Biography
Jack Latham, recording as Jam City, has moved between post-dubstep club material and left-field pop, pulling from early-'80s R&B, Chicago house, and U.K. grime. The South London native began releasing on the Night Slugs label, where he issued several EPs before delivering the albums Classical Curves (2012) and Dream a Garden (2015). The first emphasized heavy bass frequencies and heady atmospheres, while the second foregrounded emotive songwriting that remained partly veiled by scuffed surfaces and reverb. After leaving Night Slugs via the Trouble mixtape (2016), he put out Pillowland (self-released, 2020) and Jam City Presents EFM (Mad Decent, 2023). As a sought-after songwriter and producer he has worked with Kelela, Troye Sivan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lil Yachty.
Although self-taught as a musician, producer, and DJ, Latham grew up in relative isolation in the suburbs before fully engaging with underground club scenes during his fine-art studies in South London. He frequented DMZ, Horse Meat Disco, and Night Slugs nights, forging a close tie with the last of these and releasing on the Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990 label of the same name. Following Jam City EPs in 2010 and 2011, he broadened his approach on the 2012 album Classical Curves. Dream a Garden, more guitar-driven, expressed frustration with capitalism and other adverse aspects of contemporary life; it appeared in 2015 and was succeeded the next year by Trouble. By then Latham had begun producing and co-writing for others, including Kelela and Rosie Lowe, and in 2017, while based in Los Angeles, he played a central role on Kelela’s Warp debut Take Me Apart. Those efforts led to contributions on Bad Gyal’s Worldwide Angel, Troye Sivan’s The Good Side, and Joji’s Ballads 1, all released in 2018.
Latham resurfaced under the Jam City name in 2020 with Pillowland, which channeled the intense emotions he experienced while living in L.A. Choosing not to go through Night Slugs, he issued the album on his own Earthly Records imprint, named after his earlier parties and mixtapes. His production profile rose further in 2021 when he and Nigro co-produced “jealousy, jealousy” for Olivia Rodrigo’s worldwide number-one album SOUR. Across 2022 and 2023 he co-produced Kali Uchis’ “No Hay Ley” and three tracks on Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here. Shortly after the neo-psych album reached the Billboard 200 top ten, Latham issued his fourth Jam City album via a new link with Diplo’s Mad Decent. Jam City Presents EFM presents colorful yet off-kilter pop supported by vocal and writing input from Empress Of, Aidan, Clara La San, and Wet.
Although self-taught as a musician, producer, and DJ, Latham grew up in relative isolation in the suburbs before fully engaging with underground club scenes during his fine-art studies in South London. He frequented DMZ, Horse Meat Disco, and Night Slugs nights, forging a close tie with the last of these and releasing on the Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990 label of the same name. Following Jam City EPs in 2010 and 2011, he broadened his approach on the 2012 album Classical Curves. Dream a Garden, more guitar-driven, expressed frustration with capitalism and other adverse aspects of contemporary life; it appeared in 2015 and was succeeded the next year by Trouble. By then Latham had begun producing and co-writing for others, including Kelela and Rosie Lowe, and in 2017, while based in Los Angeles, he played a central role on Kelela’s Warp debut Take Me Apart. Those efforts led to contributions on Bad Gyal’s Worldwide Angel, Troye Sivan’s The Good Side, and Joji’s Ballads 1, all released in 2018.
Latham resurfaced under the Jam City name in 2020 with Pillowland, which channeled the intense emotions he experienced while living in L.A. Choosing not to go through Night Slugs, he issued the album on his own Earthly Records imprint, named after his earlier parties and mixtapes. His production profile rose further in 2021 when he and Nigro co-produced “jealousy, jealousy” for Olivia Rodrigo’s worldwide number-one album SOUR. Across 2022 and 2023 he co-produced Kali Uchis’ “No Hay Ley” and three tracks on Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here. Shortly after the neo-psych album reached the Billboard 200 top ten, Latham issued his fourth Jam City album via a new link with Diplo’s Mad Decent. Jam City Presents EFM presents colorful yet off-kilter pop supported by vocal and writing input from Empress Of, Aidan, Clara La San, and Wet.
Albums
Jam City Presents EFM
2024
Pillowland
2021
5115
2020
Cowboy
2016
Trouble
2016
Earthly Versions
2015
Dream A Garden
2015
Classical Club Mixes
2012
Classical Curves
2012
Waterworx EP
2011
Magic Drops
2010
Singles
