So when an electronic musician starts singing, it tends to signal a specific kind of ambition.Īt least that’s what fans probably suspected last year, when 21-year-old Londoner James Blake-already turning heads (both British and American) with his prickly, haunted-sounding dance tracks, gospel chord changes, and 21st-century wooze-took time out from his music degree to explain himself to journalists. It doesn’t much matter what that voice is doing-crooning, rapping, screaming the Gettysburg Address-but an artist who wants to connect with everyday listeners generally needs some kind of vocal performance for people to grab hold of.
1 thing separating “electronic music that won’t get played on the radio” from “electronic music that might get played on the radio” is the human voice. Photo: Andy Sheppard/Redferns/Getty Images
