Stare Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm

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Info for Stare

Erased Tapes label mates Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm record and mix their first collaborative record between Reyjkjavík and Berlin as a surprise release for label founder Robert Raths.

There are some releases that warrant a blind purchase based on the artist, label and an assured confidence that the music within will hit all the right buttons.

The Stare EP is one of these and marks Record Store Day plus the 5th birthday of Erased Tapes – a label that has pretty much continuously delivered high quality emotionally tinged music in the organic meets electronic sphere and is a perennial favourite of this writer. There's a touching story behind the release as both artists worked secretly together on the project in Berlin and Iceland before delivering a fully mastered record with finished artwork to Robert Raths, the founder of Erased Tapes, as a surprise 5th anniversary present – a heart warming tale highlighting the strong community feel surrounding the label.

But what of the music? Well – it was never going to disappoint was it....

Opener 'a1' extracts the finest emotional moments from both artists with delicate keys, looped strings and organic effects. The introduction of a soaring arpeggio almost steals the show before a wonderfully sublime warm pad and bass progression wraps around pulsing rhythms and the sound of hundreds of ambient musicians unplugging their kit wondering why they bother.

'a2' is a touch more reduced and elusive but no less beautiful and touching – building softly droning strings around a gently distorted lead whilst 'b2' hangs twinkling melodic work for a good four minutes, slowly developing until a reverb heavy kick drum beats out a moody pace and a guest appearance from Anne Muller on cello conjures up dead of night sensibilities....

Ólafur Arnalds, keyboards, production
Nils Frahm, keyboards, production

Ólafur Arnalds
Born in 1986, Ólafur hails from the suburban Icelandic town of Mosfellsbær, just a few kilometres outside of Reykjavík. He has immersed himself completely in a world of delicate symphonic compositions generating near weightless orchestral pieces. Arnalds explores the crossover from classical to pop by mixing chamber strings and piano with discreet electronics which makes him a perfect fit for cinematic music label Erased Tapes. His motivations are clear: 'The classical scene is kind of closed to people who haven't been studying music all their lives. I would like to bring my classical influence to the people who don't usually listen to this kind of music…open people's minds.'

Through relentless touring and determination this young artist has steadily gained recognition worldwide since his 2007 debut 'Eulogy for Evolution'. His 2008 follow-up EP ‘Variations of Static’ earned Ólafur acclaim from both the contemporary and classical field – transcending a traditional divide. He has sold out some of the world’s most renowned music venues including Barbican Hall in London and has been awarded ‘Best Live Session of 2008’ by BBC Radio 1 presenter Gilles Peterson.

Over the past eighteen months Arnalds has advanced from a former support-act for Sigur Rós to an internationally respected artists in his own right. In April 2009 Arnalds created the 7 song series 'Found Songs' – recording a song a day for 7 days and instantly making each track available via Twitter and the official Erased Tapes website with over 300.000 people downloading for free.

December 2009 saw the release of Ólafur’s contemporary dance score 'Dyad 1909', commissioned by the award-winning choreographer Wayne McGregor. The dance piece, inspired by Shackleton’s South Pole premiered at the Sadler’s Wells theatre in October 2009 and became a much talked about 5-nights of live music, dance and visuals. BBC Four, the ITV1 South Bank Show and Arte TV Europe broadcasted 'Dyad 1909' on primetime television. In March 2010 he embarked on his first ever China Tour, which included sold-out shows in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing, and a live webcast watched by thousands of fans all round the world.

Ólafur Arnalds' second full-length album '...and they have escaped the weight of darkness', continues his mission to lure an indie-generation of pop and rock fans into an emotive world of beguiling electronic chamber music and delicate classical arrangements. The sense of an organic crossover recording is reinforced by the involvement of co-producer Barði Jóhannsson of eccentric pop/rock/electronica-formation Bang Gang. Those expecting a mere continuation of the minimal melancholia of his previous albums are in for a surprise, as the record may be the most uplifting and richly orchestrated work of his career.

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’. 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.

Now Nils returns with his new album ‘Spaces’ expressing Frahm’s love for experimentation and answering the call from his fans for a record that truly reflects what they have witnessed during his concerts.

This album contains no booklet.