Track by track with Axel Willner
Is This Power
“This is the opening track. And it started life at my home studio in Berlin. It was one of the first demo sketches I did, actually. This was the moment where I was like, ‘OK. This is the direction!’ Then all the creativity started flowing.
“Then I took it to the studio in Cologne. Dan Enqvist was playing the bass, me the electronics, and Jesper Skarin on drums. He was playing mostly live. I don’t think Philipp [the recording technician] corrected too much. Here and there, maybe, if it was way out of time with the beats, of course.
“He’s a super tight drummer, though. And he was also playing with me, live. He was doing double kick drum stuff with his foot.
“Then I added drums from the Machinedrum, which was just the classic kick, hi-hat. And maraca. And then everything else is just live cosmetic overhanging, and snares and toms. It has about 15 layers.
“Philipp asked Dan if he could add a Jah Wobble-ish type of bassline to the track, and he did. But he did it as if Eric Avery from Jane’s Addiction was doing it [laughs]. That’s how he was thinking when he did the bassline.”
It’s Up There
“This was a similar setup. It was another early sketch I’d done in the making of the album.
“There’s a lot of different instruments in this. We took it to the studio and added first the drums, then the bass. Then on top of that a lot of synths. I think there is even piano on there, and so on.
“Philipp recorded in Logic. But for me, it depended on what track it was. I was using [Jeskola] Buzz, this old tracker on one track. Then the rest was [Akai] MPC or an [Elektron] Octatrack sampler.
“It’s a very atmospheric track. Very big, but at the same time very small and compressed, and held back, in a way.
“It kind of builds on one theme with tiny little bits that are different
“As The Field I make some kind of ambient techno-ish sample-based landscapes. It’s half dancefloor/half in your head type of music [laughs]. People like to work out to it, and study to it. You can have it on, easily in the background and forgotten about, almost, but still there, you know?
“There are breaking points in there, and tension. It’s not for everyone. Unlike me, who can listen to a tone for a half hour without change [laughs].”
along the way. There are no big changes in the track. It is very static, going on like a machine.
“I was pushing myself. I was seeing how far I could take it without adding too much or changing too much and so on. That’s where that whole style started for me. It’s what I’m doing more and more nowadays, trying to push the limits, until we reach boredom [laughs].”
Burned Out
“This started here in my home studio. It was made in Buzz, that old tracker program. I had switched to a Mac, at that time, and was just running it through there. That’s how I used to make music, before.
Then, like the other tracks, I just brought it down to Cologne and we jammed around it.
“It’s funny – I’m playing drums on it, but it is just like a tom. And Jesper is just playing a ride. We did it at the same time. Then there is also a lot of other instrumentation.
“I also play the EBow, and then there is some bass going on, but that’s me playing it on the [Roland SH] 101. Then both Jesper and Dan are playing piano on it.
“This was very much inspired by old technology and the old way of making film music. Us three together all jamming around makes the music come out like the old style. It felt more like the first Field album, From Here We Go Sublime. More that style of chopping.
“Burning out is a theme I wanted to explore. We’d been touring a lot together. We were playing quite a lot on the side, too. Trying to find the time to travel to Cologne to record was hard. We’d all been playing a lot at that time. Everyone was quite tired.
“I think this track was a soother, you know? A weird lullaby to lull us in.”
Arpeggiated Love
“This was made differently. It was not a sketch that I brought, and then worked on. It was something I made alone in the studio, at home. A completely new track made from leftovers of the other studio sessions in Cologne.
“I did this directly when I came back to Berlin. It took a few days, but I got this running. I was still in that creative state of mind from the sessions before.
“It’s all programmed. Nothing is live, really. It’s more like an old transaction. More like the second Field album, Yesterday And Today. Working more with hardware, and building it like that.
“With a track like this, you build it up and try and see where it can go. It’s more like a feeling. I was in a state of mind to use the bits I had. That made it easy. I was ready to work with them.
“This is the point where I started to really get more interested in polyrhythms and stuff like that. And bouncing stuff differently. Both with the samples, and the obvious kicks and snares.
“I started that approach here, and then that was developed a lot more on the album that came after this, Cupid’s Head.”
Looping State Of Mind
“It’s the title track and it’s very looping, to say the least [laughs]. It also started life right here in my Berlin studio, and then I brought it over to Cologne. And we just added some things on top.
“It’s also a very static kind of track, but one that is also very growing, and growing, and growing. I kind of like riding that crescendo all the way. And just adding more and more little nuances and touches and tiny melodies here and there. There’s no sampling going on, except for the core of the track. So, live drums, live bass, and the synths.
“I’ve always liked static music and looping stuff a lot. It has, of course, a very hypnotic effect. Which is not also for everyone, but I like it a lot. It’s kind of my own taste. You know? You make music a lot for yourself, too. That’s most important, that you like it, also.
“This music can also play tricks on the mind. You can hear things that maybe aren’t there, or are there… The power of loops [laughs].
“I’m always seeing how far I can go. Where I can take it. In a direction where I’m really stretching it, kind of. It’s really holding on the crescendo, more or less, for the whole track. It starts very minimal then it’s – Bang! And it keeps on going like that for a good ten minutes [laughs].”
Then It’s White
“This was made completely differently because it was made directly there in the studio. It was just me, jamming around with ideas.
“I did a sample of some kind on the Octatrack and Dan started to jam around it. I was just like, ‘Wow. This is something nice. Let’s build something out of this.’
“There’s some super weird instrumentation in this. So you have the Octatrack, a double bass, piano, vibraphone [laughs]. And drum machines and stuff like that.
“It was literally made in the moment, there! Not even planned. It just happened.
“We just looked at each other and added things. It kept on going. Then the third person would be like, ‘Oh. What are you doing?’
Then add something. It was nothing planned.
“It is a bit different, this track, to the rest of the album, but it worked really well. We just kept it like it is, and it fit into the album in its own way.
“There are little bits of a vocal sample in there. We didn’t really want the vocal to be understood.
It’s kind of hilarious when you read what people thought it was saying.
“It is so chopped. So, I think you can make it say what you want it to say in your head.”
“I’M ALWAYS SEEING HOW FAR I CAN GO. WHERE I CAN TAKE IT”
Sweet Slow Baby
“More or less every album is the same, as in it ends on a ballad. It has been a thread in my albums, so far. I still like to close an album with this type of track.
“I also made this, here, by myself, alone in the studio. I went about it the usual way, chopping up samples in the Octatrack. I think I was a little more comfortable with the Octatrack then, than earlier. Some time had passed, and I’d got into it a little bit more.
“Besides that I also played an electric bass on it. Then added a drum machine, and some sweeping synths.
“The drums stagger in this, but that’s the sample and how it was kind of chopped. It’s just a 4/4 kick underneath that makes the wonky rhythm.
“It’s a nice track to end on. Overall, for me at least, it’s a very positive album. It’s a good mood. And, of course, when I think back to it, it gives me a lot of great memories.”
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
For all his latest news, views, and remix work, follow Axel’s Twitter account: twitter.com/ thefield_axel