James Blake

James Blake goes record shopping at Amoeba Hollywood in this "What's In My Bag?" episode. The English producer, songwriter & musician talks about Arthur Russell's honest lyrics and complex music-making, how Arca continues to surprise him with her production, and wishing he had collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto. James Blake's seventh studio album Trying Times is out now via Good Boy Records.

James Blake's picks:
• Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (LP) 
• Arca - KicK iii (LP) 
• Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me (Redux) (LP) 
• Dinosaur - Kiss Me Again (12") 
• Ryuichi Sakamoto - async (LP) 
• Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas [30th Anniversary Picture Disc] (LP) 
• Gilbert O'Sullivan - Himself (LP) 
• Quasimoto - The Unseen Instrumentals (LP) 
• Leonard Cohen - Under Review 1978-2006 (DVD) 
• Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Series (BLU-RAY) 
• Xena Warrior Princess - Season Five (DVD) 

Featured Artist: James Blake

Editor: Brendt Rioux
Executive Producer: Rachael McGovern
Producer/Director: Craig Miller
Assistant Director: Derich Heath
Cameras: Derich Heath
Audio Recorded by: Patrick Emswiler
Assistant Editor: Patrick Emswiler

Watch James Blake's "What's In My Bag?" episode on Amoeba.com

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_05 0:00

Hi, I'm James Blake, and I'm at Amoeba Records, and this is what is in my bag. We have Talk Talk, Laughing Stock. Spirit Leading is probably one of my favourite records ever, but I have that on vinyl, so I went and got Laughing Stock, which I don't have, but is also incredibly beautiful. I just don't know this record as well and I would like to get to know it better. Got Arca. I don't know when this record came out, but I've heard quite a lot of it and think it's brilliant, so I just want to consume it all in one go. You know, the way you listen digitally, you don't always get everything as the piece of work it was intended to be. I've got Arthur Russell Love is Overtaking Me, which is one of my favourite albums. It is a posthumous album that was put together with music sort of left over, but there are some amazing songs on there. I think my favourite is This Time Dad You're Wrong.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Love is Why I Go Back like I knew all along. The fact is I even love you this time you're wrong.

SPEAKER_05 2:22

There's some amazing lyrics on there. I think the Venn diagram of honesty and childlikeness sort of meets in the middle with Arthur Russell, and that to me is sometimes where some of the best lyrics come from. It's this comfortability in just saying the most honest thing, saying it colloquially, like saying it simply basically.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

I can say to your face I won't be around anymore.

SPEAKER_05 2:48

But then also he has so much kind of complexity as well in the music making, and you have to put it together. There's not much I don't like about Arthur Russell, and then and then there's another Arthur Russell vinyl here. But it's a single. Oh yeah, this is it. Uh Kiss Me Again. Kiss me, kiss me again, kiss me again, kiss me again, again. This is on his fucking alias, Dinosaur, which was the inspiration for my initial club night 1-800 Dinosaur. Because I believe he was gonna set up a label called 1-800 Dinosaur, so that's why we called it that. Raiuchi Sakamoto, who is probably the my biggest regret in terms of people I didn't reach out to to collaborate with before he died. I just think he's amazing. Brilliant. So gonna put that on in the house.

SPEAKER_04 5:25

What would you envision for that?

SPEAKER_05 5:27

Uh singing. Lots of singing.

SPEAKER_04 5:35

Most that Christmas time, and I can't catch you. No no no no, get you off my mind.

SPEAKER_05 5:45

Gilbert O'Sullivan, he did a song called Alone Again Naturally, Monica Martin covered. I love her version so much.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

May as well go home as I did on my own, alone again, and naturally.

SPEAKER_05 6:09

But I'm sure it's beautiful. Uh it's a great song.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

In my hour of need, I truly am indeed alone again.

SPEAKER_05 6:18

Naturally. And then we've got um Quasimoto Instrumentals, a very expensive record. This is um some of my favourite of his his beats without the instrumentals. Sorry, without the vocals, obviously. Um and it's nice to just hear that. So I've got a Leonard Cohen documentary, Leonard Cohen under review, and I thought I'll get it on DVD because when the internet explodes or whatever, we're gonna need these. Also on DVD, I've got coding enthusiasm.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

I feel great. Mr. David, what it needs you to come with us, sir.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Do you think this is funny, Larry?

SPEAKER_00 7:20

My whole life is in perspective.

SPEAKER_03 7:22

You know what you are? You're a social assassin. I guess I am in a way.

SPEAKER_05 7:26

Something ought to be done, really. Next lockdown or whatever it is. We'll just we'll be watching that.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Pretty pretty pretty pretty good.

SPEAKER_05 7:36

The last thing is Zena Warrior Princess.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

We live our lives the way we do because someone has to help those who can't help themselves.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

But is it wrong to expose a child to that kind of violence?

SPEAKER_05 7:50

That was my first crush was um Gabrielle from Xena, so it'd be nice to relive that feeling.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

You're so hot.

SPEAKER_05 7:59

You're not to ban yourself. That's it.

SPEAKER_04 8:02

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05 8:03

Yeah, thanks.

SPEAKER_04 8:04

Thanks for talking with us.

SPEAKER_05 8:06

Thanks for having me.