Streichelfisch (Remastered 2022) Nils Frahm

• 1Anfangtastisch (Remastered 2022)01:14
• 2Lagrimagua (Remastered 2022)05:42
• 3Morning Bliss (Remastered 2022)03:52
• 4Streichelfisch (Remastered 2022)04:06
• 5Lieb Erlassen (Remastered 2022)04:17
• 6Halm (Remastered 2022)04:16
• 77x1/8 (Remastered 2022)04:43
• 8No-w-here (Remastered 2022)06:15
• 9Aparaquasynthe (Remastered 2022)05:51
• Total Runtime40:16

Info for Streichelfisch (Remastered 2022)

Nils Frahm’s ‘Streichelfisch’ is one of three albums of rare early recordings, many of which have been unobtainable for years, some of which have never been released at all, and none of which have ever appeared on streaming services. All the three records of early works reveal a fascinating glimpse into an era of Frahm’s work known until now only to diehard and longstanding fans. Though he first enjoyed success with 2011’s ‘Felt’ and the following year’s ‘Screws’, both performed on solo piano – which he’d studied throughout his youth – the instrument played no part in his early recording career. ‘Streichelfisch’ returns to vinyl for the first time since its original 2005 pressing.

Frahm’s first physical release ever, ‘Streichelfisch’ was originally pressed in a limited edition of 500 vinyl copies. Though it showcased his blossoming talents as a creator of intricate, exquisite soundscapes, few of the records flew out of stores. “I wasn’t playing shows, and I couldn’t play the material live” he remembers. “We had no promotion campaign at all, and it took us over ten years to sell them. I’d moved to Berlin just as it came out and I’d bring three copies to one record shop, then one month later they’d have sold one and still have two, so I’d get €7. We started giving them away to friends for free. Nobody cared about it, nobody wrote about it, but at least I had a copy. For me that was the most important thing…”

All the three albums of early works reveal a fascinating glimpse into an era of Frahm’s work known until now only to diehard and longstanding fans. Though he first enjoyed success with 2011’s ‘Felt’ and the following year’s ‘Screws’, both performed on solo piano – which he’d studied throughout his youth – the instrument played no part in his early recording career. “I just couldn’t get it loud enough,” he explains. “To play with my friends in a band I needed more volume, and it’s easier with a keyboard, a Fender Rhodes, these types of things. So, the piano became more of a studying thing. I just didn’t feel like playing it for fun.”

Instead, aged 19, he and his friend Fredric Gmeiner (with whom he plays in Nonkeen) attempted to set up a PC so he could make music in a makeshift studio at Frahm’s home in Hamburg, where he grew up. Inspired by late 20th century acts like To Rococo Rot, Murcof, and Mouse On Mars, Frahm immersed himself in electronica, and was particularly impressed by English producer Matthew Herbert. “When I saw him live it blew me away,” he recalls. “He made me want to get better, because I had little knowledge about computers and samplers and things. So, all these pieces are basically me experimenting with new possibilities.”

"Streichelfisch" – recorded between 2002 and 2005, and originally released by Atelier Musik, the label his friend Arne Römer set up especially for the purpose – will prove a revelation for those who believe Frahm only began integrating a wider array of instrumentation into his work with 2013’s ‘Spaces’. Nonetheless, the composer reminds us, “Herbert said you can’t sample stuff, you can’t use pre-set sounds, so I didn’t do that.” ‘Electric Piano’, meanwhile, was recorded in a single night of improvisations soon after Frahm relocated to Berlin. It finds him, again at Römer’s encouragement, taking his first steps back towards his original instrument, performing alone at the titular keyboard. The experience would prove crucial to Frahm’s subsequent decision to return to the piano, and each of these three albums offers a vivid, enlightening and compelling insight into his development as an artist. Nils Frahm

Digitally remastered

Nils Frahm
was born in 1982 and from a very young age, he really enjoyed piano lessons, amongst others those given by Nahum Brodski, one of Tchaikowsky ́s last pupils. In his early days he also discovered Keith Jarrett ́s epochal improvisational music and the boundary-pushing musical worlds of the exceptional label ECM. Classical and jazz music have since become equal sources of inspiration for the pianist, alongside minimalist music and pop.

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, 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.

In 2013 Nils Frahm released his first music book, entitled 'Sheets Eins'. Nils is currently on his worldwide 'Spaces Tour 2014'.

This album contains no booklet.