CMYK | ||||
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EP by James Blake | ||||
Released | 28 May 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 in James Blake's home | |||
Genre | Post-dubstep, electronic pop | |||
Length | 15:55 | |||
Label | R&S Records | |||
Producer | James Blake | |||
James Blake chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
FACT | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork Media | 8.3/10 |
Resident Advisor | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
CMYK is the second solo extended play by London-based indie producer James Blake. It was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States on R&S Records on 28 May 2010. It samples many tracks, mostly from 1990s R&B. The EP received positive reviews from critics.
The title track samples Kelis' "Caught out There" and Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?". Pitchfork Media described the track as "modern homage to old ideas" as Blake "[took] two R&B archetypes ... and imagines them in a back and forth." On the track, Blake sings normally and also occasionally uses a vocoder to process his voice. The track is influenced by 1990s rave pop and also contains synthesizers. The following song, "Footnotes" also has Blake using the vocoder, but the song is hymnal and contains "gospel chords". It is a minimalistic track; it uses slight noises to create an "atmospheric" sound.
The next song "I'll Stay" samples Aaliyah's "Try Again" and has been described as the "warmest, most accessible track of [CMYK]". It is also hymnal, but it contains a call and response with repeated, high-pitched synthesizers. The final track, "Postpone" has been likened to a "lumbering requiem before transforming into lumbering exultation." It features electronic beats, "hip hop choruses", and "triumphant" horns.