AXEL WILLNER GOES ALL LOOPY AT ASAGIRI JAM IN 2009

AXEL WILLNER GOES ALL LOOPY AT ASAGIRI JAM IN 2009

Axel Willner, a.k.a. The Field, comes across as a man who is never happy with his own work.

The Swedish electronic artist first debuted on Kompakt with the EP “Things Keep Falling Down” in 2005, after the uber cool Cologne label plucked his demo out of a pile of young techno hopefuls from all over Europe.

Another 12-inch and a string of remixes later, he dazzled the musical powers that be with “From Here We Go Sublime,” a hypnotic fusion of 4/4 beats heavily layered with dozens of fragmented nanosamples that are chopped up, looped and twisted in every direction imaginable. Lionel Richie’s “Hello” forms the base element of one track, as do songs by Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac. The album is in many ways the perfect marriage of techno and ambient, and, understandably, tour requests came thick and fast.

But Willner wasn’t satisfied.

The isolation of touring by himself frustrated him and so he brought in two live musicians – bassist Dan Enqvist and multi-instrumentalist Andreas Soderstrom, who has since been replaced by drummer Jesper Skarin – to join him, a decision that ultimately spawned 2009’s “Yesterday & Today.” Although the album certainly didn’t generate the same sort of unconditional love that gushed from fans after Willner’s debut, reviewers were quick to highlight its crossover potential, with elements of Krautrock and shoegaze adding to the vintage trance-tinged sounds he was able to manipulate on his laptop in his earlier body of work.

Japan was even fortunate enough to host The Field later that year, when Willner & Co. delivered a stonking set on the Moon Shine stage at Asagiri Jam.

But Willner still wasn’t satisfied, and thus decided to change direction again on last year’s “Looping State Of Mind.” Gone are the eggs-over-easy 6 a.m. dancefloor Legend B moments referenced in earlier tracks such as “Everday.” Instead, Willner returned to his loop roots, adding layer upon layer of arpeggiated samples onto each track to create an intelligent symphony of distant drones and swirling synths underpinned by an unrelenting bassline. It’s an impressive effort, with nods to deep house, cosmic techno, shoegaze and dream pop.

All of which makes me wonder just what to expect from The Field at Fuji Rock in 2012. Anyone yearning for an extensive trip down memory lane is likely to be disappointed, although there’s no reason why The Field won’t reproduce a couple of Willner’s breakout solo numbers in a live setting. But Willner’s overall philosophy toward music has changed and, as evidenced by the YouTube clip below of “It’s Up There,” the three-piece outfit is now offering live audiences compositions that are far more organic in nature. And what better setting could The Field have to conjure up such audio magic than the lush natural surroundings of Naeba Ski Resort?

So go see The Field for a picnic basket of organic grooves that will completely readjust your notions of linear time and space. Just remember to shut the sensory gate behind you…

The Field play at the Red Marquee on Friday.

*Photo by Hiroshi Maeda and used with the permission of Smashing Mag.

Asagiri Jam, Japan (2009)

“It’s Up There,” Paris (2011)