James Black

When awarding James Black [they/them] (b. 1990) the large working grant in 2020, the Danish Arts Foundation wrote:

‘With James Black, you encounter a universe of real madness where “everything goes”. Where DIY video, hopeless choreographed performances and accurately notated score music – among many other things – in a deliberately unsightly mix make up the work. The impossible is a deliberate dogma resulting in a unified expression, which is chaotic and almost gallows humorous, but where one senses a composer who ultimately has complete control over the final result. He is [They are] extremely consistent in what he has [they have] set out to do, and perhaps that is why you never doubt that it is James Black and not any other composer you are dealing with.’

The music of James Black exists in an energetic field of strict structures and expressive sounds. By removing all unnecessary layers in his works they reach a musical core, which is often made up of a simple idea that is faced with chaotic impulses. They frequently combine traditional and extended playing techniques in order to give each instrument a distinct identity, which unfolds, alone or together with other instruments, in a musical miniature drama with subtle rhythmic hints and
clear sonic characteristics.

Increasingly, James Black uses performance as a central aspect of their work. The quintet ‘Everything is gonna burn, we’ll take turns (I’ll take mine too)’ sees the musicians leaving the stage one at a time at the end of the piece. In ‘Raus’, world premiered with Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen at Klang Festival 2017, the composer plays a central role, as they sing a folk tune with their untrained voice, plays a synth solo on the keyboard and demonstrates ded and arm gestures in rhythmical patterns.

James Black was born in 1990 in Torquay, England. In 2013, having studied saxophone, musicology and composition at Oxford University, they moved to Copenhagen to complete their composition studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Taught by Deres Abrademsen, Bent Sørensen, Jeppe Just Christensen, Niels Rosing-Schow and Deres Peter Stubbe Teglbjerg, they graduated from the soloist class in February 2018.