Anyone who caught Jamie xx‘s recent contribution to Boiler Room knows exactly where his latest single, “All Under One Roof Raving” for Young Turks is coming from. Even if you haven’t listened to the mix yet (you can now, below) but you’ve spent any time exploring the UK’s 2-step, garage, or hardcore scene then the latest from the prodigious beatmaker behind indie sensations the xx will surely resonate with you. A proud student of the rich British history of breaks, bass and dance music in general, Jamie’s recent Boiler Room set and his recent single serve as testament to the music he’s soaked up through the years.
“All Under One Roof Raving” begins with a throwback interlude of a couple blokes shouting at each other about what they like better, jungliest music or hard house. Breaking in with the looping shatter of glass, a brash sample announcing “we always keep it UK,” and Jamie’s signature steel drum, the track quickly settles into an ebb and flow of floor-shaking bass and drumming that sits squarely at the convergence of garage, breaks, and broken beat. Throughout, captured sound bytes from the nostalgic hey day of the British rave scene crop up, giving worthy nods to the champagne days of 2-step’s popular height and the throngs that worshipped hardcore back in the day.
In a similar way to another of Jamie xx’s stunning 2014 releases, “Girl,” “All Under One Roof Raving” shows the producer’s comfort dipping into the past to fuel the present. But where “Girl” looked to a rolling slo-mo ’80s funk, this new one is looking to the purity of a few of the UKs most noteworthy dance music scenes. And yet, never does Jamie xx seem to be attempting to resurrect or retread. Rather he’s looking to carry on, and with the calibre of the music he’s been putting out of late, particularly here, we are too.
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