Boxhanging #2: Nicolas Jaar

There is far too much to say about this 19-year-old New York resident who, while perhaps not revolutionary, is a revelation at the very least. Raised in Chile until the age of 11 when his family relocated to their native New York (his place of birth), he always harboured a love and fascination for sound, which led him to experiment with piano simply in order to sample the sounds that would emanate from his playing. By the age of 14 he was dabbling with Reason in order to work in drums into his piano leads.

Other early influences include hearing Tiga’s DJ Kicks, again aged 14, which was a principal spark for his love of electronic sounds, prompting him to persuade his father to buy him more forward thinking electronic records. Thus, finding himself with Chilean legend and pioneer, Ricardo Villalobos’ Thé Au Harem D’Archimède, came the roots of his experiments with the deeper sides of house and techno. Of course, his influences stretch much further abroad than merely a mix of piano experimentation and electronic music, obvious to those who have heard his sprawling, almost beat-less pieces and the swirling jazz moments of his recent Resident Advisor podcast, which mixes Arabi shimmers and Ethiopian (Jaar is a huge fan of artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Ethiopian Jazz legend) rhythms alongside his deeper, groove laden tracks, as well as his Notorious BIG blend which simply has to be heard.

Sending demo, “The Student” to Wolf & Lamb heads Gadi & Zev in 2008 led to his signing aged merely 17, have meant he has become one of the youngest artists in the current house and techno scenes. Though, despite his age, the music has garnered critical acclaim and the respect of his peers due to its mature and expressive nature, which sounds far in advance of his meagre age. Now with tracks out through aforementioned Wolf & Lamb, Circus Company & Clown & Sunset as well as remixes for Ellen Allien, DJ T and Kasper Bjorke alike, the stage is set for this gentlemen to extend his reach globally and, hopefully, inspire a generation of young producers to experiment with obtuse influences and deeper areas of electronic music, widely unexplored by many for the quick fix of louder, brash, immediate tracks with a less timeless nature.

As a brief introduction, do investigate the Resident Advisor podcast for an insight into his world and a rare example of his DJing as you are unlikely to catch him mixing in clubs, a live set up being his preferred medium, and an essential catch at that.

- James Hoste