at once distant, unknowable, and somehow feverishly intimate

August 3, 2016 3:59 PM

Listening to a Jai Paul song sounds like a tuning into a pirate radio station being broadcast directly from someone’s brain.

Since he came crashing onto the music scene in 2010, glimpses of Jai Paul's brilliance have been fleeting. From the two singles BTSTU and Jasmine to the unauthorized release of his unfinished first album, certain corners of the internet have been obsessed with his enigma. What is it about artists like Paul that captivates us?

posted by holmesian (12 comments total)

sounds alright.
posted by philip-random at 4:46 PM on August 3, 2016

I think of the pull-quote every time I listen to the album, which is at least once every other day,, it is just so spot-on.

And every time I listen, I scour Google for any news on a proper album release,, or any other kind of morsel that might have Jai's involvement.. most exciting thing I've found lately comes courtesy of Jai's brother, AK Paul, and his single called Landcruisin', which is also fantastic.
posted by wats at 5:04 PM on August 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

side-chain compression is a hell of a drug
posted by koeselitz at 6:01 PM on August 3, 2016 [2 favorites]

"BTSTU" is straight fire, thanks.
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:02 PM on August 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

glad someone else shares my fondness for massive overuse of compression
posted by Sebmojo at 7:25 PM on August 3, 2016

Now that we have Chinese Democracy and the Avalanche's new one along with Frank Ocean's coming this Friday, Jai Paul's album should come any day now...
posted by saul wright at 7:49 PM on August 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

I do wish BoC would cease their feverish over-production, though.
posted by Devonian at 9:56 PM on August 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

the pirate radio stations round here sound like they're being broadcast directly from someone's arse

the real brown sound
posted by Sebmojo at 1:52 AM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

Wow this is really nice stuff, especially BTSTU. how has this been out 5 years and I never heard of it?

it's because I'm old now isn't it
posted by Hoopo at 7:59 AM on August 4, 2016 [2 favorites]

Disappointing to realize the Pitchfork article is from 2013...
posted by bullitt 5 at 8:11 AM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you're pining for more Jai Paul, here's a few bits and bobs, gleaned from Discogs:
- Emiliana Torrini - Jungle Drum (Jai Paul Remix - Mastered)

I've loved this version for a while but the only file I could track down online always sounded a little murky (a bit underwater-y). So I did some slight EQ'ing and gain processing to add more punch and clarity to the track, hence the "mastered" label.

- Big Boi - Higher Res feat. Jai Paul & Little Dragon (bonus track to Big Boi's Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (Deluxe Edition))
- Everlasting is an unofficial Jai Paul mixtape that came out a month before the unofficial album leak
- Charli XCX - Heartbreaks and Earthquakes [Mixtape] (tracklist here)

And A.K. Paul has been more active, as seen on Discogs as Anup Paul:
- NAO vs. A. K. Paul - So Good, from So Good EP
- Nao - Trophy, from For All We Know
- Jones - You, produced by A.K. Paul, from Indulge EP/single

And as Pitchfork reported on March 21, 2016, the brothers Paul have set up the Paul Institute for mysterious purposes.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:43 AM on August 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

Jasmine is scratching the itch that Random Access Memories couldn't touch.
posted by turtlebackriding at 7:21 PM on August 4, 2016