"It is exciting for me to play at raves because I know what people are expecting—and I know what people areexpecting." He was discussing a single show at the time, but this quote from Nicolas Jaar could be the ethos for his entire career. Even when you feel like you have him pegged, his next set will be slower…or more dancey…or much more out of leftfield. Jaar has been confounding expectations since his breakthrough in 2009, and continued to do so right throughout 2012. After releasing our #1 album of last year, Space Is Only Noise , there was just a sprinkling of new music from him this year, but, true to form, he instead released a compilation in an aluminium cube. And played a five-hour improvised live set in the middle of a dome in New York. As for his next move, your guess is as good as ours: exactly the reason why—along with his style, charisma and abundance of talent—he's again your number one live act of the year.