Loraine James

London-based producer Loraine James pulls techniques from a wide musical canon into a unique blend of electronic material, expressing her experiences and queer identity through emotionally resonant sonics. Her breakthrough came with the release of 2019′s For You and I, a deeply personal tribute to her upbringing which fused influences such as grime, jungle, and IDM. She stayed busy over the following years, constantly releasing EPs, remixes, and collaborations, then issued Reflection, a similarly honest and eclectic full-length, in 2021. A self-titled album by James’ ambient alias Whatever the Weather and the Julius Eastman-inspired Building Something Beautiful for Me both appeared in 2022. Her 2023 album Gentle Confrontation focused on themes such as familial relationships.
Born in London’s Enfield borough, Loraine James was exposed to music at a young age through her family’s far-reaching tastes, from metal to calypso. She released her debut EP, Settle Down, in August 2015, shortly followed by sophomore EP New Year’s Substitution on Boxing Day that year. 2016 saw the release of James’ first mixtape, Bits and Bob’s Your Uncle, alongside the Ambient Troubles EP. She released her full-length Detail on Fu Inle Records in the middle of 2017, dropping the B-sides compilation Not So: Detail later in the year. James signed to Kode9′s influential Hyperdub label in mid-2019, in anticipation of her second LP, For You and I. Taking a more free-form approach to her genre-bending IDM, the album was released in September 2019 to rave reviews.
James kicked off 2020 with New Year’s Substitution 2, a free EP featuring collaborations with patten, J. Albert, Shapednoise, and others. Two additional EPs and an album of demos and outtakes preceded her second Hyperdub release, Nothing. The EP appeared in October of 2020 and included collaborations with Jonnine Standish (HTRK) and Lila Tirando a Violeta. James’ second Hyperdub full-length, Reflection, appeared in 2021, with guests including Baths, Iceboy Violet, and Eden Samara. James released Whatever the Weather, the self-titled debut by her ambient/IDM alias, on Ghostly International in 2022. Building Something Beautiful for Me, based on compositions by Julius Eastman, was issued by Phantom Limb later in the year. She returned to Hyperdub with the 2023 full-length Gentle Confrontation, a nostalgic set reflecting on her family upbringing and her early musical inspirations. The album’s guests include KeiyaA, Marina Herlop, Morgan Simpson (black midi), and George Riley. ~ David Crone & Paul Simpson