Nils Frahm: when the piano comes alive
- Is life an inspiration to make music or is music inspiration to live?
>I once said, the music i am playing inspires my life and the life i am living inspires my music< - What would you do if there wouldn’t be music, starting with tomorrow?
>i would try to find a real job.< - …and what if you had to produce in a different music genre? What would that be?
>old fashioned jazz< - The beauty of silence or the chaos of noises?
>beauty of silence< - What’s your favourite album ever?
>steve reich “music for 18 musicians”< - …and your favourite album cover? (click on the picture for larger size)
>Tortoise “TNT”<
- Is there some music you like – but ashamed to admit it?
>i like a lot of dorky music but i am never ashamed to admit it< - If you could be a rock star, who would you be?
>frank sinatra was a rockstar?< - Do you have a role model?
>i love the work of manfred eicher the initiator of ECM records< - Who would you like to meet the most?
>myself as an old man< - What are your favourite movies?
>adaptation, edward scissorhands and groundhog day< - If you had to direct your own movie, how would it look like?
>it would go for black and white, then i wouldn’t need to think of all the colors. my actors would smoke a lot.< - Who would you like to collaborate with the most and why?
>mark hollis singing, me on the piano? that would be wonderful.< - Is there a band/music genre you can’t stand listening to?
>no, actually i think there are pearls in any obscure/awful genre. but it is pretty hard to find them in german folk music.< - What’s your (original) profession?
>i wish i had one< - What’s your next plan music-wise?
>i want to sing (one day)< - Which language would you like to speak most and why?
>portugese, because i think it sounds pretty.< - How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
>nils is not always mellow< - What are your vices?
>i got a sweet tooth or two…< - What is the most unusual comment anyone has ever made about you?
i don’t like his mustache but this guy is dope (last.fm) - The best moment in your life?
>finishing school< - What does beauty mean to you?
>a cat on my knees< - What would you do today if the world would end tomorrow?
>stop complaining< - Which places you love the most?
>a forrest in autumn, the west coast, and the spot in front of my piano< - What’s your favourite food?
>everything what is cooked with bravery and love< - What’s your favourite flavour?
>basil, mint, sage< - Three things you could never get rid of?
>88 keys, my bike and my coffee machine< - Your three favourite websites?
- http://art.klaus-frahm.de/ (my fathers homepage)
- http://www.jazz-on-line.com/ (a jazz anthology of old 78 rpm records)
- http://www.localdistance.org/ (wonderful art project of my friends)
- What’s your favourite picture about yourself? (click on the picture for larger size)
- What’s your most favourite picture you made? (click on the picture for larger size)
- What is the question you always would have liked to be asked but nobody ever did?
>is this kind of a hard interview to do?< - Is this kind of a hard interview to do?
>yes, this is kind of a hard interview to do, but i love it!<
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. Today Nils Frahm works as an accomplished composer and producer in Berlin..
For a musician this early in his career, Frahm displays an incredibly developed sense of control and restraint in his work, catching the ear of many fans including Thom Yorke, who featured the opening song ‘Ambre’ in Radiohead’s HQ stereo playlist. As the recognition continues to grow for his previous solo piano works ‘Wintermusik’ and ‘The Bells’, we are pleased to announce that winter 2010/11 will see his next album release on Erased Tapes.
A tantalising taste of what’s to come, ‘Unter | Über’ is a rather microscopic affair and yet a record that perfectly captures the last days of summer before winter sets in. The under two-minute song twins must be one of the shortest singles released this year. Recorded on Nils’ own piano in his Berlin studio flat, these are two of the most personal and optimistic pieces of music we have heard in a long time. Entwined impeccably these are tracks you can listen to over and over again.
‘Unter’ received a remix by Dutch experimental music maverick Rudger Zuyderveldt aka Machinefabriek. The A-Side also inspired German filmmaker Ralph Etter to take his camera with him out on a field and shoot a stunningly simplistic video of barley flowing in the wind. Both, the remix and this entrancing piece of cinematography will accompany ‘Unter’ and ‘Über’ on their digital release, out August 23rd, 2010. You can order it HERE.
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