Jacques Greene & Nosaj Thing
“Verses GT,” the first joint album from collaborators Jacques Greene and Nosaj Thing, demonstrates a remarkable interweaving of ethereal soundscapes with dance music. Each artist, talented in their own right, compromises some of their signature appeal to meet at a very decent midpoint. On its own, the album does not seem boundary-pushing—instead, it represents a chance for each artist to gain a new audience while pushing their own craft. The album may not be revolutionary, but their performances incorporate a multi-sensory showmanship that recalls the reason why electronic events center the DJ. On October 2, expect the Metro to turn into a dreamy haven while the duo narrates an introspective dive into left-field electronica.
Producer Jacques Greene, born Philippe Aubin-Dionne, has been throwing parties and making music for more than a decade and a half. From his start in the bountiful Toronto music scene, he made his mark early on with a feature on Pitchfork’s list of the decade’s best music in 2014. For a moment, Aubin-Dionne was dictating the future of house, sampling R&B and reworking loops into songs with captivating bass lines that rocked to the tune of catchy synths. His work with Bonobo, Tinashe and Koreless made for a retelling of chilled-out tech-house that can now be heard at every major festival’s sunrise sets. It’s a type of sound that clears away the fog to make room for the lights, and, while gorgeous, it is not particularly memorable given its non-specificity in an overcrowded market of similar artists.
Jacques Greene & Nosaj Thing
Nosaj Thing, born Jason Chung, offers cutting-edge experimentation. Throughout five albums, Chung has impressively calibrated a medium between relaxed soundscapes and captivating drum patterns, with each project a distinct explosion of electronic form. “Drift” is eerie and mysterious, while “Home” gets almost soulful. “Fated” is innovative minimal beat music; “Parallels” is long-form and peaceful meditation. “Continua” morphs all his previous sounds into a complete composition with an impressive number of features. Chung made his mark in the L.A. beat scene in the late 2000s, furthering the intertwined legacy of EDM and rap, resulting in one of his best productions on Chance the Rapper’s “Acid Rap.” As a pioneer of multimedia installation who obscures himself from the spotlight, it’s exciting to hear what he pushes other artists to create when responding to his sound.
Jacques Greene and Nosaj Thing’s collaborative project is a beautiful template for a concept album. The first song, “Fragment,” and last song, “Vision + Television,” are drumless snippets that beautifully open and close a portal. “Found” is a classic techno homage that they execute with a brain-scratching restraint. Within the soundbath of this album, perhaps their biggest standouts come from their features with George Riley, Tyson and Kucka. The songs are too digestible and inoffensive—they crave lights, fog and stage presence their show promises to deliver. Compared to their individual boundary-pushing legacies, this content-for-content’s-sake project demonstrates it’s possible for the two to rest on their past laurels.
“Verses GT” is a curious project but holds potential. It will be interesting to see if the duo sticks together through the tour to potentially fall back into their experimental origins.
Jacques Greene and Nosaj Thing perform their new album “Verses GT” at Metro, 3730 North Clark on Thursday, October 2. Doors at 7pm; show at 8pm. Tickets are $22 plus fees in advance and $25 at the doors. More info at metrochicago.com.
