For those familiar with the work of London-based producer and shadowy The xx member Jamie XX, In Colour won’t be much of a revelation. Up to five tracks on his first solo effort (I’m not going to include the brilliant Gil Scott Heron remix record, We’re New Here in this count) have previously been released by the electronic maestro and have featured heavily in his renowned live mixes for as long as five years. The real trick he’s had to pull off here is assembling this disparate collection into a cohesive and flowing record that doesn’t just sound like an abbreviated live set or "best of".
This is no mean feat indeed but to make it work he’s relied on a few of his friends. Including his The xx bandmate, Romy Madley-Croft whose splendidly airy vocals skim across a firm beat on the early highlight ‘Seesaw’ and then again on the brilliant single and live staple ‘Loud Places’. Also of The xx, Oliver Sim contributes an equally affecting vocal track to the poignant ‘Stranger in a Room’. Far from turning In Colour into an intermediary The xx release, these contributions remain coated in the uniquely ethereal yet lively production that Jamie XX has mastered. Conversely, as enjoyable as the dancehall beat and grimy vocals of the hip hop influenced ‘I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)’ are, they can feel out of place and are jarring in what is otherwise a mellow, downbeat record.
In Colour is not a live set and nor is it a best of. It’s a kaleidoscopic collection of some of the best electronica you can allow in your ear holes right now. Rarely will a record make you dance, sing and drift away as effortlessly as this one can.
