The ocean remains one of life’s great intangibles. For me, it’s always been something that conjures family-holiday sentimentality and a vast sense of escape and, even now, every time that first glimpse of coastline pulls into focus, there’s a child-like wonderment will that hasn’t ever dissipated.
Module aka Jeramiah Ross has a similar fascination with the big blue, and ‘The Frequent Sea’ captures the rhythm of something constant and cyclically serene. It’s a track that builds in lapping swathes, moving with a liquid ebb and flow of breaking waves, and the split-second moment between the rippling aftermath of one cycle, and the insistent, rushing momentum of the next. The rolls and washes, the breaks and the split-second before the retreat and the cycle begins again. It’s perpetual and infinite,
"I imagine each sound is like layers of clouds and it's rolling over the surface of the water,” he explains “and then it comes rushing in slow motion crashing down creating texture and patterns in the sand. I am inspired by the patterns found in nature and I guess you could say I am using music to express those shapes and movements across the time, light and sound energy fields."
Nils Frahm – Spaces
Nils Frahm is single-handedly responsible for my new-found passion and respect for the piano.
I’ve never been one to proclaim extended knowledge on classical, modern-classical or contemporary music. I’ve always lived on the edge, never quite diving in to something to its fullest and often glancing over reviews, albums or such which covered the genre. I am a big fan of soundtracks for example, but I can never quite imagine the type of person, how many takes, or indeed how many people it took to make such monstrous scores filled with elaborate piano or instrumental pieces. Was it one man? One take? The most talented of the bunch, maybe yes. I don’t know.
I’m also sure there’s many of you out there can point me in the direction of a classical piano genius. From years gone by perhaps. But again, i’ll probably never have the patience to dig through an archive without seeing the substance of the material. It seems that when it comes to this type of music, it’s an experience that I need to live outside of my earphones. I didn’t know this until I went to the Erased Tapes 5th Anniversary show last year, and the likes of Ólafur Arnalds, A Winged Victory For The Sullen and Nils Frahm absolutely blew me away. It was a experience I wouldn’t forget and one that epitomised live performances, especially for this type of music. Nils has it spot on.
“What I love most about playing in front of people has something to do with a certain kind of energy exchange. The attention and appreciation of my audience feeds back into my playing. It really seems as if there is a true and equal give and take between performer and listener, making me aware of how much I depend on my audience. And since the audience is different every night, the music being played will differ too. Every space I performed in has its own magic and spirit.” – Nils Frahm
Two-years in the making, across various performances and using a multitude of recording devices including old portable reel-to-reel recorders and cassette tape decks, we have ‘Spaces’ – an ode to the live performance. An album that sits halfway in-between a non-stop live recording and a studio produced record, Nils has decided to piece together several live performances which he had referred to as ‘field recordings’, mastered by Mandy Parnell to form a beautiful insight into the world of improvisation and the talent that Nils adorns, and has grown upon these past few years.
So how do you translate experiences into a recorded piece? Nils and Mandy have kept this record as it should be, relatively untouched from the original recordings. Whilst sounding polished, they’ve decided to keep in many of the surprise moments that were captured during the performances including the toilet brush incident – a moment I remember, where Nils began to bang the brush against the piano strings. And as one track details, some accompanying laughs, coughs and a cell phone. But this audible distraction just adds to the pleasurable contradiction in sound; rumbling piano tones backed by subtle ambience transports you to the moment.
‘An Aborted Beginning’ grabs your attention and settles you in for the ride. It’s an apt title for a track which is probably a misguided direction for the remainder of the album. Heavy echoing percussion is quickly followed by the familiar gentle, progressive stance of ‘Says’ – an outer-space experience that gently meanders, changing in tone across an epic seven minutes until pounding keys destroy every sensory experience for the final minute.
I’ll never forget watching Nils at the beginning of ‘Said and Done’ – wondering how he kept that consistent, heavy piano chord rolling throughout the track. Not a single slipped note or timing adjustment. Like a performance split straight down the middle, ‘Said and Done’ could be misconstrued as two people playing against each other. On one side, drama, on the other a floating melody. In any other recording I would’ve imagined two people playing this, but it was just the one… at 5.41 my mind was blown i didn’t know where else this could possibly go or how much energy Nils had left. But the track still had more.
‘Went Missing’ is the deserved shuffle back into your seat. The love-story, the soundtrack and the peaceful relinquish from ‘Said and Done’ and the mid-ground before the more evocative ‘Familiar’. By now, Nils’ has paced himself well and you’re truly addicted to the developing story-line. And like all good tales, the unexpected keeps you hooked.
The ‘Improvisation For Coughs And A Cell Phone’ does just that. Making sense of the grand-piano and warming the notes for the crescendo in ‘Hammers’. Nils’ head is down and beads of sweat struggle to hang on to a forehead and body pulled apart by hands of their own stretched out across two pianos. Again, Nils has managed to transform into a machine; an emphatic, relentless machine that is somehow producing a dream-state for every single person in the room, ended deservedly by a raucous applause.
Return of the synths and the familiar ‘For‘; a favourite of mine, I cannot express how good this sounds rattling around a performance space. Easing into ‘Peter’, the toilet brush incident and ‘More’, if you’ve watched any performances of Nils on Youtube or similar then you’ll recognise much of this. Again, a sight to behold as Nils is split in two, in a world of his own yet reflecting against an audience waiting with baited breath for any give on this relentless piano assault.
And then the most beautiful yet; ‘Over There, It’s Raining’. I’m pretty speechless at this point – just an absolutely stunning piece of music that melts every single part of you. Continuing this theme is ‘Unter—Tristana—Ambre’ with it’s reflective soundtrack moments in ‘Tristana’, the more sincere ‘Unter’ and a perfect, complimentary ending in ‘Ambre’.
The end of the record, and you’d be expecting either a majestic sign-off or a heart-wrenching melody but instead Nils opts for a contemplative and unique piece in ‘Ross’s Harmonium’. Perhaps to keep the audience guessing, maybe a nod towards more of what’s to come. I feel like Nils has opened up his world only to leave the door slightly ajar, with a glimmer of light creeping through from a low sunset, and the camera backing slowly into the dark.
This album wasn’t recorded as one, and is made-up of many different experiences and interpretations over many months. But you feel like you’ve been there with him. The roller-coaster of emotion this album invokes is like no other, and luckily for me, I now have the perfect memento to that very special night last October I watched Nils play, control and orchestrate his way into hundred’s of peoples musical minds and memories.
‘Spaces’ will be released in the form of a CD, 2xLP and Download on November 18, 2013 via Erased Tapes. Nils will also be performing at Decibel Festival next week as part of the Optical Showcase where i’m due to ask him a few question so please comment below if you have anything you’d like answered from the maestro himself.
‘Spaces’ tracklist:
1. An Aborted Beginning
2. Says
3. Said And Done
4. Went Missing
5. Familiar
6. Improvisation For Coughs And A Cell Phone
7. Hammers
8. For—Peter—Toilet Brushes—More
9. Over There, It’s Raining
10. Unter—Tristana—Ambre
11. Ross’s Harmonium
Passing by: Arovane, dalot, Petar Dundov, Fibreforms, Heathered Pearls & Leandro Fresco
Arovane – Ve Palor
I’m quite surprised I haven’t seen a trending topic on twitter or something after n5MD announced the legendary Arovane would be returning to production duties… This is big news! Fans of electronica have long felt his absence. The likes of n5MD’s Loess, and Crisopa have done well to fill the void of Arovane’s glitches, but his return is more than welcome. What to expect? Everything you wanted I guess. The formula remains the same – but the music is reinvented. Nine years is a long-time to be away but when you’re this good, time is irrelevant. Melodic, complex stuttering beats, the kind of music that good headphones appreciate and the mind struggles to comprehend. Available to pre-order on limited edition red vinyl via n5MD.
dalot – Ancestors
ASIP Uncharted Places remixer and (soon to be released) Places Series contributor dalot has been busy recently. First, her ‘Hands’ EP and now this stunning release on n5MD. The title track is emotional, delicate and haunting at the same time. But when the bvdub remix takes center stage and the strings come out to play, the original is taken into a whole new world – as you’d expect from Brock. Izumi Suzuki’s (Linda Bjalla’s) vocals compliment bvdubs more recent style featuring a host of vocalists and this one is no different, complementing the beautiful original.
But what really connects, is the story behind the EP and the emotion felt in the title track (both the original and Brock’s remix). “In December 2012, I spent two weeks going through and sorting out the photographs, notebooks and paper clippings found scattered in the drawers of my grandfather’s desk that was left untouched since 1996. ‘Ancestors’ is a reconstruction of fragments, not concerned with the accuracy of images and moments but with opening up the flood of memory mechanics to imagination and transformation”.
Northcape also features as remixer on the release (i’m a big fan and he is a great addition to a wonderful EP. Northcape’s take is more electronic focused, the vocal is reduced and the melody given space to shine through. ‘Ancestors’ EP will be available through n5MD on October 15th.
Petar Dundov – Sailing Off The Grid
Petar Dundov returns after his rather magical album Ideas From The Pond with a similar stance of synth heavy electronic music. Progressive and expansive, i’m yet to identify any other producers who aren’t afraid to develop such a retro sound within today’s often hideous genre boundaries. The full album is available to stream below.
Fibreforms – Treedrums
“Long before KILN (Ghostly) turned to the sunset-soaked textures of Dusker, and the sonic-carousels of “Thermals”, they made music as fibreforms”. This new release on Infraction Records (the great repository for Parks first releases) is another gem that deserves more of an audience. Combining ambient, melodic guitars and addictive melodies spread across slowly developing drums, this is reminiscent of the kind of guitar combos you’d find from early Jonas Munk, but a little less psychedelic. In fact, this would be amazing to hear live. Buy the CD at Infraction Records.
Heathered Pearls – Loyal (reworks)
Jakub’s ‘Loyal’ LP was a confident jump into the ambient lovers realm – a unique, fuzzy approach to some of the most relaxing and immersive music i’ve heard recently. Now, nearly one year later Ghostly returns with a set of amazing remixes of the album featuring Markus Guentner, Teen Daze, Sun Glitters and Loscil. The one that surprised me though, is the very first track – The Foxes in Fiction Tape remix – stunning!! Available at Ghostly.
Leandro Fresco – Egg Box 007
And lastly, our very own Leandro Fresco has an insightful interview for Relevant BCN and an accompanying mix. Find out about his relationship with Kompakt and news of an upcoming album whilst listening to Arovane, Marsen Jules, Boards of Canada and many of his own works. See the interview and original post here.
Main photograph / Eagle Creek
Interview: Thomas Fehlmann caught on tour
I was lucky enough to persuade the legendary Thomas Fehlmann to take two minutes out of his busy tour schedule and answer a few questions for ASIP.
Long-standing member of The Orb and producer in his own right, i’ve been a fan of Thomas for years and constantly revisit his unique melodic album ‘Gute Luft’ along with some of his other productions on Kompakt, include the recent ‘Titan One/ DFM’ – not to mention eveything he has done as part of The Orb.
Luckily i’ve seen him live in Berlin a few years back and i’ll get to see him perform as The Orb (something i’ve dream’t for ages now) along with a rare individual after-hours set at this year’s Decibel Festival (festival preview here). Thomas will be playing the Saturday night with The Orb and live at the Kompakt after-hours showcase.
May I also take this moment to point you towards a few Fehlmann mixes for Plasmodium Radio and of course his Resident Advisor mix.
First of all, happy 25th Anniversary to you and The Orb. What are you most looking forward to from the tour? Is it your first-time atDecibel?
Thanks Ryan. It’s being on-tour and not just off for a weekend where the playing actually evolves and at best reaches a new level and understanding. And of course, meeting the crowd!
I’ve often played in Seattle on my own, maybe around 7 or 8 times and i’ve also played at Decibel before.
What can we expect from your Decibel performance with the Orb, and your DJ slot? And will you be looking forward to one more than the other?
The Orb gig will focus on some historical tracks in their current form. I won’t be DJ’ing when I play on my own, i’ll play a live set of my tracks. Always funny how this gets mixed up these days. Djing for me means bringing records, always and exclusively.
So what record never leaves your bag, and what are you enjoying right now?
Something by Jan Jelinek is always in my bag. I’m currently enjoying Moritz von Oswald, Max Loderbauer and Tony Allen > session tapes for an upcoming album on Honest Johns. Max Loderbauers new album ‘Transparenz‘ is also recommended highly.
Your album, Gute Luft is a soundtrack to Berlin (and is an amazing album). What inspires you?
Places do inspire me. people, nature, situations and…..art pieces. My new 12″ EYE/TREE coming in october is focused on similar, but generally my biggest musical influence is Miles Davis I guess.
The Orb are famed for having quite a few members over the years and some amazing collaborations with people such as David Gilmour and more recently Lee Scratch Perry. Who else would you like to see the group partner with?
That would be Dilla. I think I can speak for lx (Alex Paterson) too on this. Personally my favourite collab is the one with Robert Fripp on theFFWD album.
You and the Orb are well-known to like dub music. What would you recommend to anyone new to the genre?
Besides the usual Jamaican related originals i’d like to mention Andy Partridge’s ‘Take Away’ album from 1980. Coming form Absolutely nowhere that was a strong statement to apply and extend dub-thinking to the times. And always Rhythm and Sound….
And what’s in store for the future Fehlmann?
Oh man! There is going to be a ORB/PERRY remix 12″ by deadbeat coming out soon on Deadbeats label BLKRZ. A new album by the Orb is also in the making – The working title is ‘Moonbuilding’ and it consists of only one long-ass track. Solo, there is the new EYE/TREE 12″ and a new album for Kompakt sometime after these tours.
And lastly, do you really ‘Wanna be a fishy‘?…
Hehe, yes, off course! it’s about dreaming, innit?
ASIP – Fragments from the horizon
I never know where a mix inspiration is going to come from, or where it’s going to take me. That’s the fun of it I guess. However on hindsight, this one did end up having a particular theme to it which i’ve tried to describe with the words below and the main artwork. I hope you enjoy the journey.
From the future, not forgetting the past.
Blinding light, softening texture.
Closer, touching the void.
Neons, to dark.
Tracklist:
01. ASC – Satellites Final Voyage (Time Heals All)
02. Glossata – Lampsace (Pearls & Smoke)
03. Boards of Canada – Uritual (Tomorrow’s Harvest)
04. Symmetry – Over The Edge (Themes For An Imaginary Film)
05. Chromatics – There’s a light on the horizon (Drumless)
06. Daft Punk – The Son of Flynn (Tron OST)
07. Stellardrone – In Time (Light Years)
08. Jon Hopkins – Prologue (Monsters OST)
09. Andrew Thomas – M&K (Pop Ambient 2006)
10. Oneohtrix Point Never – Zones Without People (Rifts)
11. 36 – Dawnspace (Shadow Play)
12. Cliff Martinez – Rubber Head (Drive OST)
13. Global Communication – 8:07 (76:14)
14. Purl & Deflektion – Return Of The Sun (Growing)
15. Newa – Hedgehog (Martin Non-Static remix) (Hedgehog EP)
16. Tangerine Dream – Love On A Real Train (Risky Business OST)
17. port-royal – Stimmung (Ulrich Schnauss remix) (Flared Up)
18. Thomas Fehlmann – Von Oben (Gute Luft)
19. Olafur Arnalds + Nils Frahm – a2 (Max Cooper remix) (Stare)
20. Olafur Arnalds + Nils Frahm – a2 (Stare)
21. Ulrich Schnauss – Shine (Mint remix) (Cardboard Rocketships)
22. B12 – Void/Comm (Time Tourist)
23. Boards of Canada – New Seeds (Tomorrow’s Harvest)
24. Alva Noto – Xerox Rin (Xerrox Vol.2)
25. Biosphere – The Things I Tell You (Substrata)
26. Apparat – Wooden (Anders Ilar remix) (Duplex)
27. Ocoeur – Olakoté (Percevoir)
28. Bulb – Tenderness (Tenderness EP)
29. Bering Strait – Apart (Apart EP)