International wonderboy Nicolas Jaar just released his debut album Space Is Only Noise. It has his signature sound, but is still not exactly what you expected. At the top of his game, we had a sweet little Q&A about his musical vision, comparisons with James Blake and crowd reactions.
URB: Your new record is one step to the side compared to your previous productions, even though it’s in the same vein and it has your signature. Did you want to surprise your audience?
Nicolas Jaar: No. I simply wanted to give a very honest vision of what was going through my mind in the past year. What came out of that was the album. Usually what people hear first from an artist is the poppiest stuff. Just because in order to get noticed you can’t make difficult experimental music. I think this album is honestly what was coming out of me throughout the production period.
The press seems to draw comparisons between you and James Blake. What is your opinion about that subject and his music?
I really like James’ music. The only comparison there is to make is that we are both young. But I am a big fan of his, though I am a bigger fan of Mount Kimbie, which is another connection some people have made to me. It’s easy for people to talk about James and I together because we are both 21.
Do you think that because of your young age you are less restricted to musical “rules”?
In some ways. Because I started making music when I was very young I didn’t learn about genres or what was cool, because I was so young. That’s definitely something I have tried to keep in my mind. Now I’m older and I’m aware of the genres, so avoiding them is a deliberate choice.
You’re known for your slow bpm’s on the dancefloor. It seems like a brave thing to do; have you ever had the crowd against you?
Yeah, just once in Rome, Italy. I was booed at during “Time For Us”. It was fun, and good in a way. It was good to get a reaction, good or bad; the music is making them respond.
Your productions are very passionate, is there a lot of sex and emotions in your music?
How does one answer that? Sure there is sex, there is sex in everything. Of course there is also a lot of emotion in it. I think music is born out of emotion; it’s born out of experiences that you have, that has marked you. Then you have to translate those emotions and feelings into the music. If you’re good at translating it then you can hopefully make people experience what you felt.
Would you call your music “Roots”? It’s easy to hear your worldly influences.
I have always listened to world music. But I have also listened to very Western music, all types of music. You can translate some of what I do as world or roots, but I hope that we’re beyond those terms now.
You are releasing music on multiple labels; does that flavor your productions?
No, not at all!
What’s your favorite spot to play?
I really enjoyed Tel-Aviv, and Bar25 in Berlin was amazing. Really enjoyed Leeds, that was cool, and Fabric was also fun.
boka hotell amsterdam…
[...]8 I am visiting this country for the first time. I have come to know a lot of po[...]…