Martin Kohlstedt, German composer, pianist and electronic music producer returns with a new album ‘Feld’, which is set to be released in spring 2023. ‘Feld’, which means ‘field’ in German, carries in it the sonic vastness that its name suggests with cutting-edge electronica production intermingling with analogue and acoustic approaches ranging from classical piano and ambient to score design in an effortless way. And then there’s the openness brought by actual field recordings, capturing everything from gusting winds to breaking waves. The title also hints at an escape outside, an idea that mirrors Kohlstedt’s own creative process on the album; following a period spent withdrawn, the composer suddenly felt a strong urge to externalise feelings and ideas that had been brewing within him. “Never before have I had so much on my mind,” he says. The result of that musical purge is his richest album to date. One which works as a living body, a movie with an immersive, captivating story and yet every piece is abundant with character and stands out as a complete, individual scene in itself.
While Flur, the predecessor with its focus on the piano, was a conscious decision towards pausing and a moment of introversion and calm thought, ‘Feld’ is brimming with energy. The album’s dynamic opening piece, ‘LUV’, sets the story straight into motion. Rather than an introduction, ‘LUV’ already feels like a departure, picking up force in a crescendo of synths washing like ever-bigger waves. “‘LUV’ was created intuitively, just as I would loop it live,” says Kohlstedt. The process was visceral with the track recorded as a one-take without any “tinkering” after. It set the standard for what Kohlstedt was determined to achieve in the entirety of the album: assert the creative power of spontaneity and intuition.
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