This is the thread to discuss the wunderkind producer Nicolas Jaar.
Typical teenage boy, loves Satie and Mulatu Astatke. At 14, he decides he loves techno too, even though the only thing he's heard at that point is Tiga's DJ Kicks. His father, the artist and filmmaker Alfredo Jaar, goes to a record store in Chile and says 'Give me the most forward-thinking electronic music album right now', comes home with Thé Au Harem D'Archimède. Dad gives him the Villalobos album ("the sexiest thing I'd ever heard") and Luomo's Vocalcity for Christmas that year. Nico starts making tracks, gets hooked up with Wolf + Lamb a couple of years later, and there you go.
Additional charming details in the Philip Sherburne interview.
Jaw-droppingly good Resident Advisor podcast available on soundcloud (tracklist).
His original tracks, many done before he turned 18, are also up on soundcloud.
My tracklist for the Essential Nico:*Time For Us*Mi Mujer*No Regular Play - Owe Me (Nicolas Jaar remix)*WOUH*Love You Gotta Lose Again*Hage Chahine (ft Will Epstein)*John the Revelator*Marquises*El Bandido*Kasper Bjorke - Heaven (Nicolas Jaar remix)*DJ T - Gorilla Hug (Nicolas Jaar remix)*Mini Calcutta*Russian Dolls*Your Waltz*Nico's Feeling Good
Easily my favorite and most listened to music of the year.
― The Amy Misto Family Knife (Plasmon), Saturday, 27 November 2010 17:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
The few tracks I've heard (think one of them was El Bandido) were very very good.
― What are you doing here? (dog latin), Saturday, 27 November 2010 17:32 (2 years ago) Permalink
only heard him on thu for the first time - i was doing a radio show with braiden, who's been raving about him for a while - and was totally blown away. love the bluesy vocals, love the way every track ends up somewhere completely different to its start. would add "marks", "angles" and his remix of ellen allien's "flashy flashy" to the must-hear list.
he has a comp coming out in a week or two, right? called inès. can't wait m8
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 17:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
Side one of Inès on soundcloud.
― The Amy Misto Family Knife (Plasmon), Saturday, 27 November 2010 17:46 (2 years ago) Permalink
that radio show lex mentioned...
http://freakytrigger.co.uk/lollards-podcast/2010/11/freaky-trigger-and-the-lollards-of-pop-series-4-week-11/
― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 27 November 2010 17:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
did anyone get tix to the show in london in a couple of weeks?
― just sayin, Saturday, 27 November 2010 17:59 (2 years ago) Permalink
nooooo i'm gonna try to get in somehow though
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:01 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah im really hoping i can get a ticket on the door :-/
― just sayin, Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:02 (2 years ago) Permalink
i hadn't even heard of this dude four days ago! i haven't fallen so fast and hard for an artist in some time
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:02 (2 years ago) Permalink
yeah im really late too! i blame ilx
― just sayin, Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:13 (2 years ago) Permalink
Had heard some of this guys stuff and wasn't really blown away but i'm listening to El Bandido now thanks to this thread, and...damn.
― Number None, Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:16 (2 years ago) Permalink
Ever since the RA podcast I've been waiting for one of the usual suspects to start the Nicolas Jaar Can Do No Wrong: Defend or Refute thread he no doubt deserves.
Finally decided to take matters into my own hands. Never started a thread before, been reading ILM since the very beginning.
― The Amy Misto Family Knife (Plasmon), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
kinda hott too
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:47 (2 years ago) Permalink
just heard that kasper bjørke remix - it's wonderful.
his remix of azari & iii's "into the night" is something else too
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
so how old is he now
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:50 (2 years ago) Permalink
20 i think?
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:55 (2 years ago) Permalink
― What are you doing here? (dog latin), Saturday, 27 November 2010 18:58 (2 years ago) Permalink
^^ you can dl that edits ep free from the resident advisor website btw
― just sayin, Saturday, 27 November 2010 19:13 (2 years ago) Permalink
Love Nicolas Jaar. He's had an incredible few years. He wrote to me in 2007, sending a song called "Little Stone" (much more, um, folktronica? than his techno now, but still really excellent). He was 17 and calling himself "Nico" - and it was plausible to me he didn't realise there already a famous Nico. A couple years later, he's doing tracks like "John the Revelator" - and now he's a Mutek fixture, a Resident Advisor wunderkind, just making beautiful subtle new things. So happy for him.
― sean gramophone, Saturday, 27 November 2010 19:20 (2 years ago) Permalink
the edits ep is nice but i wouldn't really recommend it as your entry point to him, don't think it showcases what makes him special as much as other stuff
― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Saturday, 27 November 2010 19:24 (2 years ago) Permalink
which i guess is why it was given away free
Sean: repost?
My favorite of his remixes is still "Owe Me", which reminds me of early Matthew Herbert (the remixes on Secondhand Sounds). The staticky clicks and pops and the echoey handclap and the wobbly keyboard and the filtered vocals -- it's all just so choice. Then the surf comes in.
― The Amy Misto Family Knife (Plasmon), Saturday, 27 November 2010 19:36 (2 years ago) Permalink
edits ep is all ive heard, it was nice but a bit. i mean i kinda like everything i've heard on w+l bc thats an aesthetic that appeals to me, but its a bit on the subtle end
― plax (ico), Saturday, 27 November 2010 20:05 (2 years ago) Permalink
His solo debut on Circus Company is breathtakingly good, in the same way that early dOP stuff was. my only complaint is that he samples "I Got A Woman" on one track, which i find a bit much. otherwise, i'd say it's a perfect record.
― Honey, I squirted jizz all over the baby (the table is the table), Saturday, 27 November 2010 20:29 (2 years ago) Permalink
lol at that grateful dead edit
― the tune is space, Saturday, 27 November 2010 20:29 (2 years ago) Permalink
i'm glad that it seems he's branching out from Wolf + Lamb, because tbh, i pretty much dislike 90% of the output from those producers and that label. it's all very boring, imho.
― Honey, I squirted jizz all over the baby (the table is the table), Saturday, 27 November 2010 20:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
Pretty sure he's on BeatsinSpace next week but can't find anything to back that up so perhaps I dreamt it.
― groovypanda, Saturday, 27 November 2010 20:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
that sounds plausible, bis is way into w+l
― plax (ico), Saturday, 27 November 2010 20:49 (2 years ago) Permalink
His father, the artist and filmmaker Alfredo Jaar,
Get the fuck out! This family is like a entity of genius.
― EDB, Saturday, 27 November 2010 21:31 (2 years ago) Permalink
I already regret the phrase "entity of genius." Nevertheless, the point still stands.
― Honey, I squirted jizz all over the baby (the table is the table), Saturday, November 27, 2010 3:35 PM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark
I know most are going to disagree, but this is absolutely 100% OTM.
I saw him play live at Mutek last June. Very enjoyable, despite having an indoor set at 3PM playing to a mostly empty room. Expect it to be slow, too.
― EDB, Saturday, 27 November 2010 21:35 (2 years ago) Permalink
Here are "Little Stone" and "The Student" (mp3s).
― sean gramophone, Saturday, 27 November 2010 21:42 (2 years ago) Permalink
Oh um er let's try that again:
"Little Stone" (4.6mb)"The Student" (4mb)
― sean gramophone, Saturday, 27 November 2010 21:43 (2 years ago) Permalink
I put "Angles" on a recent mixtape and got a good response...is there an album coming out soon?
― skip, Saturday, 27 November 2010 23:31 (2 years ago) Permalink
early next year - http://www.datatransmission.co.uk/viewnews/6069/
― just sayin, Sunday, 28 November 2010 09:46 (2 years ago) Permalink
+ like lex said there's also a label comp out in a week or two that he has a few songs on
― just sayin, Sunday, 28 November 2010 09:48 (2 years ago) Permalink
Tim Sweeney's just confirmed he is on the show tomorrow night so I obviously wasn't dreaming.
― groovypanda, Monday, 29 November 2010 17:11 (2 years ago) Permalink
Woah - WOUH is incredible, some kind of Studio/techno hybrid I didn't know I needed to hear.
― seandalai, Monday, 29 November 2010 19:52 (2 years ago) Permalink
find a lot of his stuff a little meh but el bandido and time for us are both pretty great.
― rappa ternt sagna (jim in glasgow), Monday, 29 November 2010 20:56 (2 years ago) Permalink
I dunno, it feels a bit soon for everyone to get carried away but it seems like a bandwagon has started rolling around this dude very quickly indeed. Then again, he's working withing a style where people are predisposed to throw around words like 'genius' very easily.
I like WUOH and Time For Us and what he does to Flashy Flashy, but I listened to the Marks & Angles EP and it just sounded dreary rather than hypnotic. I kinda feel like post-Villalobos there's almost no element or style that feels too weird to throw into this kind of framework, and it has a kind of dulling effect. Materials is pretty good though. We'll see.
― Matt DC, Monday, 29 November 2010 23:19 (2 years ago) Permalink
really like a lot of what i've heard, particularly el bandido, but the vocals on Marks & Angles EP are so flaccid and lazy sounding bleh
― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Monday, 29 November 2010 23:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
the new album sounds a lot like dOP, but less house-y and more jazzy.
― hot weiners is the best and i want a hot weiner (the table is the table), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 01:58 (2 years ago) Permalink
mostly agree with matt xp. time for us is the best thing he's done by a mile i think. i would really really like to hear him work with a good vocalist. think i read an interview where he said as much also. maybe he does on some of the forthcoming stuff? not that the slo-mo treated thing can't work too... like marks/angles isn't amazing overall, but it seems like he's starting to get the vocals to mesh with the production in interesting ways.
and will he further explore marksist politics in dance music?
― straight old fashioned, virgin (another al3x), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 03:45 (2 years ago) Permalink
I think he sounds like Matias Aguayo, even thought it was him at first. He has some better ideas than him from time to time but I'll agree with karl: he should abstain from vocal duties.
― Moka, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 04:19 (2 years ago) Permalink
Just listened to his Live At The Bunker podcast (WLP087) in the gym - more propulsive than the RA one; doing lots of the same layering and building tricks but not quite as show-offily (or maybe just in a less developed way, since it's so much older)
― i'm assuming that it's tity boi, host of the mixtape (sic), Tuesday, 30 November 2010 06:01 (2 years ago) Permalink
Album dropping in February:
http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=12795
― groovypanda, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 10:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
I am listening to it now (NB I have basically learned everything about him from this thread!), so far it's great and completely unconcerned by ~the dancefloor~ - there are a lot of moody pianos and a track that was like idk Barry Adamson crossed with microhouse or somesuch - I'm not really one for overstating the weather-appropriateness of music but 8am in a REALLY cold December is kind of where this is at I think
― smoking on his cigarette / listening to a Carcass set (DJ Mencap), Friday, 3 December 2010 08:03 (2 years ago) Permalink
his beats in space is now up
― just sayin, Friday, 3 December 2010 08:54 (2 years ago) Permalink
completely unconcerned by ~the dancefloor~
I dunno, some people might consider this not necessarily a plus in house music.
― Matt DC, Friday, 3 December 2010 09:55 (2 years ago) Permalink
oh clearly! NB a good chunk of it I would probly not describe as 'house music', also this is based on one listen on computer speakers lol
― smoking on his cigarette / listening to a Carcass set (DJ Mencap), Friday, 3 December 2010 11:21 (2 years ago) Permalink
might have the chance to interview this fella soon. anyone got any questions for him?
― Bernard V. O'Hare (dog latin), Tuesday, 21 December 2010 17:09 (2 years ago) Permalink
Kind of preferred his dj set to his live show at mutek. Both good, though.
― mh, Wednesday, 6 June 2012 16:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
Thanks Alex/Misty. Can't decide if it's worth $40 (£26.00) ... and the website wasn't hugely user friendly.
― djh, Wednesday, 6 June 2012 17:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
Did it arrive, Misty?
― djh, Thursday, 14 June 2012 17:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
new cat power remix is kind of perfect
http://www.thefader.com/2012/08/07/cat-power-cherokee-nicolas-jaar-remix-mp3/
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 22:22 (10 months ago) Permalink
the essential mix is now available for download without the bbc voiceovers and interruptions:
http://soundcloud.com/clownandsunset/csp06-nicolas-jaar-essential
(tip, it's an .m4a file)
― jed_, Tuesday, 11 September 2012 22:28 (9 months ago) Permalink
+1
― ❏❐❑❒ (gr8080), Tuesday, 11 September 2012 22:56 (9 months ago) Permalink
Ah, beat me to it. The mix flows way better now.
Listened to this today for the first time since the few weeks after it came out -- perfect fit for a grey and windy day. The opening with Badalamenti getting all enraptured is magical. I love the Baroque trio piece followed by Keith Jarrett, and the Leonard Cohen cover, and surprise, the Feist song. I can see how this can seem like forced eclecticism, but so much of it is so good that I'd rather not see him edit himself too much.
This is still the best part:
― Plasmon, Wednesday, 12 September 2012 05:47 (9 months ago) Permalink
Wait, never noticed the question about the Prism.
It took 2 weeks to arrive, typical for shipping to Canada. It's smaller than I expected, sits easily in the palm of my hand. It's an attractive little box. The buttons aren't labelled, so it's not intuitive to use. The music is hit and miss. Nico's stuff (Don't Break My Love, Why Didn't You Save Me, the covers of Ishmael and Avalanche) is great, the rest of it didn't stick with me. Haven't listened to it mich -- too much hassle to rip it and can't be bothered to carry it around.
― Plasmon, Wednesday, 12 September 2012 06:16 (9 months ago) Permalink
Xinobi's done a nice edit of "And I Say", the Jaar track with Scout LaRue (originally titled With Just One Glance). Much like El Bandido or Mi Mujer -- a bit faster, more of a 4x4 pulse. Good for the People Who Don't Like The Album.
Speaking of Mi Mujer, here's the sample source for one of the vocal parts:
― Plasmon, Thursday, 1 November 2012 06:50 (7 months ago) Permalink
A terrific little set at the Mondrian Hotel as part of Art Basel -- until he approached curfew. "I have time for one more...?" he asked hopefully, glancing at the sound mixer. A 1:30 later the hotel cut the power.
The crowd was small enough for me to approach him afterwards and chat for about a minute. I mentioned watching him at Pitchfork in July, which surprised him.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 8 December 2012 13:08 (6 months ago) Permalink
BEST LIVE SHOW EVER
I'm only slightly exagerrating.
― Tim F, Monday, 4 February 2013 05:14 (4 months ago) Permalink
So jealous.
― Plasmon, Monday, 4 February 2013 05:15 (4 months ago) Permalink
How many players?
― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Monday, 4 February 2013 05:52 (4 months ago) Permalink
3 - jaar (on knobs, keys and vocals), a guitarist and a saxophonist (occasionally on keys)
― Tim F, Monday, 4 February 2013 06:55 (4 months ago) Permalink
I saw him at the second, Darkside-billed show bcz the big one sold out - couple of hundred people, Jaar on knobs, keys, vocals and gong, guitarist on guitar and double bass (mainly used for textures and percussion with loop pedals). wish I'd seen both but if it had to be only one, it was pretty special
― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Monday, 4 February 2013 09:42 (4 months ago) Permalink
This might have been Darkside actually but given he only paid one show here he might have pretended it was a Jaar show to avoid confusing people.
― Tim F, Monday, 4 February 2013 09:56 (4 months ago) Permalink
nah Darkside is a duo
I guess he's dropped a drummer altogether? or didn't bring to Australia. but he seemed to be mainly playing percussion parts on laptop...
― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Monday, 4 February 2013 10:30 (4 months ago) Permalink
what's new?
― jed_, Thursday, 14 March 2013 13:35 (3 months ago) Permalink
this
http://warp.net/records/grizzly-bear/brian-eno-nicolas-jaar-grizzly-bear
― Number None, Thursday, 14 March 2013 13:47 (3 months ago) Permalink
nice!
― jed_, Thursday, 14 March 2013 13:54 (3 months ago) Permalink
probably the best 45 minutes I've heard all year
― cuteforce, Saturday, 27 April 2013 18:03 (1 month ago) Permalink
what's up with the grizzly bear / brian eno / nicolas jaar thing? just saw it at the record store, heard nothing about it. is it a collab or?
― flopson, Saturday, 27 April 2013 19:40 (1 month ago) Permalink
It's for Record Store day. Jaar remixes of Eno's "Lux" and Grizzly Bear's "Sleeping Ute"
― Number None, Saturday, 27 April 2013 19:48 (1 month ago) Permalink
ah ok, have u heard it? how is it?
― flopson, Saturday, 27 April 2013 19:50 (1 month ago) Permalink
no, haven't had a chance yet
― Number None, Saturday, 27 April 2013 19:52 (1 month ago) Permalink
Boiler Room set is definitely doing it for me though
― Number None, Saturday, 27 April 2013 19:55 (1 month ago) Permalink
this is better than the new daft punk :)
― cuteforce, Saturday, 27 April 2013 20:01 (1 month ago) Permalink
giving this a proper listen today and it is really great and exactly what i need (and also makes me feel high)
― obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Sunday, 28 April 2013 17:15 (1 month ago) Permalink
yeah, this is brilliant. all new and unreleased AFAICT.
love the way "took me out of the dark rain" drops. it's Destiny's Child:(at 1:06)
the "what what what" track kills me, with that sweet soul sample and the slo-mo rant about the "domestic agenda"
― Plasmon, Monday, 29 April 2013 06:16 (1 month ago) Permalink
the domestic agenda track would be Nicolas Jaar + Theatre Roosevelt's The Ego 2 https://soundcloud.com/clownandsunset/nicolas-jaar-theatre-roosevelt
― Jedmond, Monday, 29 April 2013 07:03 (1 month ago) Permalink
this is p gorgeous
― charli.xlsx (sic), Monday, 29 April 2013 08:19 (1 month ago) Permalink
looking for an mp3 rip to listen to this in the car.
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Monday, 29 April 2013 09:16 (1 month ago) Permalink
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Monday, April 29, 2013 3:46 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
me too!
― mingalaba, Thursday, 2 May 2013 04:50 (1 month ago) Permalink
listentoyoutubedotcom
― Plasmon, Thursday, 2 May 2013 08:00 (1 month ago) Permalink
https://soundcloud.com/soldin-arman/nicolas-jaar-boiler-room-nyc + jdownloader
― du mein bestie (micarl), Thursday, 2 May 2013 08:37 (1 month ago) Permalink
yeah the br set is just excellent.
― shit tie (Jordan), Thursday, 2 May 2013 13:07 (1 month ago) Permalink
so fucking good, the whole thing. but i especially love the 32:00-41:00 portion.
really fascinating to watch him work-- no headphones!
― ְ֮֠֓֟֬֩ (gr8080), Thursday, 2 May 2013 13:10 (1 month ago) Permalink
The set I saw in December was the best by any act since, well, Jaar's Pitchfork appearance.
― A deeper shade of lol (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 May 2013 13:14 (1 month ago) Permalink
well it's all done on the laptop, so he doesn't really have to worry about mixing/beatmatching, right?
i did like how he was playing electric piano using his laptop (qwerty) keyboard near the end.
― shit tie (Jordan), Thursday, 2 May 2013 13:31 (1 month ago) Permalink
last year at mutek it was a nice double feature of him playing his own material live w/band and the next day him djing in the park in the sunshine
― mh, Thursday, 2 May 2013 14:29 (1 month ago) Permalink
I know it's the middle-aged indie rocker in me speaking but i would like this guy to gather all his bits and pieces in an album. I liked 'Space...' ok but what he's released since has been something else. or basically, I need "And I say" on CD
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, 2 May 2013 14:42 (1 month ago) Permalink
feel like his work would best be featured as feature length doc film with extended live performance segments tbh
― ְ֮֠֓֟֬֩ (gr8080), Thursday, 2 May 2013 16:32 (1 month ago) Permalink
sorry, no more recorded performances, you just have to go dance in a sunny park
― mh, Thursday, 2 May 2013 16:34 (1 month ago) Permalink
easier downloading: http://soundcloud-download.com/ + http://soundcloud.com/soldin-arman/nicolas-jaar-boiler-room-nyc
― eris bueller (lukas), Thursday, 2 May 2013 22:28 (1 month ago) Permalink
thanks Lukas!
― i lost my shoes on acid (jed_), Thursday, 2 May 2013 22:45 (1 month ago) Permalink
also, if you're trying to convert a youtube link, vidtomp3.com is quick and easy.
― Fetchboy, Thursday, 2 May 2013 23:22 (1 month ago) Permalink
This Boiler Room mix is so incredible...and that 32:00 - 41:00 portion is unreal.
I liked 'Space...' ok but what he's released since has been something else. or basically, I need "And I say" on CD
Just out of curiosity, what has he released since "Space..." aside from the Record Store Day Grizzly Bear/Brian Eno thing?
― Non-Stop Erotic Calculus (bmus), Friday, 3 May 2013 03:08 (1 month ago) Permalink
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Nicolas+Jaar
― mh, Friday, 3 May 2013 03:27 (1 month ago) Permalink
Oh, I guess I thought there might have been more than that.
― Non-Stop Erotic Calculus (bmus), Friday, 3 May 2013 04:35 (1 month ago) Permalink
http://www.discogs.com/Darkside-Darkside-EP/master/393143
― charli.xlsx (sic), Friday, 3 May 2013 05:41 (1 month ago) Permalink