About

Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm are the flag bearers for the neo-classical/indie classical/modern classical genre (it’s yet to settle on a proper name). .. Trance Frendz is their fifth release together, and is the music taken from the short film of the same name, in which the two improvise new pieces and eat homemade pizza in Nils Frahm’s flat, which appears to prioritise being a studio above being a home. It’s a charming bit of film, and while the music itself leaves you breathless, it’s very much worth also watching to truly understand just how spontaneously brilliant this album is, considering it was put together between the hours of 8pm and 4am. ..

Despite being a fully improvised LP, the album gains some structural integrity by ending where it began, with a piece for two pianos, with the charming addition of Arnalds delicately humming. It’s an album that gets full marks not due to being a certain amount away from perfection, but because it’s such a feat of improvisation and incorporating elements that many would perceive to be flaws. - Headliner Magazine

“Trance Frendz” is the title of the pair’s newest set (the term “album” is firmly rejected by both Frahm and Arnalds), which features music from an evening of improvisation at Berlin’s Durton Studio. It began as a video session of the two performing an improvised duo, in promotion of a different album titled “Collaborative Works: An Evening with Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm.”

But instead of ending the session after the first take, the two continued to improvise throughout the night, ending up with a number of new pieces written and recorded on the fly, with no overdubs and no edits.

What started as a short promo video quickly turned into a 45-minute studio film titled “Trance Frendz,” and the music was included as a second disc in their “Collaborative Works” album.

Each piece in the set is named after the time in the night when it emerged, with the mood clearly modulating throughout the hours. And yet, the pieces all blur together, unified by the relaxed mood, organic movement, striking intimacy, and genuine honesty behind each one. …

The improvisations are slow-moving and patient, at first led primarily by twinkling piano melodies. But as the night wears on, the delicate piano motives gradually expand to feature growling organ basslines, rumbling drones, and some serious synth.

As the pair continues wandering into the early hours of the morning, the shimmering hum of the piano returns to the forefront with a series of whimsical music-box-worthy melodies, complimented by sweet, subtle vocal humming atop the creaking of antique piano lids and tape recorders. The set comes to a close with soft, hazy piano melodies sparkling amidst a nocturnal calm. …

It’s the perfect soundtrack for a quiet night in with a friend—charming, sincere, organic, and ambient.” – Second Inversion

Watch the studio film, “An Evening with Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm”, below:

About Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm:

“Since 2012 Erased Tapes peers Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm have spent many hours together in their studios across Berlin and Reykjavik, freely improvising and occasionally capturing the music for their fans. The duo's sound is an astoundingly rich, tonally pure example of synth-driven experimentation, conceived and performed by two prolific collaborators.

Ólafur Arnalds is a BAFTA-winning multi-instrumentalist and producer from Iceland. Ólafur is known for his unique mix of strings, piano with loops and edgy beats crossing-over from ambient/electronic to pop. Ólafur was a drummer of hardcore metal bands Fighting Shit and Celestine, as well as others. In 2014 Ólafur announced his electronic debut album under the Kiasmos project with Bloodgroup front man Janus Rasmussen to much acclaim.

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.” – Erased Tapes Records

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