Nicolas Jaar
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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""Mini Calcutta" by Nicolas Jaar samples Ricardo Villalobos's "Enfants (Tambours)"."--Sholem Stein |
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Nicolas Jaar (born January 10, 1990) is a Chilean-American composer and recording artist based in New York. Among his notable works are the albums Space Is Only Noise (2011), Pomegranates (2015) and Sirens (2016). He is known in the club world for his various dance 12" EPs he put out from 2008 to 2011. Since his first album, he has embarked on more explorative directions, performing a five-hour improvisational concert at PS1 and releasing a large volume of experimental recordings through his label, Other People, including works by like-minded artists Lydia Lunch, William Basinski, and Lucretia Dalt. In 2015 he scored Jacques Audiard's Dheepan (winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2015).
Jaar is also half of the band Darkside (Psychic, 2013). Then, in 2018, he released an album under the alias Against All Logic called 2012-2017, described by Pitchfork as one of the best new albums of the year.
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Biography
Jaar was born in New York on January 10, 1990 to Alfredo Jaar and Evelyne Maynard and moved to his father’s native Chile when he was two. He and his family lived there for six years before moving back to New York. Jaar met Soul Keita and Nikita Quasim on a school trip through the Sonora desert in Mexico. The three bonded over music and began swapping beats and projects online. In 2009, Jaar started Clown & Sunset as a way to legitimize their music.
Jaar’s music is ruminative and emotional (he calls it “blue-wave”), drawing inspiration from fellow-Chilean Ricardo Villalobos and minimal techno. Most of Jaar’s compositions reside at 100 BPM or lower, far lower than the techno/house standards of 120-130 BPM. “I’m going to keep taking the beats even slower,” he says in an interview with Resident Advisor, “More unintentional things happen between the beats.” He released his debut album, Space Is Only Noise in January 2011 to critical acclaim, receiving a score of 8.4 “Best New Music” from Pitchfork and four stars from The Guardian. It was ranked #1 album of the year by Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Crack Mag, #2 by DJ Mag and #20 by Pitchfork. His track "Don't Break My Love" also received Best New Music by Pitchfork in late 2011. Jaar toured the album with a full band, combining sounds from his laptop with a guitarist, drummer, and saxophonist.
On May 18, 2012 Nicolas Jaar made his BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix debut, which was voted 'Radio 1's Essential Mix Of The Year 2012'.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 2011 | Space Is Only Noise | – |
EPs
| Year | Details |
|---|---|
| 2011 | DARKSIDE EP (w/ Dave Harrington)
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| 2011 | Don't Break my Love
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| 2011 | Nico's Bluewave Edits
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| 2010 | Love You Gotta Lose Again
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| 2010 | Time For Us / Mi Mujer
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| 2010 | Marks & Angles
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| 2010 | Russian Dolls
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| 2008 | The Student
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Remixes
- Architecture in Helsinki - W.O.W. (2012)
- Cat Power - Cherokee (2012)
- Shlohmo - Rained the Whole Time (2012)
- Maceo Plex - Gravy Train (2011)
- When Saints Go Machine - Fail Forever (2011)
- Sneaky Sound System – Big (2011)
- Stretch - Why Did Ya Do It (2010)
- Nina Simone - Feeling Good (2010)
- The Bees - Winter Rose (2010)
- Azari & III – Into The Night (2010)
- Ellen Allien – Flashy Flashy (2010)
- Kasper Bjørke - Heaven (2010)
- Wendy Rene - After Laughter Comes Tears (2010)
- Matthew Dear – You Put a Smell On Me (2010)
- No Regular Play - Owe Me (2009)
