Jamie xx (real name James Thomas Smith, born 1988, London) is a British electronic musician, producer, DJ, and remixer, best known for blending UK club music with emotive, melodic production. He rose to prominence both as a member of The xx and as a solo artist, helping shape the sound of post-dubstep and UK electronic music in the 2010s.
Jamie xx first gained attention as the producer and percussionist for The xx, an indie pop band whose debut album xx (2009) became a critical success. His sparse, atmospheric production—built on minimal beats, reverb-heavy guitar, and vocal intimacy—became the band’s signature sound.
He created remixes for artists like Adele, Florence + the Machine, and Gil Scott-Heron, establishing him as a producer with a distinctive touch. His 2011 remix album, We’re New Here, reimagined Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here with UK garage, dubstep, and house influences, creating a striking fusion of spoken word and modern club music.
Throughout the early 2010s, Jamie xx released singles that blended garage, house, and minimalism with emotional clarity:
“Far Nearer” (2011), is a warm, steel-drum-driven track that became a cult favorite; "All Under One Roof Raving” (2014), is a nostalgic tribute to UK rave culture, built from vocal samples, breakbeats, and ambient textures, reflecting his deep connection to UK dance history.
In Colour (2015), was Jamie xx’s debut solo album, released on Young Turks, became a defining record of the 2010s. It weaves together UK garage, house, jungle, ambient, and pop, features collaborations with Romy and Oliver Sim (his bandmates from The xx), and Young Thug. Hit singles like “Loud Places”, “Gosh”, and “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” showcased both club sensibilities and pop appeal. The album received widespread acclaim for capturing the euphoria and melancholy of club culture, earning Grammy nominations and influencing a wave of melodic UK dance music.
Jamie xx continued working with The xx on their 2017 album I See You, which leaned more heavily into his club production style.
As a DJ, he has become internationally renowned for his eclectic sets blending disco, house, breaks, dubplates, and experimental club music, and appeared at major festivals (Coachella, Glastonbury) and iconic venues (Fabric, Boiler Room). In 2020, he released “Idontknow”, his first solo single in five years—an intense, percussion-heavy club track that signaled a return to more dancefloor-oriented production.
Jamie xx has performed numerous festival headlining DJ sets, often premiering unreleased material. In 2024, he released In Waves, his long-awaited second solo album, expanding on the club-pop fusion of In Colour with deeper rhythmic experimentation and more vocal collaborations. His recent work blends UK bassline, jungle breaks, and modern club textures, while retaining his trademark emotional subtlety.