Jaga Jazzist’s “Starfire” Is What Intergalactic Travel Sounds Like

For over 20 years, Norwegian experimental jazz outfit Jaga Jazzist have been creating instrumental jazz albums heavily influenced by electronica and prog-rock. Their newest release is set to drop this summer, and today the band has shared the title track from the record in its entirety. "Starfire" is enormous in scope, with its unique segments segueing effortlessly into one another; a lot of artists claim to take the listener on a journey with their music, but very few achieve it as strongly as Jaga Jazzist have managed to do so here. Through an OK Computer-esque combination of organics and synthetics, the band flings you into the depths of space while displaying their outstanding musicianship.

"Starfire was written and produced over a three year period, like the rest of the album, in Los Angeles, New York and Oslo," member and songwriter Lars Horntveth told the FADER via email. "This puzzle of a song was recorded in various studios and apartments and finally came together when I spliced two songs together. The two songs were very different, but somehow it made perfect sense for me. Starfire is a good introduction to how the rest of the album sounds. More synthetic, but also more organic and analogue than our previous albums." Starfire is out June 2nd via Ninja Tune.

6/18/15 - San Francisco, CA – The Independent
6/20/15 - New York – Webster Hall
6/21/15 - Washington, DC – Black Cat
6/22/15 - Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
6/23/15 - Asheville, NC – New Mountain
6/24/15 - Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
6/25/15 - Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest
6/27/15 - Calgary, AB – Sled Island
6/30/15 - Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Jazz Fest