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Far Nearer / Beat For
Electronic · 2011

Far Nearer / Beat For

Jamie xx

Shimmering steel pans and chopped soul vocals define this 2011 double A-side, balancing tropical warmth with the skeletal chill of UK bass culture.

June 6, 2011 · Numbers.

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Far Nearer is the sound of a city exhaling. It captures that specific, fragile moment when the heat of a summer day gives way to the blue-tinted cool of evening. The central steel pan melody is not just a hook: it is a texture that feels both metallic and organic, ringing out with a clarity that cuts through the hazy atmosphere. It is an album that feels deeply personal despite its dancefloor DNA, trading in the kind of lonely-in-a-crowd sentiment that defined the early 2010s London sound.

Moments Worth Listening For
The moment the steel pans first chime in on Far Nearer, instantly shifting the mood from skeletal beat to tropical melancholy.
The breakdown in Far Nearer where the vocal sample I feel better when I am with you becomes a rhythmic pulse against the handclaps.
The heavy, oscillating sub-bass drop in Beat For that contrasts sharply with the airy brightness of the preceding track.
Reviews
AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Far Nearer / Beat For sound next to the rest of Jamie xx's catalogue?

Vocal Layering+1.6σ

The vocals lean notably further into vocal layering than the rest of the catalogue.

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