Nicolas Jaar

Overview

Read three articles about Nicolas Jaar’s debut album Space Is Only Noise and you can probably expect two of them to make some mention to The Guardian dubbing him “The renaissance man of electronic music.” It’s a tag that isn’t at all unjustified. Jaar’s music is not only quick-witted (in the sense that it’s both highly intelligent and sprinkled with humour) and it is spearheading (though not on its own) what could be called an electronic revolution.

But the heaping praise can make one wary of his music. What if listening to it is like talking to a really smart person who keeps making jokes you don’t really get? Well, yeah, Jaar’s music is subtle, but it’s also incredibly easy to listen to. If you follow dance music closely you could get high of the way it morphs deep house and techno into something soulful and ambient, and if you don’t its beautiful melancholy is no less addictive.

Another great thing about Jaar is his ability to command a room with the barely audible in the same way others command a room with thumping bass. FBi are bringing him over for the Sydney Festival this January, so be at the Town Hall on the 23rd for proof.

Read our list of the 12 best things to see at the Sydney Festival in 2013.