The Field @ Studio B - Fri Jun 06, 2008

Four Tet wasn't there and it was great

I have been listening to Four Tet's music for a while now and so I was very excited of finally seeing him live, but I got an email during the week telling me that the guy was sick, or one of his relatives, and that he decided to cancel the show. He cancelled his show but the night was not cancelled. The Field was opening and even though I had already been dissapointed with his live show I went to see him again. I went mainly because I read online that he actually was going to play with a band, and if you have heard the great From Here We Go Sublime, then that at least should make you curious.


The Field sounded very very good. What a difference with last time I saw him. Really, there was good energy floating in the air. On stage he had something that looked like a very complicated mixer and sequencer, a guy on real drums, bass guitar played by the same guy and sometimes by Axel himself, and a guy on what seemed to be a Rolland.

He played pretty much the same stuff as last time I saw him. Some songs off From Here, some songs of a new EP he recently put out, and the moving remix of Annie's Heartbeat. The best moment of the show was reached when he played The Little Heart Beats So Fast and Everday... I couldn't keep the excitement those two songs were giving me and join the few people dancing on the next to the floor. The Field's music is ambiguous to me... I don't know if I want to chill with it or dance it like in a rave. Last Friday I did both and it felt good. I hope he keeps touring with a band and develop his sound around it. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♫

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

The Field Links: Official Website, Wikipedia, MySpace, at Kompakt Records

The Field @ Studio B - Jul 18, 2007

☺

Last night everything seemed to be out of place. By the time I got to Studio B, the venue was having problems with lights and sound on the main floor and I guess that was the cause for The Field to take the stage at 1:25 am on a Wednesday evening. I guess nobody there had to wake up early the next morning.

The first thing I did was to buy a Brooklyn lager, my new favorite beer. When I got it (6 dollars!@?#@) I remembered reading somewhere that it was also Axel Willner's new favorite beer. So I was looking forward to drink the same beer the guy I went to see was going to drink... you know and say hey you like "Brooklyn! Cheers!" later while playing or something. Never happened. Alex, aka The Field, was having Stella... and lots of it!


Dude started playing the excellent From Here We Go Sublime, the only really chill song on his debut (and wonderful!) album, titled as the song. I guess if you are reading this, you've heard the album already and the sample by The Flamingos that song contains... it's cool, and live, it's funny, cause everybody makes a face of yeah, right, I know what that is...

Then he played Sun & Ice. I am also sure you have noticed the mistake he made while recording live that song... well he made a mistake like that live too. Obviously, on purpose. He turned his face up to us taking it away from his computer two seconds like looking surprised for what just happened... then he had a sip of the third Stella he had next to his deck. He was sweating.


He was sweating not for being nervous or for dancing much to his music. He was sweating cause the f*cking AC wasn't working! We must have liked this guy's music a lot to have stayed there all the time. It was hot, and he had nothing else to do but to have his usual every two minute sip, and I followed too... well not every two minutes cause I bought only one Brooklyn the whole night.

The Field's music is not about dancing. It's a beautiful minimal techno full of samples, but I insist, it is not really for dancing. He did try to make us move tho. He played for us his old remix of Annie's Heartbeat and his new remix of the also great Hera by Gui Boratto plus several killer songs of his Sublime, like Over the Ice, The Little Heart Beats So Fast (full of all those fake vocals he likes), Everyday, and A Paw In My Face. Right, so Willner played almost all his debut. It was impressive to see him work on his songs live, with his software, from scratch, and deliver them so clean and armonic to us.


But I wanted more. I don't know, it felt so short and I think it never reached a peak. He only played like 50 minutes and I was tired. Anyways, there was a lack of energy either not coming out from me, the crowd, or possibly him, that was supposed to be there last night.

The show finished and he had to go to the bathroom to pee... too many Stellas. I think he had a good time... maybe, I should have had more Brooklyns. [photos of the show]

♫♫♫♪

Were you at the show? How did you like it?

The Field Links: Stream From Here We Go Sublime, MySpace, Official Website, Kompakt Records