Jam City’s debut album Classical Curves is a landmark in the history of UK-club music. Released in the summer of 2012, it blazed a trail through the tangled aftermath of the late 2000s DJ-renaissance. Not purely a dance album nor overly cerebral, it offered something fresh. Menacing and playful, sensual and razor-sharp, the 10 tracks moved listeners in a bodily way that defied words. It soon became clear that Jam City had done something spectacular; the artist invented a genre.
“Deconstructed Club”—the term eventually used to describe the sonic aesthetic of Classical Curves—doesn’t quite capture the record’s impact. Jam City’s synthesis of honeyed melodies and angular drums set the tone for what would blossom into Hyperpop. The record also inspired a generation of aspiring producers to experiment with unconventional sound-design, providing them with an imaginative template to adapt and make their own.
10 years on, the significance of Classical Curves is clearer than ever before. Featuring an additional 10-tracks of rarities and unreleased material created around the time of its initial release, this deluxe 2 x LP reissue invites fans to delve deeper into the record’s multi-sensory world. In addition to an exclusive 7-inch vinyl, listeners also have access to unseen photographs taken by the artist as research for the record’s infamous cover art.
Beloved tracks “HER” and “How we relate to the body” are pre-primed for the club, appearing as extended versions. Glassy fragments of 80s art-pop coalesce in suspended silence on the previously unreleased “He Watches Over Us All’. For respite, listeners can bathe in the 26-minute “Goodbye Hyatt Park”, a reverie that harnesses the record’s more soothing qualities.
As influential as Classical Curves was upon its release, it was also ahead of its time. Nostalgic as this reissue may be for some, it also brings into view aspects of the record that have yet to be appreciated in full. Meanwhile, Jam City has gradually been coming full circle. Listen closely, and you may hear traces of the 2012 debut on his future solo material.
“Deconstructed Club”—the term eventually used to describe the sonic aesthetic of Classical Curves—doesn’t quite capture the record’s impact. Jam City’s synthesis of honeyed melodies and angular drums set the tone for what would blossom into Hyperpop. The record also inspired a generation of aspiring producers to experiment with unconventional sound-design, providing them with an imaginative template to adapt and make their own.
10 years on, the significance of Classical Curves is clearer than ever before. Featuring an additional 10-tracks of rarities and unreleased material created around the time of its initial release, this deluxe 2 x LP reissue invites fans to delve deeper into the record’s multi-sensory world. In addition to an exclusive 7-inch vinyl, listeners also have access to unseen photographs taken by the artist as research for the record’s infamous cover art.
Beloved tracks “HER” and “How we relate to the body” are pre-primed for the club, appearing as extended versions. Glassy fragments of 80s art-pop coalesce in suspended silence on the previously unreleased “He Watches Over Us All’. For respite, listeners can bathe in the 26-minute “Goodbye Hyatt Park”, a reverie that harnesses the record’s more soothing qualities.
As influential as Classical Curves was upon its release, it was also ahead of its time. Nostalgic as this reissue may be for some, it also brings into view aspects of the record that have yet to be appreciated in full. Meanwhile, Jam City has gradually been coming full circle. Listen closely, and you may hear traces of the 2012 debut on his future solo material.
