Nils Frahm with special guest Marcus Fischer live at Classic Pianos

Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm is already a firebrand in the modern classical world, collaborating with contemporaries such as Ólafur Arnalds, Peter Broderick and Efterklang. Known for his unconventional approach to an age-old instrument, Frahm's contemplative, intimate approach has won him many fans around the world including Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet.

He is soon to embark on a 9fingers Tour named after his recent thumb injury, through North America. Despite his fears, Frahm decided to embrace his demons and record a 'Song for 9 fingers', which you can stream here, as personal motivation and a message of optimism to his American fans:

'This is my new Django Reinhardt way of doing it. Or, in case you break your left thumb, you can still perform this.'

Nils's piano live playing is mostly improvised as he likes to keep things free. His roots are in rock and electronic music which influence his live performances as he is a bit of a rebel. He plays with one hand on the grand or upright piano, the other on a Fender Rhodes or Juno synthesiser, creating a hypnotic and intimate experience.