Axel Willner, Stockholm native and sole member of electronic outfit The Field, has a gift for making the most out of the least. His recently released debut, From Here We Go Sublime, deftly exploits the hypnotic potential of musical repetition with little more than a few looping samples and austere techno beats. Though the album’s lack of variation is an acquired taste, each track is pure bliss for the patient of ear.
The concept of Sublime is best expressed in the title track. It begins with two looping, half-second samples that sound like a soul singer with a serious case of the hiccups.
Willner initially keeps them on a tight leash but gradually lets out slack, revealing the track as The Flamingos’ doo-wop classic “I Only Have Eyes For You.” Throughout most of the album, however, he winds the loops into taut, head-bopping grooves that act as the primary source of percussion. To do this the artist often treats his audio slices like silly putty: lots stretching, twisting and even ripping.
Unlike more perfectionist electronic artists, Willner mixes all his music live and refuses to edit it once it is recorded. Sublime benefits from the airy and impromptu feel this process provides, but minor polishing could have smoothed out some of the album’s rough spots. At the 4:48 mark of “Sun and Ice,” for example, Willner’s computer temporarily breaks down, producing an unpleasant crackling sound that briefly consumes the entire track. It’s a kink in an otherwise euphoric piece that should have been removed.
Luckily, such digital snafus are kept to a minimum and Sublime is mostly untouchable. Many will inevitably write the album off as “boring,” but for those of us who allow these tracks to seep into our subconscious, musical enlightenment isn’t that far off.
