Well, this is cool. Last year, Jamie xx finally came back with his long-awaited sophomore album In Waves. It had a whole lot of collaborations, and it was really good. Today, Jamie xx releases the deluxe version of In Waves, and he's added on a few previously released non-album tracks and two altogether new ones. One of those new songs is a sort of sideways collaboration with the soul legend Erykah Badu.
It seems that Erykah Badu didn't record new vocals for the new Jamie xx track "F.U.," though that would've been cool. Instead, the track's genesis comes from a night that both Badu and Jamie xx were booked to play an after-party for the Primavera Sound Festival. Badu's equipment wouldn't work, so the audibly pissed-off singer had to ad-lib her way through an improvised set. Jamie xx recorded everything on his phone and built a swirling house track out of Badu's stage patter and call-and-response bits. According to a press release, Jamie then "reconnected with Badu back in London," and now we get to hear the end result.
"Do Something," the other new Jamie xx track, is also built around a sampled bit of stage patter, this time from the New Orleans bounce artist HaSizzle. Jamie piles woozy synths all around his voice, and it sounds beautiful. Below, check out both songs, as well as the video for F.U., which was directed by YUCK. (It's presumably not the defunct indie rock band.) The clip puts eye-damaging graphics all around the image of Badu, possibly from the after-party that Jamie xx recorded.
The deluxe edition of In Waves is out now on Young. Check out our recent feature where Jamie xx breaks down every track on the album here.
