The Field

The Field is the alias of Berlin-based and Kompakt-signed Swedish techno producer Axel Willner. I first began listening to The Field in 2011 and became totally absorbed in his music. I had really never heard anything quite like it. The pulsating, trance-inducing loops, interspersed with usually indecipherable snippets of vocals; the warm, euphoric aura that seems to emanate from every track and envelops the listener; the unexpected back-and-forth switches between loops that seem to be timed so as to cause a sudden weakness in the knees; all of these things sparked an obsession and many sessions of immersive listening. Truly, I thought, The Field has found out how to distill ecstasy into its aural form. The Field live is a slightly different beast. Depending on the quality of the sound system and the general disposition of the crowd, both things that a performer has limited power over, the euphoric heights you reach may vary. It's music that's maybe a bit difficult to properly dance to (people tried) and which demands your attention (some people preferred to continue their conversations). On the whole though, it's an absolute treat to hear this music on a big system, which I think is worth the price of admission alone. Also, The Field has of late incorporated a live band into his set, which adds greatly to the power of the music, in particular having a live drummer. The tracks are slightly different to their album versions, and generally even more drawn out - but for some of us that's a good thing!