The so-called ‘modern classical’ scene has furnished the world with a number of interesting and highly praised artists in recent years, but few have garnered a wider or more devoted following than Peter Broderick and Nils Frahm. Their respective solo work has charmed and delighted listeners of many different stripes, as has their recent collaborative release under the name Oliveray. It is perhaps only when seen in live performance, however, that the depth of their talent – and the strength and vivacity of their friendship – becomes apparent. We talked to the pair before their rapturously received concert at the Ambientfestival “Zivilisation der Liebe” in the old basilica of St. Aposteln, Cologne. Mass was being celebrated in the nave next door, so we had to keep our voices down…

2011 was a very productive year for both artists, with solo releases, their first album together as Oliveray, and a number of collaborations and live performances – a heavy schedule that suggests many nights spent working into the wee small hours. “We both could use a little more sleep than we’ve been getting…” remarks Broderick, prompting laughter.

“Your weekends are always kind of erased from the schedule,” Frahm agrees. “You never know when you’re working and when you have time off. Even when you travel on a beautiful ferry ride from Copenhagen to Berlin, you’re actually working but on the other hand it’s travelling. I visited Ólafur Arnalds for a couple of days in Iceland, and I was like, “….WOW! It’s amazing!” People say, “oh, you’re so busy!”, and it’s like, “yeah, but it’s also been pretty mellow”.

“It is like ‘holiday/work’,” Broderick explains with a smile.

Did any particular moments stand out from last year? “For me a highlight was definitely that we put out the Oliveray record,” Frahm says. “And also Peter invited me to come to Japan with him – that started the whole Oliveray idea, really. The contact [in Japan] asked if we were interested in bringing a tour CD or something like that.”

The pair are certainly not alone in facing an increasingly busy schedule of record releases, performances, and collaborative work, causing some to suggest that maybe there is too much pressure being placed on artists to produce new work. “I think there’s definitely something to be said about how quickly things move these days and how quickly things are forgotten,” Broderick asserts, “just because of the pace that keeps speeding up. But I don’t feel any kind of pressure. I feel more pressure to slow down, actually – that people are saying, “whoa, this is too much!”, you know, and that’s really got to my head at some point. And I thought “yeah, maybe it is a little too much”. And so I started to try to make an effort to slow things down in the future. I mean there is just so much music out there that a lot of things get forgotten about really quickly.”

With artists from all around the world making music with each other via the internet, it may appear that location is no longer such a restraint when it comes to finding a community of like-minded musicians. However, both Broderick and Frahm have consciously chosen to base themselves in Berlin. What does the city offer them that makes it such an attractive place to be a musician?

“It’s cheap!” they immediately declare in chorus, to more laughter. Broderick expands: “It’s great for travelling around Western Europe. If you want to fly somewhere for a one-off show, you can get cheap flights pretty much anywhere, for short distances.”

“A lot of people in Berlin seem to be looking for something,” Frahm muses. “They just live there from their mid-twenties to their mid-thirties, and just have the drive to do stuff. And they might go, and new people come, and other people just stay for a couple of months… You can just stay there and wait for people to visit you. It’s pretty comfortable. And I think we also like to collaborate in one room. I’ve just totally stopped this, “can you play piano on this track for me?” business…”

Broderick quickly agrees. “Email collaboration was really fun when you first start to do it. But then I would have this thing where I’d be collaborating with someone over the Internet, working on a bunch of music, and then you meet them in person and they don’t have anything to say to you, you know. And it’s like, if you can’t even have a conversation in person then… I very much prefer to make music with someone when we have a good vibe together.”

One suspects that it was the experience of working together that led them both to such a decision. Despite having only known each other for a relatively short time, it’s clear that a strong professional and personal bond has developed between the two, although they are by no means identical in terms of personality or musical background. Frahm’s dynamic approach to the piano is underpinned by many years of rigorous classical training, which prompts the question of what he has had to unlearn or re-imagine in order to keep on innovating. He sees things differently, however.

“I think I never have to unlearn things,” he declares. “A lot of my playing is probably because I never finished learning. If you have the perfect classical style, you can change your style in many different ways – I only have mine. You can play Mozart like that [mimes playing softly] or like that [mimes playing heavy-handedly]. And so when you’re only a classical player you spend your whole life learning different costumes to wear, and different masks, so that you can play different roles – like any good actor. I realised it’s too much to deal with, and way too hard at school. And so I stopped, and figured that I have enough intuition to just know what I like and not. So I just use that instead.”

Broderick’s own musical journey is in many ways very different. Inspired by a musical family, he picked up skills on a whole range of instruments, and this diverse approach has slowly come to characterise both his recorded and live output. Without a clear focus on a single instrument, as is the case with Frahm and the piano, this arguably makes the question of instrumentation much more pertinent.

“Well, I think the first real solo record I made, called “Float”, at that time I knew that I wanted to make this music that was based around piano and strings,” Broderick recalls. “Even though I played these other instruments I just wanted to use those. And at that time I thought maybe that’s the type of music I want to make, and the sound I want to have for a long time. But after I made “Float” I started to play live shows, and when I was onstage I realised I also like to sing and play guitar. So on the next record I said, ok, let’s see if I can make one without piano and strings, and then one thing kind of led to another. Most of the time there aren’t really any rules. If I’m working on a score project, sometimes they tell me, “ok, we want a score with piano and strings” or something. Otherwise I just kind of use whatever feels right. With the latest record I just finished, I made a conscious decision not to make any rules, and to just use whatever instrument feels right for the song.”

At this point Frahm interjects: “But also when you were travelling a lot you were writing songs on whatever instrument you were finding in places…    ”

“That’s the thing, yeah, whatever was there,” Broderick agrees. “If I don’t have a piano available then I’m going to write songs on the guitar instead.”

With “Wonders”, the pair’s debut album as Oliveray, Broderick and Frahm have managed to capture some of the intimacy and directness experienced when two musicians with complimentary approaches work together in the same room. However, it is in live performance that their shared creative spark really ignites.

“That was also the purpose, to write some songs which we could recreate live,” Frahm states.

Broderick agrees. “Some of them were definitely just improvisation,” he explains. “What we do onstage is also improvisation, but it’s not really going to be the same thing. But some of the more ‘singy’ songs we do for sure.”

Judging by their performance in the cavernous, reverberate hall of St. Aposteln, it is to be hoped that this partnership will continue to inspire both artists for many years to come.

- Interview and photography by Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio

www.peterbroderick.net
www.nilsfrahm.de
www.erasedtapes.com

People were still filing into the Basilika St. Aposteln as Jörg Burger aka Triola took to his laptop for some warm ambient sounds, and by the time Nils Frahm arrived at the piano the venue was completely packed. Frahm played a range of material from recent records, switching to a Juno analogue synth for a rendition of “Peter” from the “Juno” 7-inch, and adding touches of Rhodes to supplement the warmth of the Bössendorfer grand piano. It was the latter instrument, however, that was clearly the star, and Frahm’s command of it was little short of astounding. While Greg Haines’ performance the previous night had made great use of open chords left hanging in the basilica’s rich reverberation, Frahm’s fingers hardly ever stopped moving. Rather than relying on variations in note density to provide depth and interest, Frahm instead chose to use rich manipulations of dynamics, tonalities, and tempi, as well as the balance between melody and arpeggiated chords, and between short, stabbing staccato and smooth legato playing. This was a performance of great energy and verve, anchored by impressive technical ability.

Frahm was joined onstage by both Haines and Peter Broderick for a short 3-way jam, with Haines on Rhodes and Frahm and Broderick on piano. The latter pair, whose work together as Oliveray has already produced the beautiful short album “Wonders”, continued with an atmospheric improvisation built around a Juno loop and layers of violin. Broderick then took to the mic for a spot of beatboxing, with Frahm supplying percussion with the Bössendorfer case, his knees, and anything else he could find to hit – a fun piece of showmanship that had the audience completely charmed.

After the break Broderick began his solo set singing ‘a cappella’, before taking to the piano with a lyrical and flowing playing style. While in Frahm’s performance the piano was the centre of focus, Broderick switched freely between piano, guitar, violin and vocals. At one point the man from Oregon unplugged his violin, stood on a piano stool and sang and played Oliveray song “The Book She Wrote And In The Time” completely unamplified – a risky gamble, but one that paid off handsomely, with the basilica’s cavernous architecture stepping in to provide natural volume and a haunting touch of echo. While much of the music heard so far during the festival worked its magic through textures or tonalities rather than hummable tunes, Broderick brought simple, gorgeous melodies to go away singing – and judging by the audience’s response, they’ll be floating round more than a few heads for weeks to come.

Frahm returned for the end of the set, and the ecstatic crowd brought the pair back for an encore based on a handsaw played by a violin bow (to surprisingly great effect). As much as their respective solo work impresses me, I have to say that watching Frahm and Broderick play together has convinced me that in their case the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Broderick’s daring approach to live performance and ear for a sweet melody reacts alchemically with Frahm’s technical virtuosity and flair, and the result is pure gold. Another rapturous night of music at the Ambientfestival “Zivilisation der Liebe”.

- Review and photography by Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio

www.ambientfestival.de

One can imagine the scene: a late night discussion between two close friends, possibly involving alcohol, in which they try to decide what name to give their new creative partnership. “Neter Broderfrahm?” “Pils Frahmerick?” Luckily the protagonists’ middle names proved more productive, and so it is that Nils Oliver Frahm and Peter Ray Broderick bring us their new collaborative project, Oliveray, and their “first truly 50/50 effort” entitled “Wonders”. When the pair performed together as part of the Seeljocht project in Utrecht not long ago the rapport between the two was obvious, as was a strong sense of playfulness and fun; with “Wonders” the playful anarchy is reined in somewhat, though this short album still shows flashes of humour and surprise.

First surprise: the track that proved to be the genesis of the project, a stripped-down version of Efterklang’s “Harmonium”. Both Frahm and Broderick have been collaborating with the Danish band for a while, so in this sense the choice of cover song is hardly a shock, yet what is really surprising is just how good the originally grandiose opus sounds when reduced to just vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, and finger-snaps. The sparse, simple approach to arrangement recurs across most of the album’s eight tracks, along with the occasional cough or quiet comment, giving the record a very intimate, cosy feel and emphasising the picture of two friends working together in a small studio in Berlin. On instrumental tracks such as “Piano in the Pond!” Broderick’s taut, highly rhythmic strings provide a natural bed for Frahm’s deft, jazz-inflected melodies, while the latter’s piano accompaniments on vocal numbers such as “You Don’t Love” and closing song “Dreamer” supply more contrasts of light and dark, energy and restraint than most five-piece house bands.

The ability of both of these musicians to string together a good melody is well known. To my mind, however, what sets them apart from much of their contemporaries is the strength of their musicianship and the imaginativeness of their arrangements, qualities which “Wonders” only serves to highlight bring to the fore. The sensitivity with which they listen to each other, swapping lead and accompanying roles while maintaining a perfect harmonious blend of their respective instruments and voices, is a pleasure to listen to. As highly respected as Frahm and Broderick both are, “Wonders” strongly suggests that this collaboration has the potential to prove greater than its constituent parts. The release is available from 12th December in vinyl and digital editions from Erased Tapes and on CD from Cote Labo – a wonderful soundtrack for friends and family gathered together this holiday season.

- Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio

www.erasedtapes.com
www.peterbroderick.net
www.nilsfrahm.de

Oliveray will see its debut release ‘Wonders’ on December 12th, 2011. A nice little collection of eight musical pieces from label mates Nils Oliver Frahm and Peter Ray Broderick, available on Vinyl / Digital via Erased Tapes and on CD via Japanese friends Cote Labo…

Oliveray consists of me, Peter Ray Broderick, and one of my greatest friends in the world, the incredible musician / producer Nils Oliver Frahm. We’ve been collaborating in many ways these past couple years and traveling a lot together. Now finally we have arrived with our first truly 50/50 collaboration effort entitled Wonders.

It all started when I was asked to create a cover version for my great friends Efterklang. I asked Nils if he’d like to work with me on the project. So one day we got together in his studio and ran through the song (Harmonics) a couple times and then laid it down to tape in the most relaxed way possible – me playing the guitar and singing and him on the piano… We were both really happy and inspired with how easy and fun this process was. We thought you could hear and feel that relaxed atmosphere in the song.

So when our Japanese friends Cote Labo asked us to prepare some kind of release for our Japan tour, me and Nils set aside a couple days to record some music in a similar manner. Without much preconception we just set up the mics and started recording, with an aim to create a short album of half instrumentals, half vocal-based songs. We ran through a few fresh musical ideas that each of us had, improvising along with each other, sometimes just improvising entirely. And before we new it we had a nice little collection of eight intimate pieces of music.

The first official output of what will hopefully be a lifelong collaboration, Wonders feels really special to me. Here comes Oliveray! – P. Broderick

www.erasedtapes.com

Tilting on the edge of nowhere: a sea wind flattens the tufts of grass and blows sandy dust from dune to dune. Flatness, sky. Out on the water a lone fishing trawler crawls across the horizon; gulls circle and soar. Leave the small village behind and after a few minutes’ walk you are in a hinterland of rocks, trees and intertidal zones. The air force use a nearby beach for target practice, although there is not much here to shoot at.

When you live in one of the world’s most densely populated countries, one that throughout the centuries has resorted to reclaiming land from the sea, any remaining wilderness is to be treasured. The organisers of the Into The Great Wide Open festival surely had this thought in the back of their minds when they invited a group of musicians and video artists to take part in a residency on the remote Dutch island of Vlieland, in the province of Friesland. The list of musicians alone reads something like a modern classical/electroacoustic ‘supergroup’: Nils Frahm, Greg Haines, Peter and Heather Woods Broderick, Sytze Pruiksma, Jan and Romke Kleefstra, Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek) and Mariska Baars (aka Soccer Committee). Together with the video wizards 33 ?, these artists spent a week exploring, recording, discussing, sharing ideas, and breathing in the isolated atmosphere of Vlieland. The project was given the name ‘Seeljocht’, Frisian for ‘Sea light’.

And what light. After returning to the island to perform in the Into The Great Wide Open festival, the collective were reunited first in Leeuwarden, then once more in Utrecht, where they played the converted church hall venue of the Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh. To say that witnesses to this final concert were carried away to that distant windswept island would perhaps be stretching the imagination a little too thin; better to suggest that the music and visuals created a third, transitional space, somewhere in between the hall full of attentive listeners and Vlieland’s sandy dunes. Jan Kleefstra’s poetry, delivered in soft, unhurried monotone, conveyed simultaneous impressions of remoteness, steadfastness and yearning, even though I understood only a few words. Sytze Pruiksma, on the other hand, was an electrifying, thundering force, conjuring up storms, gales and surging waves from his timpani, cymbals and other percussion instruments, before rolling back to the gentle hiss of sand and the chirrup of birdsong. The visual effects wrought by 33 1/3 were at times breathtaking to watch: dunes turned into dancing piano keys and blocks of stone, split into streams of fiery light, and transformed into a playground for a green-clad human performer.

The engagement of musicians and artists with natural landscapes and environments is hardly a new approach, but in each instance particular cultural and historical perspectives struggle to make themselves known. In the case of Seeljocht, the current scarcity of uninhabited, uncultivated land, juxtaposed with centuries of living on the edge of an unstable, sea-threatened limit, formed a backstory that inflected and coloured perceptions of the music and visuals. For just over an hour in an old church hall in Utrecht, that story became the remote and silent centre of a crowded, bustling nation.

- Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio

www.leguesswho.nl

The Roland Juno brand began life in the early 1980s as a range of hybrid digital/analogue synthesisers. The fat, grainy tones of these instruments can be heard in the work of countless artists spanning a wide variety of genres, from the time of their original release right up to the present day. Though prone to dead voice chips and other circuit failures, the unique sound of the early Juno models continues to win the hearts of analogue aficionados, including that of a certain American musician named Peter Broderick. Such was Broderick’s enthusiasm for the synths that he begged his friend, collaborator and labelmate Nils Frahm to record some solo sketches using a Juno. This short release is the result.

The two tracks were recorded in a single night, with no overdubs or punch-ins – more of a recorded live performance than the drawn-out process usually associated with a studio project. Broderick’s idea – of combining arguably one of the world’s finest keyboard composers with arguably one of the world’s finest synths – was never really in danger of falling flat, yet it is still remarkable to hear an analogue synth played as convincingly and with as much depth and sensitivity as a more traditional solo instrument such as a piano or an acoustic guitar. Both tracks really do give the impression of Classical sonatas, solo pieces that take the specific qualities and limitations of the instrument in question as their starting point. If a criticism can be levelled, it is that in the second section of the first track (“For”) Frahm plays the synth a little too much like a piano, in contrast to the rest of the music where the rhythms and harmonies seem more suited to what the instrument has to offer.

“Juno” is available in limited 7-inch vinyl and download editions on Erased Tapes. Though short, it remains a richly rewarding release, not just for Frahm’s many fans but for anyone interested in how music is breaking new ground by combining old sources and traditions (such as analogue synths and solo instrumental form) in unexpected and surprising ways. After a few listens, you might just fall in love with the Juno sound yourself.

- Nathan Thomas for Fluid Radio

www.erasedtapes.com
www.nilsfrahm.de

‘Originally I wanted to do my neighbours a favour by damping the sound of my piano. If I want to play piano during the quiet of the night, the only respectful way is by layering thick felt in front of the strings and using very gentle fingers. It was then that I discovered that my piano sounds beautiful with the damper. I hear myself breathing and panting, the scraping sound of the piano’s action and the creaking of my wooden floorboards – all equally as loud as the music. The music becomes a contingency, a chance, an accident within all this rustling. My heart opens and I wonder what exactly it is that makes me feel so happy.’ – Nils Frahm

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Nils Frahm, born in 1982, had an early introduction to music. During his childhood he was taught to play piano by Nahum Brodski – a student of the last scholar of Tschaikowski. It was through this that Nils began to immerse himself in the styles of the classical pianists before him as well as contemporary composers.

The artist is already a firebrand in the modern classical world, collaborating with contemporaries such as Peter Broderick, Ólafur Arnalds and Anne Müller. His unconventional approach to an age-old instrument, played contemplatively and intimately, has won him many fans around the world.

Approaching two years since his first solo piano releases: “Wintermusik” and “The Bells”, he finally returns on October 10th 2011 with a brand new album. Released on Erased Tapes Records and entitled “Felt”, the album will coincide with a European tour in November 2011.

David Fincher’s film Fight Club is known for many things, not least of all the revolutionary title sequence that begins from inside the protagonist’s mind; 90 seconds exploring his microscopic high speed neural network, tracing a signal from the fear centre of the brain out to a single bead of sweat, trailing off a hair follicle. “Felt” follows a similar pattern – sounds originating from deep within the mechanical heart of Frahm’s instrument, microphones placed so deep inside the piano that they almost touch the strings, audio reverberating out from the hammers, finally arranged as compositions to land fully formed in the hands (and ears) of the listener.

No less impressive either: the nine tracks of “Felt” are laden with melody, timbre and a sombre yet positive tone. Something of a maudlin Haushka with less bells and whistles, captured with authenticity and coming from a place of under-produced but polished purity.

Tracks are direct, brief and generally to the point. Only one exceeds six minutes, the epic closer ‘More’, which sounds as though it could very well float away if its mooring ropes of texture were cut. Although the piano is largely unprocessed, the sparing delay, effects and layering give this track a weight that rivals a great deal of beats-based electronic music. The mike hiss and mechanical whirring subside into a reverb heavy volley of chords at the midway mark, rolling back to a reprise of the earlier melody – a fitting closure point to an assured and accomplished album.

Second track ‘Next’ is a gracious demonstration of space (as is track seven, ‘Kind). ‘Familiar’ creates and maintains the impression of an internal dialogue retrieved from WITHIN the piano – this impression is reinforced by what sounds like a loud exhaled sigh at the end. ‘Kind’ is also bookmarked by what sounds like a long breath at open and close, like you were sitting next to Frahm on the stool. This is the strength of the record; it actually conveys the inner workings of the piano as the piano itself hears it. An inner monologue, conveyed externally.

Nils was good enough to share with us some of his thoughts on the inspiration and construction of “Felt”…

How long did the album take, from recording, mixing and mastering, to the design and pressing?

NF: I started the first sketches in spring 2010 and then I kept working on it until summer 2011, so I guess over a year. This record is very minimal but also insanely detailed.

The artwork itself took over 100 hours of work as it is all painted by an old plotter printer from the 80′s. The mastering happened in several steps – it all got printed to vinyl and then re-recorded for the CD mastering.

So the mixing took me ages, because I wanted a lot of control over the whole thing. The difficult part was to not overproduce things, rather keep the spontaneous improvised feel of the record.

Was there an inspiration behind the record, beyond the aim of capturing the piano from within?

NF: The main motivation was to work at home, so that I have more time with it. “The Bells” was recorded in two days, so you really need to focus more and even if you are not happy with all the material you can’t go back and try again easily.

To avoid that kind of pressure I wanted to just use my piano. Sound is important to me, my piano is nothing too special, so I figured out a way to make my piano sound very interesting at least. The sound is always first and inspired my playing, the muted piano works best for sparse and shy playing.

Were any other musicians involved in the recording, or is it your work alone?

NF: I worked alone on this, whenever I found time between studio work and touring.

I wanted this to be like my private diary.

Is there a way to recreate the sounds on the record live, in terms of the texture?

NF: I doubt it, but I also don’t think that this is too important.

I will slightly change my live setup though and start including old synthesisers and effect boxes too.

No loop stations though…

How did your relationship with Erased Tapes develop?

NF: Erased Tapes is a wonderful label to work with. They are so supportive and energetic. They take my work very seriously and keep nothing untouched in order to make my music available to a wide audience. I couldn’t be happier.

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“Felt” is released by Erased Tapes in the UK on the 10th of October as CD, LP and download.

- Charles Sage for Fluid Radio

www.nilsfrahm.de
www.erasedtapes.com

Nils Frahm has been a firm favourite around these parts since the early days of Fluid Radio’s conception and as you can imagine we are extremely excited to hear that a new album is on the horizon coming via the brilliant Erased Tapes label. We have had the privilege of listening to the album in full and trust me when I say this is probably his best work to date! Whilst we get cracking on a full review and interview with Nils, below you can check out release information from the label and stream a delicate composition entitled ‘Snippet’.

Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm is already a firebrand in the modern classical world, collaborating with contemporaries such as Peter Broderick, Olafur Arnalds and Anne Muller. His unconventional approach to an age- old instrument, played contemplatively and intimately, has won him many fans around the world.

The artist finally returns on October 10th 2011 with the successor to his highly acclaimed solo piano works Wintermusik and The Bells. Released on Erased Tapes Records and entitled FELT, the album will coincide with a European tour in November 2011 – a truly memorable and magical live experience.

Having recorded his last album live in a large, reverberant church, Nils Frahm now invites you to put on your headphones and dive into a world of microscopic and delicate sounds – so intimate that you could be sitting beside him.

Recorded late at night in the reflective solitude and silence of his studio in Berlin, Frahm uncovers a new sound and source of inspiration within these peaceful moments:

‘Originally I wanted to do my neighbours a favour by damping the sound of my piano. If I want to play piano during the quiet of the night, the only respectful way is by layering thick felt in front of the strings and using very gentle fingers. It was then that I discovered that my piano sounds beautiful with the damper.’

Captivated by this sonic exposition, he placed the microphones so deep inside the piano that they were almost touching the strings. This brought a host of external sounds to the recordings which most producers would try their hardest to hide:

‘I hear myself breathing and panting, the scraping sound of the piano’s action and the creaking of my wooden floorboards – all equally as loud as the music. The music becomes a contingency, a chance, an accident within all this rustling. My heart opens and I wonder what exactly it is that makes me feel so happy.’

FELT creates its own personal microcosm, offering a refuge of tender and honest beauty. – Erased Tapes

Pre-Order it on CD/LP/DL here: www.erasedtapes.com/store/index/ERATP033

www.durtonstudio.com
www.facebook.com/nilsfrahm
www.erasedtapes.com

Although Nils Frahm and Anne Müller’s collaborative album 7Fingers has been out for some time now, the duo have kept eager audiences waiting to hear the work in a live setting. A balmy evening at Dalton’s Vortex played host to its debut live performance and proved that it was well worth being patient…

Opening the evening was Nick Palmer, aka Directorsound, who played a manner of different instruments from hand bells to autoharp. Having worked with the likes of Plinth and many others, Palmer’s solo shows take on a different life from his records. He swiftly changed from reflective drones to upbeat sea shanties with one hand on the accordion, the other playing various percussion instruments, while his tapping foot provided a chorus of bells. Within a mere half hour or so, Palmer took the audience on a journey far and wide; from Balkan infused melodies to sparse, melancholic finger-picked guitar. The closing track provided a thunderous finale of clattering bells, autoharp, harmonium, yet always remaining a very considered combination, never falling into the trap of using an instrument for the sake of it.

After the interval Anne Müller took to the stage with a fragile solo cello before being joined by Nils Frahm, briefly on vocals then moving to the piano. After opening tracks ‘Teeth’ and ‘7 Fingers’ the duo explained that they assumed they would never play this material live and still have their notebooks on stage with them as reminders of chord progressions. Playing their way through much of the album there were moments of improvisation, each allowing the other space to expand upon an idea. ‘Let My Key Be C’ reached epic proportions, soaring throughout the venue and holding the audience in awed silence.

There was an intensity on show throughout the performance with Frahm’s polyrhythmic motifs and at times almost aggresive playing complemented perfectly by Müller’s immersive layered cello arrangements which weave amongst the textures. It comes as no surprise that the duo have spent years working on and refining these tracks, such is the silent understanding between them.

All round a superb performance from both acts. In a live setting Directorsound was a revelation and Nils and Anne provided a superb debut performance of their work – hopefully not the last!

- Katie English for Fluid Radio

New vinyl edition released through Erased Tapes: On 7 Fingers, Anne Müller and Nils Frahm have composed quite a varied work, incorporating elegant modern classical movements that break away from the genre’s norm with IDM-styled tangents, creating a very unique album that ebbs and flows from track to track.

Anne Müller, known for her work with the Wolf-Ferrari-Ensemble, Sdnmt, Phillip Boa, and Klez.E, is really a performer to behold here, as her string orchestration is positioned front and center. Most of the songs develop around the sound of Müller’s cello, oftentimes traveling into unforeseen territory, surprising the listener, as in the second track, “7 Fingers”, when the listener first encounters the group’s foray into electronic pulses and blips.

The combination works exceedingly well, as the pieces still develop with a classical framework and the introduction of electronic percussive elements enhances, not diminishes, the listening experience. In other words, the “clicks and cuts” feel as though they are a natural extension of the work and are not forced contrivances that disorient the listener. In “Let My Key Be C”, the opening birdsong chirps reveal a world of looping cello sounds, some of which extend and overtake the listener. Frahm’s piano keys unfurl to create a gelatinous mass of beauty, swirling around the speakers (or headphones for the full experience) before softening and finally, cutting off abruptly, leaving the listener to catch their breath.

For “Because This Must Be/Augmentation”, the centerpiece of the album, Müller and Frahm slow everything down to a crawl that escalates and shocks the listener with a clamor that makes the bones tremble. Shifting into the song’s second movement, the clamor transforms into a rarefied and graceful sequence of phrases elevating an already excellent work into near-perfection.

The album is sequenced in an extraordinary way; alternating between introspective classical pieces and glitchy, propulsive hallucinations creating an all-around, complete listening experience. Recommended!

Review by Michael Vitrano for Fluid Radio

Stash It

www.myspace.com/nilsfrahmannemueller
www.erasedtapes.com