It is easy to get lost in Nils Frahm’s soundscapes. Frahm’s music across 10 albums in 15 years merges the 38-year-old German artist’s train...
It is easy to get lost in Nils Frahm’s soundscapes. Frahm’s music across 10 albums in 15 years merges the 38-year-old German artist’s training in classical piano with his fondness for analog synthesisers and ambient field recordings. The effect moves from being tranquil to hypnotic and back as can be seen in the MUBI release Tripping with Nils Frahm.
Directed by Benoil Toulemonde, the 87-minute concert film captures Frahm performing at the Funkhaus Berlin. These performances were part of his 2018 tour to support the album All Melody. Frahm’s work in cinema includes the scores for the single-take German thriller Victoria and French photographer JR’s short film Ellis.
Frahm’s music has been variously described as neo-classical, ambient, and even just “music to work to”. He doesn’t mind: “I sometimes listen to Miles Davis or John Coltrane in the middle of work, not paying attention although they are masters, but it is the atmosphere they create that I like.” What about Dance Music for the Brain? Frahm approves. Excerpts from an interview.
You are really good at figuring out the pulse of your audiences and improvising accordingly in ‘Tripping With Nils Frahm’ as well as other live performances.
I’m really inspired by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. For him, the...
