2017–2019

The tracks on Against All Logic’s 2017-2019 go further than any of the project’s previous records. AAL mastermind Nicolas Jaar has hinted at harshening his sound in the past – the uptempo LP 2012-2017 was flecked with digital distortion and sometimes hinted at a more hard-bitten sound lurking beneath the sample-house bangers. However, the manner in which he switches things up here is still thrillingly unexpected
The core style of 2017-2019 is techno, and hard techno at that. This is best represented in a stern, fuzzed-up mid-section run, from the Lydia Lunch-featuring power-electronics banger “If You Can’t Do It Good, Do It Hard” up to the seasick minimal lurch of “Faith”. Jaar moves outwards from this core style in a variety of directions at either end of 2017-2019, maintaining a moody experimentalism all the while. “With An Addict” and “Penny” are the most uptempo jams here – the former, a fluttering juke joint, is an instant highlight – while industrial noise sharpens the edges of the relatively melodic opening duo “Fantasy” and “If Loving You Is Wrong”. 2017-2019 does not deal in tracks which will slot seamlessly into a mix, and this uncompromising air is what makes it such a delight
On Against All Logic’s 2017-2019, Nicolas Jaar gives in to his darker impulses. In doing so, he creates some of the best music of his career