Axel Willner |
Sweden's Axel Willner, better known as The Field, is one of minimal techno’s rising stars. His debut full-length From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt) was one of the standout releases of 2007 — and was as lushly beautiful as minimally possible. This Saturday, Willner plays a hotly anticipated live set at Great Scott, featuring a live backing band. Here are two classic tracks from The Field and two by a pair of Kompakt-affiliated artists on a similarly warm and textural tip.
The Field, “A Paw in my Face”
With looped nano-snippets of an AM radio workhorse at its core, this track off of Sublime is pure dancefloor bliss from the get-go. What Willner does here is deceptively simple, but it’s so skillfully executed that not even the big reveal at the song’s climax (the samples are from Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello”) can blunt the buzz of this ethereal dreamscape.
The Field, “Kappsta (vinyl edit)”
This is the track that put The Field on the map, if you will. With its billowing vocal samples and soft padding beats, the lighter-than-air, sweeter-than-cotton-candy “Kappsta” was the hands down highlight of Kompakt’s Pop Ambient 2007 compilation. It is so good it even spawned a sequel, titled “Kappsta 2.” No joke.
Gas, “Zauberberg (edit)”
Willner makes no secret of his abiding affection for the work of Kompakt label head, Wolfgang Voigt (a/k/a Gas, Freiland, Mike Ink, etc.). He draws particular inspiration from Voigt’s seminal late 90s releases as Gas. Long out-of-print, the four Gas LPs have just been reissued in a deluxe box set (see our review). This special edit from 97's Zauberberg will give you a taste of Voigt's almost hallucinogenic take on ambient techno.
Klimek, “For Michael Gira and Vladmir Ivanovich”
As Klimek, Sebastian Meissner (a/k/a Random Industries, Bizz Circuits, etc.) is best known for his aptly titled 2006 album Music to Fall Asleep (Kompakt) and over the years he has made some of the more somnambulant techno this side of blinken and nod. This track from his most recent release, Dedications on Ezekiel Honig's new Anticipate label, is a beautifully cerebral mix of field recordings of shipyards and guitar samples (sourced from Bill Frisell).
Related:
The Field, Gas, Same difference, More
- The Field
Not since Akufen’s “My Way” has an album of microsamples achieved the status of high art.
- Gas
Kompakt label head Wolfgang Voigt re-releases the four discs of his Gas project — long hailed as some of the best albums in ambient techno — along with a double LP of extended material.
- Same difference
"I grew so weary of playing by myself on the laptop. I felt so controlled by the computer."
- Manufactured landscapes
Depending on our mood, most of us seek out albums that coddle our hopes, fears, and concerns; failing that, we want escapism, foreign environments that either take us where we want to be or startle us with the thrill of the new.
- Various Artists | Pop Ambient
It'd be easy to understand a resistance to "ambient" music — beyond all of its unfortunate Enya and dusty Eno connotations.
- Ozma
I wonder whether Ozma didn’t title their new album after their suburban Los Angeles home base as a way of distinguishing themselves from Weezer.
- The tenorist
The scene is typical for a Boston jazz date.
- Still waters
On record, Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers trot between the countrified rock of the Cowboy Junkies and the somber folk of latter-day Neil Young.
- Going on sale: June 8, 2007
St. Vincent + Scout Niblett, Beyoncé + Robin Thicke, Suzanne Vega, Ozzfest, and more.
- F****n’ great
Dennis Brennan isn’t much into blowing his own horn, and any questions about his local-legend status are likely to be met with an embarrassed shrug.
- The Sea and Cake
Few indie bands are as consistent as this one — which means you pretty much know what to expect from a new Sea and Cake disc.
- Less
Topics:
Download
, Entertainment, Music, Electronic Music, More
, Entertainment, Music, Electronic Music, Lionel Richie, Bill Frisell, Michael Gira, Axel Willner, Wolfgang Voigt, Less