Monday night Sonos Studio in Los Angeles hosted “An Evening with Jamie XX” — an intimate event presenting Jamie XX performing a live DJ set and his new album In Colour. The ever so talented electronic artist expanded from his years in the famed English indie alternative pop group, The xx. He now produces, DJs and composes quite a myriad of sounds, but some of his best work still comes out in the live setting.
Sonos studio is one of LA’s best venues. What the simple space lacks in design, it makes up for in versatility. This time around, the large rectangular room is converted into a lounge space with a large carpet and some chairs strewn about the center. The ceiling is lined with romantic strings of bulb lights glowing in a criss-cross pattern all the way to the back. It gives the perfect outdoor vibe but allows for all the benefits of an indoor show – thank goodness for air conditioning.
Though Jamie XX’s performance is strictly a DJ set, it still highlights his ability to pull from a wide range of genreswhen he gets behind the ones and twos. He mixes everything from Earth People’s “Dance” to Jonny Roberts’s “Industry Standard Vol. 1 (What You Want)” and even Architects’ “Body Groove.” All of the best loops he laces through each song pull them together in a way that is infectious for the modest crowd. Ladies flock to the front of the room and turn the loungey carpeted space by the stage into a dance party.
He goes strong with the eclectic playlist until he reaches his limit and quickly squeezes in two relevant listens — “Loud Places” and “I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)” — from his album which dropped in June. He quits while he is ahead and makes a quick exit to catch a plane out of town, as Jason Bentley announces before he takes over the stage for another DJ set to round out the night. The rest of the evening turns into a mellow disco lounge while Bentley blazes through anything from ’90s hits like Brandy and Monica’s “Boy Is Mine” remixed to the new track from Duke Dumont “Ocean Drive.” Mondays are always groovier when spent at Sonos. Check out more photos from the night below.
Photos for mxdwn by Adam Stanzak
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