About

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. - Nils Frahm

“Felt is a humble little masterpiece, an exploration of the tiny dark corners, the cracks in the concrete from which grass and the occasional flower appear. When Frahm is playing his piano, we hear the piano as beautifully and clearly as we would if he wasn’t dampening the sound, but he offers hints as to just how quiet that piano is by accentuating just how loud the rest of the room is. The felt itself is an additional instrument, a scrape of percussion as each key is played and released. It is the piano whispering to the listener, telling secrets beyond the tale that Frahm has composed. The creak and thump of the pedal is audible, as is the sound of Frahm shifting ever so slightly in his seat.” - PopMatters

About Nils Frahm:Erased Tapes Records

“Nils Frahm had an early introduction to music. During his childhood he was taught to play piano. 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 from his Berlin-based Durton Studio. His unconventional approach to an age-old instrument, played contemplatively and intimately, has won him many fans around the world. 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.

As the recognition continues to grow for his previous solo piano works 'Wintermusik' (2009) and ‘The Bells’ (2009), 2011 saw the release of his critically acclaimed record 'Felt' on Erased Tapes Records. The album was followed by the solo synthesiser EP 'Juno' and 'Screws' (2012) – a birthday gift to his fans he recorded while recovering from a thumb injury. Nils released his follow up to Juno titled 'Juno Reworked' (2013) with guest reworks by Luke Abbott and Clark.

Nils returned with his new album 'Spaces' in 2013 to much critical acclaim, expressing his love for experimentation and answering the call from his fans for a record that truly reflects what they have witnessed during his concerts. Nils Frahm also released his first music book, entitled 'Sheets Eins' in this year.

In 2015 Nils announced Piano Day. An official body created by Nils and his closest friends to celebrate the piano and to house various and exciting, piano-related projects. The first project revealed by the Piano Day team is the building of what will be world’s tallest piano: the Klavins 450.” – Erased Tapes Records

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