Darkside
Biography
**Darkside**
In the pantheon of electronic music's most enigmatic collaborations, few albums have captured the zeitgeist quite like Darkside's 2013 masterpiece "Psychic." This haunting collection of psychedelic electronica emerged from the creative partnership between Nicolas Jaar, the Chilean-American electronic music prodigy, and Dave Harrington, a skilled guitarist and multi-instrumentalist from New York. The album stands as a testament to what happens when two musical minds converge to create something entirely transcendent – a swirling, hypnotic journey through ambient soundscapes, krautrock rhythms, and otherworldly atmospherics that redefined what electronic music could be in the 2010s.
The genesis of Darkside can be traced back to 2011, when Jaar and Harrington began collaborating in the fertile creative landscape of Brooklyn's underground music scene. Jaar had already established himself as a rising star in the electronic music world with his critically acclaimed debut album "Space Is Only Noise," while Harrington brought his background in jazz and experimental rock to the partnership. Their initial meeting was serendipitous – both were part of the same creative circle that gravitated around small venues and late-night jam sessions in New York City.
What made Darkside unique was their approach to electronic music production. Rather than relying solely on digital manipulation and sampling, the duo created a hybrid sound that incorporated live instrumentation, particularly Harrington's guitar work, with Jaar's sophisticated electronic production techniques. Their music existed in a liminal space between genres – too organic for pure electronica, too processed for traditional rock, and too structured for pure ambient music. This genre-defying approach became their signature, creating what critics would later describe as "psychedelic electronica" or "ambient rock."
Their breakthrough came with the "Darkside EP" in 2012, which introduced their distinctive sound to a wider audience. The EP featured reimagined versions of existing tracks, including a stunning reworking of Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories" cut "Get Lucky," which they transformed from a disco anthem into a brooding, atmospheric meditation. This creative audacity – taking one of the year's biggest pop songs and completely deconstructing it – announced Darkside as artists unafraid to challenge expectations.
"Psychic," released in October 2013, represented the full flowering of their artistic vision. The album was a cohesive journey through eight tracks that flowed seamlessly into one another, creating an immersive listening experience that demanded attention in an era increasingly dominated by playlist culture. Songs like "Golden Arrow" and "Paper Trails" showcased their ability to build tension through minimalist arrangements, while "Freak, Go Home" demonstrated their capacity for creating genuinely unsettling atmospheres. The album received widespread critical acclaim, appearing on numerous year-end lists and establishing Darkside as one of the most innovative acts in contemporary electronic music.
The duo's live performances became legendary within electronic music circles. Rather than the typical DJ set format, Darkside presented fully realized concerts with live instrumentation, dramatic lighting, and an emphasis on creating immersive experiences for audiences. Their shows felt more like sonic rituals than traditional concerts, with extended improvisational sections that could stretch songs well beyond their recorded versions.
However, just as their star was ascending, Darkside announced an indefinite hiatus in 2014, leaving fans and critics wondering what might have been. Both Jaar and Harrington returned to their individual projects – Jaar continuing his solo career and forming the band Against All Logic, while Harrington pursued various collaborative projects and session work.
The influence of "Psychic" and Darkside's brief but impactful career continued to reverberate throughout the electronic music landscape. Their approach to blending organic and electronic elements inspired countless artists, while their emphasis on album-length listening experiences helped push back against the fragmentation of digital music consumption. Artists across genres, from ambient electronic producers to indie rock bands, began incorporating elements of Darkside's aesthetic into their own work.
In 2021, eight years after "Psychic," Darkside surprised the music world by announcing their return with "Spiral," a new album that picked up where they had left off while pushing their sound into even more experimental territories. The reunion proved that their creative chemistry remained intact, offering hope that this enigmatic partnership might continue to evolve and inspire. Today, Darkside stands as a reminder of electronic music's endless possibilities when artists are willing to push boundaries and create something genuinely new.
