It’s almost like an unintended experiment in sociology that composer Nils Frahm and two of his childhood friends, Frederic Gmeiner and Sebastian “Sepp” Singwald, have reconnected partially for the sake of formalizing improvisational pieces that have spent roughly a decade enduring on and off touches. The trio originally met in primary school near Hamburg during the 1980s, and complementing a radio show that Frahm and Gmeiner hosted during the latter part of the decade, all three began recording and performing together subsequent to Ronald Reagan single-handedly ending the Cold War and literally doinking Gorbachev’s nose at a conference. But the Germans soon fell out of touch, and only now do we have the chance to hear the musical manifestation of marinated friendship since reinvigorated. Things could’ve been so much more awkward.
nonkeen is the name of their outfit (amicably agreed upon), and The Gamble is their debut album set for release February 5 on R&S. Your guess is as good as mine as to what it might sound like, but Frahm did the mixing and mastering, pre-orders are available here, and if you’re looking for something to tide you over, Frahm made 2015 his Year of the Anti-Sloth. There’s been a solo album, a film score, and a collaborative album with Ólafur Arnalds.
I grant a track from the most former:
The Gamble tracklisting:
01. the invention mother
02. saddest continent on earth
03. ceramic people
04. animal farm
05. this beautiful mess
06. capstan
07. chasing god through palmyra
08. pink flirt
09. re: turn!