NILS FRAHM: “WHEN I LIKE SOMETHING I WANT TO KNOW WHY; I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE”
“I suppose to challenge it,” we posit to Nils you can’t have true respect for something unless you’re willing Frahm. “Exactly,” he replies. “Exactly.”
It feels good to have Frahm agree with us. Not only because his music is as much part of the What Hi-Fi? test rooms as the light fixtures and furnishings – it’s because he comes across as an expert on whichever topic he is speaking about.
That devilish streak of tinkering with his instrument, which is celebrated on Piano Day, is just symptom of a wider curiosity this composer applies to every part of his life. Even Piano Day cannot be taken at face value when Frahm, who appointed it as the 88th day of the year, discusses its more menacing symbolism.
To celebrate this year, Frahm has released Graz, the first album he recorded for Erased Tapes. This grand piano recording took 12 years to surface and captures a musician at the start of his relationship with his instrument.
What Hi-Fi? We should probably start by congratulating you on getting Erased Tapes finally to release your debut album. Is it as recorded in 2009?
It was recorded in a place with a special set up. It was basically a big studio that has variable acoustics,
