Bleep

James Blake has made a name for himself as an expert pop, soul, and R&B songwriter, but back in the day he was an idiosyncratic club wizard chopping up breaks and transforming synths for the likes of Hessle, Hemlock, and R&S. Playing Robots Into Heaven returns to those label-hopping days with new singer/songwriter sensibilities; the signature crooning vocals are there, but the tracks are dominated by bass. ‘Loading’ has pulsating two step rhythms, high pitched vocal cuts, and blazing synths fit for a pirate radio stream, while ‘Big Hammer’ is a bossy, lasering slice of Patois-fuelled dancehall and minimal trap.