Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise [Circus; 2011]
Last year, we decided that the two breakthrough artists were James Blake and Nicolas Jaar and we’ve championed the two, right off the bat when James Blake released his first EP, CMYK and before Jaar released his 6 Edits. Both are now officially huge.
Already this year, how great it is to have Blake and Jaar releasing full albums. Fans across different genres know James Blake, his a bona-fide superstar, and damn with his new look he’s actually quite good looking too.
The two has turned the way we perceived music upside down, with a lot more thought being put into the use of silence and space. (It is well known fact that Blake, to the annoyance of some punters, intentionally stops any music from coming out for a good 30 seconds, before he comes in again in a DJ set)
So we are recommending the more understated less exposed Jaar’s Space Is Only Noise. Think Philip Glass meets slowed down deep techno meets afro-jazz, and make it a lot weirder. Pick of the lot is Colomb and Balance Her Between Your Eyes.
