Electronic can be Political - Nicolas Jaar - Let's live for today

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For his latest album, Sirens, the Chilean-American producer sought to see beyond his own self-obsession. He claims to have failed, but he seems unconcerned.

Lyrics

When I think of all the worries people seem to find

And how they're in a hurry to complicate their mind

By chasing after money and dreams that can't come true

I'm glad that we are different, we've better things to do

May others plan their future, I'm busy lovin' you

(1-2-3-4)

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey, hey, hey

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

Live for today

We were never meant to worry the way that people do

And I don't need to hurry as long as I'm with you

We'll take it nice and easy and use my simple plan

You'll be my lovin' woman, I'll be your lovin' man

We'll take the most from living, have pleasure while we can

(2-3-4)

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey, hey, hey

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

Live for today

Baby, I need to feel you inside of me

I got to feel you deep inside of me

Baby please come close to me

I got to have you now, please, please, please

Gimme some-a lovin', gimme some-a lovin'

Gimme some-a lovin', gimme some-a lovin'

Baby gimme some-a lovin'

Gimme some-a lovin', I need all your lovin'

Gimme some-a lovin', I need all your lovin'

Give me some love, now

I need all your lovin'

Sha la la la la la

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today

And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey, hey, hey

Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today.

Electronic can be Political

A group of individuals formed a coil around MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, Queens, on a frigid afternoon in February before moving on down the street. It was Super Bowl Sunday, but the youthful crowd had dedicated the day to Nicolas Jaar's "From Scratch," a five-hour concert of nonstop improvisation by the even more youthful-looking electronic artist and producer.

Jaar's sincere openness to possibility makes sense. The multi-instrumentalist producer has experimented with a wide range of musical sensibilities during his five years as a public figure, creating critically acclaimed, reflective club tracks, headlining high-profile music festivals, and performing psychedelic rock from another dimension with producer Dave Harrington under the name Darkside. The producer's most sophisticated and political effort to date is Sirens, a 40-minute album of sombre, private electronic music. He said to me as he sat on a park seat, "I can't deny that I compose music as a method of understanding myself, so a significant portion of it doesn't originate from a political perspective.

Jaar attempted an interdimensional excursion the day before another unearthly occurrence. The first presidential debate between reality television star Donald Trump and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, which was watched by over 80 million people, verified a suspicion that the singer and presumably a lot of other people have. It has felt like the globe is about to explode for the past few years, at least, according to Jaar. "Things simply keep getting crazier and crazier," The escalating racist language of Donald Trump prompted Jaar to examine the political facets of his own life on Sirens.

As a Chilean, Jaar was reminded of Augusto Pinochet, Chile's ruthless, CIA-backed president, whose 16-year rule resulted in 3,200 people being killed and tens of thousands more being subjected to torture. The most blatantly political song on the album, "No," has the following lyrics on the album cover: "Ya dijimos no pero el si está en todo," which roughly translates to "We already said no but the yes is in everything." The phrase is shown over a still from the divisive visual piece This is Not America by Jaar's father, the celebrated Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar. The phrase alludes to the 1988 national plebiscite in Chile, which gave voters the option of supporting or opposing Pinochet's reelection. The "no" vote prevailed with the aid of activists and artists, but as Jaar's lyric implies, Pinochet's legacy—the "yes"—lives on.

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