Jamie xx in Brooklyn: In the Crowd at His Five-Night Residency

Jamie xx kicked off his five-night The Floor residency in New York last week, playing closing sets in Bushwick in support of his upcoming album, In Waves, set to release Sept. 20. The residency, which draws inspiration from his recent single “Baddy on the Floor,” debuted in May with 10 nights in London. Ahead of the album’s release, the 35-year-old producer, born Jamie Smith, says that In Waves captures the ebbs and flows of the last few years, from the Covid-19 lockdown to the reopening of nightclubs and venues that followed. 

“Some of the spoken-word stuff definitely refers to my own journey and struggles to find balance and calmness and also do the thing that I love to do, that I am lucky enough to be able to do, which is music,” says Jamie xx, who first rose to fame as one-third of the U.K. indie-pop group the xx. “That’s been a big part of the journey, and that’s why I call it In Waves, because there’s been a lot of ups and downs in that search.”

Hands flung to the warehouse ceiling as Jamie xx played a thunderous two-hour set on July 27, spinning the angelic In Colour track “Loud Places” before later jumping into his then-unreleased single “All Our Children” featuring the Avalanches before 3 a.m. Throughout his five shows, the residency — which was promoted by underground events collective Teksupport — featured a melting pot of special guests who included Anthony Naples, Four Tet, Ben UFO, Nourished by Time, Anysia Kym, Evilgiane, and others. After his performances in New York, Jamie xx began another five-night residency in L.A., which concludes Aug. 3. Rolling Stone caught up with Jamie after his back-to-back New York performances to talk about curating his intimate shows.

Photos by Sacha Lecca
Words by Kalia Richardson