What do we know about Nicolas Jaar? He was born in New York, lived in Chile, studied comparative literature at Brown, he’s the label owner of Clown & Sunset and, oh yeah, he won Radio 1′s Essential Mix of the Year in 2012. While he’s earned recognition in Europe for his masterful album and famed performance from Barcelona’s Sonar Festival, the American music scene is slowly catching on.
The Red Bull Music Academy hosted Jaar and his Clown & Sunsetlabel two months back for Jaar’s Boiler Room debut, and the results were stunning. Jaar’s headlining set included tantalizing deep house and minimal, while he creatively tinkered around with a MIDI controller and stereo radio. Watch the 45 minute set above.
Editors’ Selections is an opportunity for your favorite Dancing Astronaut contributors to talk about some of the music they’re listening to that we might not always get an opportunity to post about from week to week. Sometimes it’s out there, sometimes it’s obscure, but you’ll always get a peek into what we’re loving behind closed doors.
If you haven’t heard of Nicolas Jaar yet, the musical world you live in is about to be completely shattered into pieces, only to be reborn again this morning. This hefty statement will be immediately understood within four minutes of listening to the haunting set below. Nicolas was born in New York, but spent most of his life in Santiago, Chile — which explains the inspiration of the sexy South American flare behind his sound. The 23-year-old ties mystifying classical elements and percussion back into house music, which is a breath of fresh air in the electro-fuelled world we’ve become accustom to.
Don’t believe us? His debut album Space is Only Noise, released in 2011, took home the prize of ‘Album of the Year’ from Resident Advisor and MixMag. Still don’t believe us? Jaar’s 2012 mix was crowned BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix of the Year, one of the highest honors for any technical DJ. Nicolas wil be playing a live set encompassing percussion, electric guitar, bass, and all at UMF, which will be an experience not to be missed. Dive in and enjoy expanding your musical sphere.
Sunday Morning Medicine is a feature from Dancing Astronaut dedicated to the mellower side of electronic music. We bring you our favorite therapeutic selections — old and new — in an attempt to alleviate the agonizing effects of a long weekend of partying.
Sunday Morning Medicine is a feature from Dancing Astronaut dedicated to the mellower side of electronic music. We bring you our favorite therapeutic selections — old and new — in an attempt to alleviate the agonizing effects of a long weekend of partying.
This week features Radial’s resplendent remix of Emil and Friends’ “Royal Oats,” Zimmer’s sizzling nu-disco remix of “Power,” Good Night Keaton’s absorbing spin on Goldroom’s “Sweetness Alive,” Lovejet’s downtempo original “Indian Love,” and Nicolas Jaar’s creative take on Chet Faker’s “Terms and Conditions.”
If you missed any of DA‘s more chilled-out posts from the week, make sure to check out Sound Remedy’s mellow trap remix of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games,” Sultan and Ned Shepard’s indie mix of “Walls,” Fatboy Slim’s mashup of Donna Summers and Adele, and Evan Duffy’s pristine piano cover of “Strobe.” For five tracks to lift your spirit and soothe your soul, click past the break.
Sunday Morning Medicine is a feature from Dancing Astronaut dedicated to the mellower side of electronic music. We bring you our favorite therapeutic selections — old and new — in an attempt to alleviate the agonizing effects of a long weekend of partying.
This week features Poolside’s exceptional rework of Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan,” Bicep and Ejeca’s modern ’90s track “You,” Something Good’s free original “Colors,” Trentmøller’s remix of “Brains,” and Nicolas Jaar’s groundbreaking essential mix.
Today’s Good Morning Mix comes to our ears direct from down under. Sydney-based Future Classic record label and artist collective delivers a mix to promote their “Future Classic Stage” at the upcoming Laneway Festival in February. This one is just gentle enough for your pre-caffeine commute or to stave any thought of early week blues. We’re given the opportunity to flow seamlessly between tracks from indie rockers High Highs and Kings of Convenience, songstress Jessie Ware, Shlohmo, Nicolas Jaar, and No Regular Play. This mix was curated as thoughtfully as it will make you feel.
If you’re in the mood for another dose of Sunday Morning Medicine, enigmatic producer Nicolas Jaar has released “The Ego,” a catchy, politically charged original. Jaar, known for his eclectic, understated offerings, has supplemented his production with the transposed vocal stylings of Theatre Roosevelt. “The Ego” features a minimal, hypnotic beat, layered with election rhetoric such as “let Detroit go bankrupt.” Aside from its cryptic political implications, “The Ego” is a lovely dub-inspired production, released on Jaar’s label Clown & Sunset, and available for free download below.
If you have ever questioned if they do it better in the UK, this video will probably clear up any doubt. Pitchfork recently released a mini-documentary on the now prodigious Warehouse Project club in Manchester. These people have been throwing parties in Warehouse Project form since 2006 and have been consistently known for pushing the limits of what is known, accepted, or cool in the dance music industry.
In turn, the producers and DJs lucky enough to perform for these discerning crowds only have multitudes of praise to give about the planning, atmosphere, and originality of the events. Hear what names like Skream, Diplo, Four Tet, Nicolas Jaar, AlunaGeorge, and Scuba have to say about the experience.
