Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie XX:We’re New Here

9.0/10 dropps

When old meets new it doesn’t always work out as expected. When two forces from completely different areas of music come together, it also doesn’t always flow and work out as planned. But when Gil-Scott Heron received a handwritten letter from London based dubstep dj/producer Jamie Smith (Jamie XX) of the band The XX asking him to remix his recent album; I’m New Here, an absolutely amazing impressive piece of work came to existence.

We’re New Here isn’t typical music you’d expect to hear from Gil-Scott Heron. After a 16 year hiatus from making music, the ex homeless drug addict with a spoken word baritone sound released one of his best albums to date with I’m New Here. It was an album very well received, bringing much attention to its haunting and grim tracks. Jamie XX being a huge Scott –Heron fan felt it was the right album to make his own, and so he did. It’s dangerous to even question how this all came about, but the results are really all that matter. Pairing heavy bass, head nodding electro and dubstep beats alongside the wheezy and cracking vocals of Gil, some tracing back to Scott-Heron’s earlier work and infusing the samples into the newer songs.
The record starts off with the simple words of “I did not become someone different, that I did not want to be” on “I’m New Here”. It’s such a bold statement to describe this album, hinting at the idea Scott-Heron has been waiting for this obscure unexpected album for a long time coming despite it not being his usual type of material. After some dark spoken word, Jamie throws in some extra heavy bass and an echoing sample sure to be loved. Next up is the trippy percussion and synth driven “Home”, which actually samples an older track entitled “Home Is Where The Hatred Is” off of his 1971 album Pieces Of A Man. You might recognize the sample from an earlier Kanye West, however even West himself has stated that Jamie’s interpretation of that sample is nothing short of phenomenal. An absolute standout song off the album is “Running” with it’s loud pounding drum beats, echoes of “Run, Run. Run, Run Away” which continue to grow darker and more eerie as the song progresses. The choices of spoken word across the song describe Gil-Scott trying to escape some strange and unpleasant times in his life, without any actual destination in sight. You’ve got “The Crutch” with it’s soulful samples, and a very all over the place beat, sounding very similar to the recent work of trip-hop electronic phenomenon Flying Lotus. There are a couple interesting interludes throughout the record and an extremely dreamy and peaceful closer with “I’ll Take Care Of You.” If there are any major complaints it would be some of the songs seem too short, Jamie’s rendition of “NY Is Killing Me” is impressive, but really takes away the interesting lyrics away from Scott-Heron reducing it to a synth driven almost unrecognizable sound. The standout track from the original album “Me And The Devil” didn’t make the cut either, which seems a bit of a shame.

All together, this was an experiment and a gamble that could have gone terribly wrong, and yet flourished into a very unique and great piece of music. What’s next for these two is unknown, one can only hope they plan on getting together in the same room to perform some of the material live. It has brought Gil-Scott Heron back into the spotlight ready to be pushed heavily, and leaves Jamie XX with a fan base eagerly wandering what he will do next.

-Jay Wolman