Back in stock! It's real tough to pigeonhole Nicolas Jaar. On the one hand, he's very capable of producing in the realms of deep house (check his Wolf+Lamb stuff or the reworks of Nina Simone and New Order), and on the other, he's able to deliver leftfield electro, downtempo beats and ambient soundscapes with aplomb. Talk about versatility! Anyway, Space Is Only Noise focuses on the latter style, a 13 track excursion into the depths of introspective headphone music. The album is a perfect balance of moody ambient pieces and extended beat-driven passages, with a bit of experimental weirdness. When you're in the mood for this kind of thing, it's one of those albums you can just throw on and play all the way through without having to skip any tracks. Allow it seep into your sub-conscious and you will recognize - it's that good! Highlights include "Colomb," "Keep Me There," "Spectres Of The Future" and "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust." Impressively strong debut from a very promising artist. Recommended.

• black vinyl pressing
• music label: Circus Company 2012

reviewed by TKB 04/2012