Although just under 30, self-taught pianist Nils Frahm has gained world-wide recognition for his delicate, yet fascinatingly dynamic, improvisational style of playing. He’s not afraid of starting with a brusque hammering of the piano keyboard and keeping that up for quite some time, until suddenly the underlying composition starts to show and may suddenly turn into an utterly moving, melancholic composition.
By recording his playing from the inside, the squeaking and groaning of the piano mechanism accompanying the bright piano notes has become one of his trademarks.
“Felt“, his latest release, is perfectly in line with its predecessors Wintermusik andThe Bells, but it’s balance is even more mature.
Why “Felt“? Well obviously:
“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.”
This may suggest that there’s only calm late-night compositions on this album, but that’s not quite the case…there’s also enough of the characteristic Frahm-hammering to keep you awake.
By staying away from traditional conventions and keeping true to his own original style, Nils Frahm has become one of the important musical icons of the current scene. Impressive.
Nils Frahm – Familiar