Nicolas Jaar: Space Is Only Noise (CD, Circus Company, February 2011)

It took me a while to get my head around this record, until I realized that the best way to think about it — for me, anyway — is as highly abstract hip hop. It is a highly eclectic collection of tunes, taking in everything from electronic ambient, spoken word samples (in both English and French) and spiky modern classical strings, through glitch and dubstep, to soulful pop — yes, that means actual songs, and I even heard I Got A (Woman) played on the radio. Somehow, it does all work together, and I think that's because it is carefully assembled in the manner of a hip hop record. It is hugely accomplished and demands repeated listens.

I bought this from Boomkat. They call it Electronic.

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