Clown & Sunset was an independent record label founded by Nicolas Jaar[1] in 2009. It was part of Clown & Sunset Aesthetics, an interdisciplinary production house founded by Jaar and film producer Noah Kraft.[2] The label was shut down in August 2013 after which Jaar founded his imprint Other People.
| Clown & Sunset | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Nicolas Jaar |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Genre | Electronic, downtempo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City |
| Official website | www |
History
editNikita Quasim, Soul Keita and Nicolas Jaar met in the summer of 2004 while traveling with their respective schools on a field trip to the Sonora desert.[3] Although they were uninterested in each other at first, they quickly bonded over their mutual interest in music.[4][5] In January 2009, on his nineteenth birthday, Jaar decided to formalize his endeavors with Quasim and Keita by founding Clown & Sunset.[6] He created the label in order to share music that he felt was too personal to release through any other label.
Clown & Sunset’s first two records were a series of EPs entitled Sunset of a Clown, released in February and October, 2009 respectively. Each EP contained a song from one of the three founding artists. Clown & Sunset’s next EP, Russian Dolls, featured the song “Russian Dolls” by Jaar, and a remix from Detroit DJ and producer Ryan Crosson.[7] In December 2010, Clown & Sunset released Inés, a ten-track compilation. The LP was well received by fans and critics, receiving 7.7 out of 10 rating from Pitchfork.[8] Following Inés, Clown & Sunset began to expand its original roster. As Nikita and Soul searched for musicians to incorporate into the label, Jaar continued the momentum of 2010 releasing his debut album Space is Only Noise to critical acclaim,[9] receiving "Best New Music" from Pitchfork.[10] In June 2011, Valentin Stip, a French, classically trained pianist and electronic musician became the first new artist to debut on Clown & Sunset, releasing an EP, Anytime Will Do, in June, 2011.[2][11]
In February 2012 Jaar and Kraft premiered Clown & Sunset Aesthetics in New York City with a sold-out Clown & Sunset showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and a 5-hour improvised live exhibit at MoMA PS1.[12]
Artists
editArtists who have released music on Clown & Sunset include:
- Nicolas Jaar
- DARKSIDE
- Soul Keita
- Nikita Quasim
- Valentin Stip
- Acid Pauli
Discography
edit- CS001 – Sunset of a Clown, Vol. 1 (Clown & Sunset · 2009)
- CS002 – Sunset of a Clown, Vol. 2 (Clown & Sunset · 2009)
- CS003 – Russian Dolls (Clown & Sunset · 2010)
- CS004 – Inés LP (Clown & Sunset · 2010)
- CS005 – WOUH (Clown & Sunset · 2010)
- CS006 – Anytime Will Do EP (Clown & Sunset · 2011)
- CS007 – Don't Break My Love EP (Clown & Sunset · 2011)
- CS008 – DARKSIDE EP (Clown & Sunset · 2011)
- CS009 – MST LP (Clown & Sunset · 2012)
References
edit- ^ Tony Naylor (2011-03-12). "Nicolas Jaar is the renaissance man of electronic music | Music". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ a b "csa.fm". csa.fm. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "Planet Notion - Clown & Sunset Special- Nicolas Jaar". Archived from the original on 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ "csa.fm – Clown and sunset". Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "Backbeat: Nicolas Jaar Tours Globally, Launches Arts Collective, Changes Face of Music in Between Semesters | Billboard.biz". Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ^ "Artist Spotlight: Nicolas Jaar (Clown & Sunset) | LostinSound.org". Archived from the original on 2012-02-03. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ "Russian Dolls on iTunes". iTunes. 3 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ "Pitchfork – Inés Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2011-12-06. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ "Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ^ "Pitchfork – Space Is Only Noise Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2011-12-26. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
- ^ "Nicolas Jaar's Clown and Sunset Announces Latest Release from Valentin Stip | XLR8R". Archived from the original on 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ Taylor Fife. "Nicolas Jaar to Launch Clown & Sunset Aesthetics with Live Multimedia Performance at MoMA PS1; Music". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2012-02-06.