Growing up in London, a young Jamie xx has fond memories of attending the celebration of Caribbean heritage known as the Notting Hill Carnival. A fixture among London’s summer music festival sunshine, Jamie found himself enamored with the dub and dancehall soundsystems spread throughout Kensington’s Ladbroke Grove and it’s a big reason why the Caribbean steelpan drum sample rings prominently in so many of his productions.
His latest track, “Kill Dem,” is a direct homage to the energy, the hype, and the music he heard booming through the Notting Hill Carnival soundsystems in his youth and flowed through the speakers when he performed at Notting Hill for the first time this past summer.
“Kill Dem” grips you from the get-go, with a sweet singing MC furiously looped in a scat, backed by another female vocalist sample. The breakbeat hits with the steelpan offering up a melody and this instantly sounds like a Jamie xx banger. It’s a safe bet to expect to hear the cut if you’re planning on seeing Jamie xx at any of his upcoming appearances. The DJ and producer is embarking on a breakneck run over the course of the next 10 days which includes stops at Forest Hills Stadium in New York, San Francisco’s electronic-heavy Portola Music Festival, and also at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. He’ll head out on a handful of international dates from there.
Listen to “Kill Dem” above.