Axel Willner is a Swedish electronic music producer and DJ from Stockholm and currently based in Berlin, best known for his releases as The Field, blending micro-samples of pop songs into atmospheric minimal techno.
Contents
History
Born in southern Sweden, Willner spent his formative years living in Stockholm and (for a brief time) Lisbon. As a teenager he studied at a formal music academy but cited groups like Misfits and Dead Kennedys as inspiration to pick up the guitar and play in punk bands.
Willner became enamored with the burgeoning electronic music scene in the mid-1990s. He started playing drone and Warp-influenced IDM in Stockholm venues with friend Ola Keijer (alias Ola K) as duo Speedwax. Beginning in the early 2000s, Willner produced guitar-based ambient music using multiple pseudonyms (Lars Blek, Porte, Cordouan, James Larsson) through his own Garmonbozia label, and performed alongside fellow Swedish musicians such as Andreas Tilliander, Sarah Nyberg Pergament (alias Action Biker), and longtime friend Johan Skön.
Willner began recording music under The Field moniker in 2003 as a platform to combine his early affinity for pop artists like Lionel Richie, Kate Bush, and The Four Tops with a myriad of more recent influences ranging from shoegaze bands like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine to 1990s ambient electronica such as Seefeel and the projects of Wolfgang Voigt (largely the acclaimed albums under Voigt's Gas handle). In 2004, he submitted a demo tape to celebrated German label Kompakt and was subsequently signed. Shortly thereafter, in early 2005, Willner debuted as The Field with a remix of Annie's single "Heartbeat" and also released the "Things Keep Falling Down" 12-inch. The 2006 release of 12-inch "Sun & Ice" (in addition to remixes for James Figurine and 120 Days) added to the growing anticipation for a debut LP.
Kompakt released his first album From Here We Go Sublime on March 26, 2007. The record received near-universal critical acclaim; according to Metacritic, it was the best-reviewed album of the year (tied with Untrue by UK dubstep producer Burial). Resident Advisor placed the record 29th on their list of the decade's top 100 albums. Willner himself has admitted to being surprised by the positive reception, stating that "since it is a bit different than (most) other techno, I thought that people wouldn't like it" and "it ended up bigger than I ever expected."
Later in 2007, Willner became the first musician to participate in the Sound of Light project curated by the Nordic Light Hotel, using his experience at the Stockholm hotel as basis for his EP of the same name. Also during that year he contributed remixes to artists such as Thom Yorke, Battles, and Gui Boratto.
Discography
All albums, EPs, and singles released on Kompakt unless otherwise noted.
Albums
From Here We Go Sublime (2007)
Yesterday and Today (2009)
Looping State of Mind (2011)
Cupid's Head (2013)
The Follower (2016)
Infinite Moment (2018)
Now We Exist (2026)
EPs
Things Keep Falling Down (2005)
Sound of Light (Heartbeats International, 2007)
Yesterday and Today Remixe (2009)
Looping State of Mind Remixe (2012)
Cupid's Head Remixe I (2014)
Cupid's Head Remixe II (2014)
Now You Exist (Studio Barnhus, 2026)
Singles
"Annie" (2005)
"Sun & Ice" (2006)
"The More That I Do" (2009)
"Reflecting Lights Remixe" (2016)
"Who Goes There" (2018)
Compilation exclusives
"Oil" (on Monotoni 1 via Monotoni, 2004)
"Serenade" (on Monotoni 2 via Monotoni, 2005)
"Cola" (on Are You Scared to Get Happy? via Friendly Noise, 2006)
"Kappsta" (on "Pop Ambient 2007" via Kompakt, 2006)
"The Fan" (on "Sometimes b/w The Fan" via Kalligrammofon, 2007)
"Kappsta 2" (on "Pop Ambient 2008" via Kompakt, 2007)
"Caroline" (on Kompakt Total 11, 2010)
"Comenius Garden" (on Adult Swim Singles Program 2012)
"Staircase" (on Adult Swim Singles Program 2017)
"LIGO" (on Metaphonics: The Complete Field Works Recordings, 2018)
"Soft Numbers IV" (on "V.A. - Continental Drift" via Ideal Europa, 2021)
"Be Confident" (on "Hot Compilation Volume 2" via Hot Concept, 2024)
"Axel, Sebastian and Philipp" (on "Free/Future/Music (Altin Village & Mine Mixtape - Volume 1)", 2025)
Remixes
Annie – "Heartbeat" (2005; released as "Annie" single)
Marit Bergman – "No Party" (2006)
Familjen – "Hög Luft" (2006)
James Figurine – "55566688833" (2006)
The Fine Arts Showcase – "Chemical Girl" (2006)
120 Days – "Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)" (2006)
Battles – "Tonto" (2007)
Gui Boratto – "Hera" (2007)
The Honeydrips – "Fall from a Height" (2007)
Maps – "You Don't Know Her Name" (2007)
Andreas Tilliander – "Stay Down" (2007)
The Cinematic Orchestra – "To Build A Home" (2007; unreleased)
DeVotchKa – "The Clockwise Witness" (2008)
Popnoname – "Touch" (2008)
Sasha – "Mongoose" (2008)
Thom Yorke – "Cymbal Rush" (2008)
Bear in Heaven – "Ultimate Satisfaction" (2010)
Delorean – "Real Love" (2010)
Errors – "Bridge or Cloud?" (2010)
Harmonia & Eno '76 – "Luneburg Heath" (2010)
with Cologne Tape
Render (LP via Magazine, 2010)
"Moorpark" (on Pop Ambient 2014 compilation via Kompakt)
"Flutes by Phil Collins" (on My Heart's in My Hand, and My Hand is Pierced, and My Hand's in the Bag, and the Bag is Shut, and My Heart is Caught compilation by Phil Collins via Nero Magazine, 2015)
Welt (LP via Magazine, 2017)
as Hands
The Soul is Quick (LP via Ecstatic, 2014)
as Loops of Your Heart
And Never Ending Nights (LP via Magazine, 2012)
"Riding the Bikes" (on Pop Ambient 2012 compilation via Kompakt)
"Like a Wolf" (on Air Texture III compilation, selected by Deadbeat via Air Texture, 2013)
as Cordouan
25-08-95 (EP via Subsource, 2002; reissued as Water EP via Garmonbozia, 2003)
Love (EP via MechanizedMind, 2003)
as Lars Blek
Untitled (EP via Garmonbozia, 2002)
Untitled (EP via Garmonbozia, 2003; collaboration with Johan Skön)
"Ensam" (on Expeditions #1 compilation via Starfly, 2003)
"My Everything" (feat. Action Biker; on Are You Scared to Get Happy? compilation via Friendly Noise, 2006)
Lars Blek (with Pelle Lundquist, 2020)
as Porte
Porte (EP via Subsource, 2001)
8-18 (EP via Subsource, 2001)
Untitled (EP via Garmonbozia, 2002)
as James Larsson
"The Breakdown" (on Monotoni 1 via Monotoni, 2004)
with Speedwax
"Train To?" (on Friendly People Making Noise compilation via Friendly Noise, 2003)
as Fed Lithe
"Bee mee moo fru hig sul" (on Memories Overlooked: A Tribute To The Caretaker compilation via Nmesh, 2017)
