Nils Frahm reminds us that he's one of the most inventive composers of the modern era

22 February 2018, 10:00 | Written by Jack Dutton

(News)

(Nils Frahm)

"The pipe organ is a bit more uplifting sounding than my other instruments. You need that in depressing countries like England and Germany," joked Nils Frahm, introducing the protagonist of tonight’s show at The Barbican. "Think of it as a South American holiday experience at the Barbican."

Frahm said that he initially regretted spending money on the organ, but then he learnt to like it. It helped form the basis of his seventh album, All Melody, which features an eclectic mix of pianos, synths, strings, tympanis, bass marimbas, and of course pipe organs, and it seemed that Frahm had brought almost all of the instruments along with him to the show in an elaborate stage set up.

He began by playing several songs off All Melody, with highlights being the pulsating techno of "Sunson" and the eerie wordless vocals of "Human Range". Frahm quickly segued between the album’s title track and "#2" with some intricately layered electronic keyboards and rhodes, moving around the stage making sure each instrument was getting its fair share of attention.

Save an occasional muffled cough in the background, the rest of room was silent during the songs, allowing some of the noises of the instruments that weren’t notes to shine through and add depth to the songs. This was especially apparent on the more simple, piano-based tracks such as “My Friend The Forest” and “Ode”, where you could hear sounds in between the notes being played, such as the gentle change of the keys, which sounded amazing rebounding off the wooden panels on the wall of the Barbican Hall.

This show marked a strong return to the Barbican for Frahm, after spending two years locked away in a 1950s DIY studio in Berlin recording All Melody. Hearing the album live for the first time reminded us that Frahm is one of the most inventive classical and electronic composers of modern times.

Setlist: