Blawan – aka Jamie Roberts – has released his highly anticipated new album SickElixir via XL Recordings.
Crafted between Berlin, Leeds, Paris, and Lisbon, SickElixir is Blawan’s most personal work to date; a manifesto that has seen him channel grief, family trauma, and seismic life shifts into 14 distinct and expansive tracks. SickElixir builds on his recent EPs – BouQ, Dismantled Into Juice, and Woke Up Right Handed – and plunges deep into Blawan’s chaotic yet meticulously crafted sonic world. SickElixir is available now as a CD, Black LP, and Lemon LP (exclusive shared by BIG LOVE and Rough Trade), and to pre-save on all digital platforms. The release of SickElixir follows a standout week that included a sit down with Zane Lowe and widespread critical acclaim from The Guardian, DJ Mag, The Quietus, and more.
Blawan – ‘Sonkind’
Praise for SickElixir
“It’s educating me in so many levels, but it never feels cerebral….this is emotional music but I’ve never heard anything like it in my f*cking life” – Zane Lowe
“it’s a journey worth taking” – THE GUARDIAN (4* Album Of The Week)
“Blawan has provided the perfect soundtrack for us to writhe about to, like maggots in the dark.” – THE QUIETUS (Album Of The Week)
“A formidable electronic offering” – CLASH
“burns with a beaming hardcore melody, warped by time as though it’s been left out in the sun”- CRACK MAGAZINE
“a further shift towards disruption, representing the resilience of an artist who has drawn on personal reflections of grief and trauma to build raw and unflinching sonics” – DJ MAG
Blawan – NOS
ABOUT BLAWAN:
Jamie Roberts has been revered in electronic circles for years as an artist with a fastidious approach to creating his own sound, relentlessly drawing from his teenage influences growing up in Barnsley, a post-industrial town in South Yorkshire. At 14, he started working on a maggot farm and credits the clanging sound of the farm’s industrial mincer as an early influence on his music. After playing in various metal bands, Roberts’ musical horizons began to expand through visits to the West Indian Centre in Leeds, where he was introduced to the full spectrum of electronic music. He first emerged as Blawan at the turn of the 2010s with EPs on cult labels such as Hinge Finger and Hessle Audio, earning widespread critical acclaim. He’s consistently experimented, pushing boundaries in his solo projects while collaborating closely with British producer Pariah on several projects – the live techno act Karenn, the metal-inspired band Persher, and the label Voam. SickExlixir marks the next step in solidifying his position as one of contemporary music’s unique, pioneering artists, operating firmly in a lane of his own.
Blawan
SickElixir
Tracklisting
- The GL Lights
- NOS
- Weirdos United
- Rabbit Hole
- WTF
- Casch
- Birf Song
- During Elevation
- Don’t Worry We Happy
- Style Teef
- Sonkind
- TCP Burn
- Creature Brigade
- SickElixir
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