Fun fact: minimalist crooner and classically-trained pianist James Blake used to make dubstep. True—his compositions were the kind of laid-back and airy tracks that left purists wondering how he made it onto the roster of the genre’s greats. But it was dubstep nonetheless.

Listening to his third studio album, The Colour in Anything, however, you’d never know that the British-born Grammy-nominee used to host London clubnights featuring Skream, Benga, and Distance.

With its light drum touches and delicate synth arrangements, Blake’s new tracks update the best elements of his early forays into electronic music. Combining the glitchy sounds of his adolescent work with smooth and newly-matured vocal lines, the producer’s songs take listeners on a tour through heartache, defeat, and miscommunication, underscored by a simplicity and sparseness that, in Blake’s hands, crackles with emotion.

Since releasing his self-titled album in 2011, the Mercury-prize winner has gathered a lot of famous fans. Kanye West openly declared that Blake was his favourite artist to Rolling Stone magazine in 2012. This year, Beyoncé chose the young artist to co-write the now infamous Lemonade’s opening track, “Pray You Catch Me”, and featured him on the song “Forward”. Frank Ocean—a performer who continues to champion Blake—features heavily on the English artist’s new record, and Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver) counts the Brit as a close collaborator.

The producer deserves all the praise he receives—and that includes the warm reception he’s been experiencing on tour. Out on the road since June, Blake has proved he’s as hard a worker as great songwriter, playing varied sets in Australia, Germany, the U.S.A. and England, and preparing for 22 more dates across North America and Europe. Want to know if he’ll resurrect those dubstep classics on the Vancouver stop? Your guess is as good as ours.

James Blake plays at the Orpheum Theatre on Thursday (October 13)