As you descend the staircase into DARKSIDE’s Brooklyn studio, the cement walls pulse slightly faster than your heartbeat. Entering the converted apartment, the first thing you notice is the symmetry of Dave Harrington’s appearance. In the low light, his matte-black shirt and jeans form negative space between the shine of his boots and his shock of red hair. He holds the guitar, which bisects his body, with equal parts tenderness and lust. When he plays, he whips the rhythm with soprano licks and a steady baritone. Behind Dave, an opaque figure controls the percussion and the bass line. I watch them manipulate the reticent groove until the silhouette steps into the microphone’s aura and delivers a falsetto. The atmospheric relief reveals Dave’s accomplice to be Nicolas Jaar. Together, they are DARKSIDE. During a break from the rehearsal, we sink into a crushed velvet loveseat and listen to their self-titled debut. The EP begins innocently enough. But as you progress into the tracks, entitled “A1,” “A2,” and “A3,” it feels like searching for pleasure where you know you shouldn’t. The beat in this clandestine affair has just enough restraint. By the time DARKSIDE concludes, you know the catharsis is worth the sin.[txt from ]