AFTER teasing recent snippets and low key projects, Jamie XX has finally realised his potential upon the entirely transfixing In Colour; an apt title for an album that registers as one of the most vivid and rich of the year.

An album of often contrasting sounds and ideals that meld together, it results in a wonderful musical tapestry the likes of which has seldom been created within electronic music since Burial anonymously burst onto the scene in 2007.

What is made abundantly clear upon this project is that the famed producer feels no need nor desire to adhere to arbitrary genre distinctions or any of the perceived boundaries that have been utilised to define a musician since the dawn of popular music; turning his deft hand to whatever he sees as applicable to the record.

This point is illustrated from the outset by the jungle-tinged, breakbeat laden ‘Gosh’ which provides one of the finest introductions to an album in recent memory; opening with a seering roar of bass before its engaging vocal samples and vibrant percussion burst into life. In a lot of ways, the track’s sound is synonymous with the heady days of the rave scene of the 90’s, although the expansive wall of reverb and synth lines which absorb themselves into its core push ‘gosh’ in a bold new direction.

More gentle in nature without losing its over-arching intensity, the impenetrable harmonies of ‘Sleep Sound’ make for a fascinating listen, with choir like vocals soaring above the rest of the mix in an extremely engrossing fashion. The deep house undertones that manifest towards the tail end of the track weave yet another interesting tidbit into the album’s overall sound.

The first of two collaborations with the XX bandmate Romy; the propulsive boom bap style drums and complex rhythms that Jamie has crafted seamlessly upon ‘SeeSaw’ intermingle with her lustrous vocals.

In light of his persisting infatuation with steel drums that can be found throughout his catalogue, ‘Obvs’ serves as its logical, woozy conclusion; while the record’s shortest track ‘Just Saying’ begins with a mishmash of warped, pitched down synth before memorable piano chords produce something which can only be truly quantified as stirring to say the least.

Enlisting the services of another member of the XX in the form of Oliver Sim, ‘Stranger In  A Room’ is demonstrative of efficacy within restraint. What many producers have convoluted into a more hyperactive and ‘danceable’ effort, Jamie strips to its fundamentals and yields a fantastic result.

‘Hold Tight’ sets out as incredibly tense and unsettling, hinging on erratic percussion and unintelligible vocal loops, creating a large void between its more off-kilter nature and the album’s most accessible songs that are to follow.

Opening with delicate piano and a subtle kick drum, the surging vocals of Romy immediately and resoundingly make their presence known on ‘Loud Places’; gripping the listener with every utterance. Their impact refuses to be diluted as the track becomes inundated with murkier textures before it culminates in a solemn piano outro that conjures comparisons to Massive Attack at their most heartfelt. In short, ‘Loud Places’ remains every bit as essential months after its initial release and within the wider context of the record.

Immediately commanding attention with an amazing sample of The Persuasions, ‘I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)‘ and its decisive, dancehall stomp is the closest that Jamie ever treads towards the prevailing sounds that dominate clubs today. Enhanced by the manic delivery and humorous quips of Young Thug, the added inclusion of Jamaican artist Popcaan on the album version provides the missing link to an incredibly enjoyable track.

The imposing beat and forceful piano that lingers under the surface of ‘The Rest Is Noise’ makes for one of the album’s standouts. As the tempo steadily incrases and its incessant handclaps begin to veer towards frantic, the overwhelming direction in which the track progresses is briefly alleviated before an almighty gasp of bass plunges the listener back into the depths. It’s hard to fathom that anyone would be too eager to protest given how feral the end result is.

With the comfort of the familiar peering through on well known final track ‘Girl’, its separate yet all gorgeously contorted samples and loops come together harmoniously.

A sumptuous record of electronic music that many modern producers would struggle to even conceive, Jamie XX has ensured that his presence will be felt for the remainder of the year and that he’ll doubtlessly be featured on many an end of year list.

In Colour confirms what we’d all expected of his talents since our ears were first exposed to ‘Far Nearer’ in 2011.