can be a real juxtaposition of a place.鈥�

Sitting in a bright hotel room in New York City, Smith came across as friendly, a bit shy, maybe even a touch awkward. Speaking from beneath a mass of boyish, curly hair, he shared his plans for 海角社区官网as if he was just another tourist and not an artist set to play two sold-out shows.

鈥淚 always have a great time in Toronto,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 might聽actually go a day early to catch a Raptors game with a friend. And I鈥檝e got a few mates there who are in the food industry 鈥� there is so much good food there 鈥� so I鈥檒l probably just bounce around trying to eat as much as possible.鈥�

He also planned to drop by on Queen West 鈥� 鈥渙ne of the best places to hit鈥� for some new records that he hopes to spin while he鈥檚 here.

(Last spring, a day before he performed a sold-out show at聽CODA in Toronto, Smith showed up to spin some of his newly purchased vinyl at the Little Jerry, a tiny wine bar on College Street. Before he hit the decks, he mingled casually with his fans, who did their best to聽act casual, too.)

In fact, though he’s spent much of the past decade聽performing on festival stages, Smith seems drawn to smaller spaces. Last spring, he launched , in an attempt to capture 鈥渢he intimacy, the community, the curation, the sound鈥� of the underground club experience.聽

鈥淏ig shows are great and it’s a different kind of trip, but playing records that I would normally listen to at home is kind of my favourite thing to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd when you’re basically standing next to the audience and you’re all in this tiny room that could be a living room, it’s just a completely different feeling.”

Our conversation took place as Smith prepared for the North American leg of his : a 50-date sprint that kicked off last October in Mexico City and ends in Paris in March.

Touring on this scale is a draining, disorienting聽experience, Smith admitted, 鈥渆specially when you’re playing these big shows every day and you’re kind of alone backstage and then suddenly you’re in front of 5,000 people.鈥澛�

鈥淏ut the shows have been amazing,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople聽seem most excited about hearing the new stuff, which has been a lovely surprise.

鈥淚’ve been trying to play slightly differently, just trying to cram as much of my own music into it as possible,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different way of thinking about things for me. But I鈥檓 also trying to reimagine my own music and rework it so that I can stay interested, while also playing new stuff from other people, too.鈥�

Born in London, Smith first fell in love with dance music in the early 2000s. 鈥淚biza house, the Avalanches, Daft Punk: all that stuff that was on MTV and it was like the biggest stuff in the world,鈥� he said.聽

As a teenager, he attended the Art Putney Academy, also known as the Elliott School, in west London. Though it鈥檚 been described as a 鈥溾�� the school must have something special in its water: among its notable alumni from the 21st century are the members of , Kieran Hebden of and the mysterious electronica master .

It was there that Smith met Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim. In 2006, the three musicians formed , with Romy on vocals and guitar, Oliver on vocals and bass, and Smith providing beats and samples on an Akai MPC.聽

The band鈥檚 self-titled debut in 2009 鈥� a moody, atmospheric album, which found unique chemistry between the dreamy voices of Sim and Romy, anchored by Smith鈥檚 unconventional percussion approach 鈥� was an immediate hit, making the band an overnight聽success.聽

鈥淚t was so wild,鈥� Smith reflected. 鈥淚t happened聽so suddenly that it was hard to really come to grips with it.鈥�

As the xx continued its meteoric rise, Smith began releasing a trickle of blog-igniting remixes: Adele鈥檚 Florence and the Machine鈥檚 鈥� In 2011, he released 鈥� a dazzling remix album of Gil Scott-Heron鈥檚 final studio album, which combined elements of dubstep and U.K. garage with the American jazz legend’s gravelly vocals. The project, which inspired 鈥� was a prescient showcase of Smith鈥檚 talent as both a producer and musical curator.聽

But it was 鈥淚n Colour鈥� that launched Smith鈥檚 career into the stratosphere, winning universal acclaim and earning nominations for both the Mercury Prize and the Grammys while tapping into that complex, overwhelming feeling 鈥� that 鈥溾�� as one of Smith鈥檚 friends and collaborators recently described it.

For the next several years, Smith split his time working as a producer, a touring DJ and a member of the xx (the band released 鈥淐oexist鈥� in 2012 and 鈥淚 See You鈥� in 2017).聽

But when the pandemic arrived, he found himself drawn to the quieter things in life: meditation, long walks, off-the-grid getaways, surfing. It was during this time that he started working on “In Waves.”

As hinted at in the album’s title and artwork, surfing, in particular, was instrumental in providing a new perspective on Smith’s career. Like a surfer losing themselves in the movement of the ocean, he worked to rediscover the natural flow that animated his early days as a producer.聽

鈥淲henever I do something with too much intention, it kind of falls flat. What I was trying to do (on this record) was just get to a place where I was enjoying the process of making music again like I was when I was a kid. That meant going back to my roots and sampling records and being at home a bit more and just enjoying myself in the studio rather than thinking about 鈥榃hen is this going to come, what is the end game?鈥欌��

That doesn鈥檛 mean things came easy. It took Smith four years to get 鈥淚n Waves鈥� to the finish line. 鈥淚 always feel like everything could be better,鈥� after its release. 鈥淚 finished it eight times and then there was always this bit in me that felt like it could be one better.鈥�

鈥淚n Waves,鈥� like 鈥淚n Colour,鈥� was crafted mostly in isolation, but brims with a sweeping, communal energy.聽

Much of this energy is achieved through the use of the human voice. Unlike his peers, some of whom sing on their own songs (Caribou, Hot Chip), and some of whom rely on heavily processed vocal loops (Four Tet, Burial), Jamie xx songs overflow with a multitude of competing, interlaced voices; words and melodies that drape the music in an iridescent tapestry of sound and emotion.

Take, for example, standout track 鈥淒afodil,鈥� which features the voices of Kelsey Lu, John Glacier and Panda Bear, plus samples of A$AP Rocky, J.J. Barnes and Astrud Gilberto. Or the ecstatic 鈥淟ife,鈥� a track built around bubbly vocals from Sweden鈥檚 reigning pop queen.

鈥淚 tried loads of different ideas for vocals because I knew that song needed one,鈥� Smith recalled. 鈥淩omy tried some stuff and it didn’t quite land, and I tried a bunch of different stuff, but it still felt a bit too sample heavy. So I texted Robyn and she texted it back within the same day, and it was just perfect.鈥�

On 鈥淎ll You Children,鈥� Smith samples an uplifting snippet of poetry from a beloved poet and star of the Black Arts Movement who died聽a few weeks ago. It鈥檚 a sample he鈥檚 held on to since he discovered it some 15 years ago at a record shop in Washington, D.C.

鈥淚t’s always been in the back of my mind,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was quite a special thing and I didn’t want to get wrong. So when I had the chance to do it with the Avalanches, who are one of my biggest inspirations, everything just clicked.鈥�

The album鈥檚 finale, 鈥淔alling Together,鈥� features a powerful monologue from , a Northern Irish dancer and choreographer whose existential words Smith transforms into an uplifting moment of freedom.聽

鈥淚t just feels like an extra layer of connection,鈥� Smith said of these spoken word samples. 鈥淚 wanted to be able to have a bit more of a dialogue with the audience when I’m playing.”

As our conversation came to a close, it became clear that Smith is most animated and comfortable when talking about music discovery: finding rare records and sharing them with an audience, no matter the size.

During the fall leg of his tour, he spent an extra five days in Brazil, hitting up record shops and driving around in taxis. 鈥淭he music that’s on the radio there is so interesting and spacious and kind of avant-garde,鈥� he said.

In Tokyo, he purchased a boat load of rare groove records from the 鈥�60s and 鈥�70s. He said he fell in love with a

Looking ahead to 2025, he hopes to stay engaged while on tour, meeting locals and digging into regional music scenes. But the future is up in the air.聽

鈥淚’d been quite nervous about how long (鈥業n Waves鈥�) had taken,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淲hen it finally happened, it felt so good. I worked so hard on it and had the feeling that I couldn’t have possibly done any more. But now I am thinking about what I’m going to do next. And that鈥檚 a whole other head f—k.鈥�

Inevitably, I asked about the xx, which hasn鈥檛 released an album in eight years. He confirmed that the band is back in the studio working on their fourth album. Why does it feel important to return to the studio as a trio, I asked, given the different directions each musician has taken in recent years?

鈥淏ecause that’s our origin,鈥� he responded, without hesitation. 鈥淚 can’t imagine not doing that. And even if it is difficult to get back together because we’re all doing our own things, and we all have our own lives 鈥� that鈥檚 normal for friends growing into their 30s 鈥� I think all of that stuff is only going to make the music better in the end.鈥�

It鈥檚 been nearly 20 years since the xx formed, I pointed out, far longer than most bands last. I wondered if he鈥檇 offer any advice to that younger version of himself.

鈥淚 would just say enjoy it, because there were a lot of times when we were all just so overwhelmed and exhausted that it was difficult. But at least we had each other. But yeah, I could have been a little bit more sort of happy-go-lucky with it all.鈥�

That鈥檚 the tough part about being a sad boy, I suppose.

鈥淵eah,鈥� he responded with a laugh.