LATE NIGHT TALES: NILS FRAHM

As with the majority of the Late Night Tales mix CDs, German composer/pianist Nils Frahm's volume isn't a beatmatched DJ mix attempting to emulate a night out at a dance club, but rather a dreamlike sound collage highlighting inspirations and favorite items in the artist's record collection. Frahm takes a more surrealist bent than other contributors to the series, throwing in selections from his 78-rpm recording collection, layering in spoken word and classical pieces, and slowing down Boards of Canada by accident, but leaving it in because it sounds even more mysterious. Frahm starts the collection by jokingly covering John Cage's eternal think piece "4'33"," but instead of four-and-a-half minutes of silence, he constructs a gentle, slowly paced piano melody, adding some delicate feedback toward the end. Dubby electronic tracks from System and Rhythm & Sound sit alongside jazz masterpieces by Miles Davis and Nina Simone, and a 1932 recording of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" (as well as a field recording of a friend's cat purring) lighten up the mood. The album ends with a chilling short story told by Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who concludes it by stating "You have been listening to Late Night Tales, music and stories worth staying up for," providing a fitting end to this immersive hour-long dream sequence. ~ Paul Simpson