Far Nearer / Beat For

"Far Nearer" / "Beat For" is the debut solo single of English producer Jamie xx, who rose to fame as being a member of the indie pop band the xx. The double A-side single was released on 6 June 2011 through Numbers, part XL Recordings.

Composition
The single features two songs, "Far Nearer", a downtempo song with steel pan drums and Caribbean rhythms and tones, and "Beat For", a post-dubstep song with pitch shifted, distorted vocals and a heavy bassline.

Reception
The single received positive reception upon release. Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork Media named the track "Far Nearer" as "Best New Track" for the week of 6 June 2011. Reviewing the single, Fitzmaurice said: While the downcast bleeps of "Beat For" sound similar to the moody, melodic strain of vocal-abstracted bass music that's become so prevalent over the last year, "Far Nearer" is another thing entirely-- a bright, steel-drum laden burst of euphoria that sounds better suited for beach umbrellas than dark clubs, melodically recalling the Tough Alliance at their bounciest. Crisp drum tracks ping-pong across "Far Nearer"'s wide span, clapping and retreating around the song's dramatic, pitch-fucked vocal sample: "I feel better when I have you near me". After all that waiting, "Far Nearer" is finally something you can keep close; forget "better," it feels great.

The single reached a peak of No. 128 on the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing
All songs written and produced by Jamie Smith.