With Spaces he goes one further – successfully channelling the chills of an actual performance, and making a genuine connection with his listener even in recorded form.
These very much sound like live performances, and they're all the better for it. Short of seeing him in concert, Spaces is as close as you'll get to hearing Frahm at his best.
That’s the achievement of Spaces: not simply to replicate the music of Frahm’s concerts, divine though it is, but to evoke the events’ communal intimacy.
If, by chance, Spaces happens to be the very first record which you pick up by Nils Frahm, I must proclaim to be extremely jealous – you have a beautiful and highly rewarding journey ahead of you, my friend.
Spaces demonstrates a prodigious, world-class talent that shines through regardless of format or circumstance.
The variety of Frahm's career is captured with selective care, but Spaces' true achievement is transcending the summary nature of live records.
While Frahm often embraces imperfections so that his music avoids becoming sterile and lifeless, his spontaneity is best captured in performance, making Spaces the ideal place to start with the prolific artist.
Spaces is in turn haunting, energizing and overwhelmingly emotive, and a must-have for fans of the young German pianist, whether or not they've caught him live yet.
On Spaces there's a power that Frahm hasn't always been able to capture in his recorded work. But the overriding feel is one of joy at listening to a performer demonstrating the infinite elasticity of sound.
In the end, Spaces is still a wonderful document of the powerful force that Nils Frahm is as a performer. At the same time, the album in some ways seems like a missed opportunity.
Spaces is an album that I've recently been listening on different settings and I'm enjoying all of them.
From sad walks in the city, to lying in bed about to fall asleep, to making this dumb presentation about this dumb theme, to maybe just casually listening whenever I have the time. And it always makes the situation slightly better.
This is a project by a very talented man that can create truly spacious soundscapes with his keyboard. It's simple, and simple can be good. But it's not so ... read more
Frahm’s set of live recordings “Spaces” is a beautiful ambient/electronic project with the usual classical embellishments laced in as well. I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve heard from this guy, however I’m yet to find that wow moment with a project of his.
Standout: For-Peter-Toilet Brushes-More
Favs: Familiar, Hammers, Said and Done, Unter-Tristana-Ambre, Says
Least fav: Ross’s Harmonium
I'm so happy I randomly decided to check this out. I was looking for some ambient ECM jazz as background music to catch up with some reading, and I've seen the high ratings, so I gave this a try.
Spaces is a collection of live performances carefully stitched together by German composer and producer, Nils Frahm. Most of the tracks are beautifully composed neoclassical piano pieces with a jazzy flair. Said and Done is a ten-minute adventure, with a constant staccato keeping a demanding rythm. In ... read more
Conceptually this album is phenomenal. The detailed attention given to the creative development from start to finish has soared a unique hand picked sequence of recorded live shows around the world. The synthesis of classical piano tones and electronic medians left no stylistic choice un-used. A deep exploration of soulful sound, allowed to breathe in intricate hypnotic and progressive formats that yield profound emotions... "Says" being the most climatic.
Nils Frahm's live selection, released in 2013. Out of 30 live performances in 2012 and 2013, 11 songs were selected with existing songs and 6 songs with unreleased songs. According to a brief introduction and greeting for his album, some of the live performances were recorded with old portable reel recorders and cassette tape decks, and he left a message that he hoped the album would be accepted as a field recording project rather than a normal live album, containing his favorite take among ... read more
1 | An Aborted Beginning 1:34 | 87 |
2 | Says 8:18 | 99 |
3 | Said and Done 9:39 | 95 |
4 | Went Missing 4:59 | 88 |
5 | Familiar 5:38 | 96 |
6 | Improvisation for Coughs and a Cell Phone 6:44 | 88 |
7 | Hammers 3:48 | 84 |
8 | For - Peter - Toilet Brushes - More 16:49 | 96 |
9 | Over There, It's Raining 3:07 | 96 |
10 | Unter - Tristana - Ambre 11:43 | 82 |
11 | Ross's Harmonium 3:51 | 83 |
#6 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#11 | / | Resident Advisor |
#18 | / | Drowned in Sound |
#124 | / | Under the Radar |