Following a little in the footsteps of the likes of Nôze and dOP, 19-year-old Wolf + Lamb graduate Nicolas Jaar continues that tradition of coming at deeper house music from a different angle, with a continental or global twist. Born in New York, raised for part of his youth in Santiago, Chile and then relocated back to NYC, he began making “organic” electronic music at the tender age of 14, influenced by musicans like pianist Erik Satie and Ethopian jazzman Mulatu Astatke. By 17 he released his debut The Student EP on New York’s Wolf + Lamb, with colleague Seth Troxler soon labelling him “one of the most talented minds dance music is about to see develop”
Now studying at Brown University on Rhode Island, he’s got his debut album due out on dOP’s Circus Company label mid-2010, and with stunning tracks like the woozy, seductive slow jam of Time For Us (which brings Troxler’s Boogybytes vol. 5 mix to a close) and quirky vocal experimentation and sultry deepness on tracks like Mi Mujer and Democracy, I Was Thirsty (with Soul Keita)in the bag, he’s set to have a seriously bright future.
How and when were you first infected by dance music?
A photographer in Santiago showed me the Tiga DJ-KiCKS when I was 14. At around the same time I listened to Thé au Harem d’Archimède by Ricardo Villalobos. But I think I always just wanted to control all aspects of music production and I felt that only with electronic music could I achieve that.
When did you start making music / producing, and how long was it before you started making tracks that you were really happy with?
I started making music when I was 14. And at the beginning I made a lot of trip-hop and experimental music. I think the first track that I was really happy with was ˆtre, a song that will come out in my full-length later this year.
What have been your personal favourite tracks / productions so far?
I don’t really enjoy listening to any of my songs, that’s why when I play live I try to mash them up as much as possible. But I’m happy with Your Waltz and with a couple of songs from my album.
Who would you most like to work with?
I love working with non-musicians. It’s very refreshing. I want to make a song with my mother at least once in my life.
Genius idea!What have you got in store for the coming months?
The next Clown and Sunset release is about to come out; it's due March 5th. It’s my track Russian Dolls with a remix by Ryan Crosson. My plan for 2010 is to expand my output so that it encompasses more than just electronic dance music. I want to have hip-hop, trip-hop, old sad sounding experimental music. You can also expect my full length to come out in the fall. It’ll have some of the unreleased music from my live sets. But mostly it’ll be newer material. It’s definitely not an album made for DJs, that’s one thing I can say.
What can we expect from one of your DJ sets or live sets?
You can expect a lot of my favourite Arab and African music from the moment, mixed up with my own productions. Sometimes, I’m feeling silly and I’ll start singing though. It always sounds awful!
If you weren’t a DJ/producer/artists, what would you be?
A filmmaker or a writer.
Which other producers and DJs and artists do you really rate?
Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap, Soul Keita, Deniz, Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, Lee Curtiss, No Regular Play, Josephine and Moodymann.
www.nicolasjaar.net