Analogue Master
On his second solo album, Gamle Mester, Wobbler keyboard player Lars Fredrik Frøislie unleashes a tour de force of old-school analogue wizardry. Lars kindly invites Prog into his magical world of vintage instrumentation to find out more.
Words: Stephen Lambe
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Lars Fredrik Frøislie in his palace of nostalgia.
Images: Erik Nilsen
I n this modern world of progressive rock, with new acts appearing all the time, albums that are based solely around keyboards remain unusual. Even rarer are those that rely solely on analogue instruments. One of the few remaining flag-bearers for this style of instrumentation is Lars Fredrik Frøislie, best known for his work with Norwegian bands Wobbler and White Willow. A visit to Frøislie’s basement reveals a treasure trove of vintage instruments – enough to warm the cockles of any 70s prog fan.
“They have a sort of soul, you know, because of the smell and touch as well as their sound,” he says, reflecting on his passion for the musical tools of that era. “I recently posted a video online where I was turning on the Mellotron and some of the other instruments and got lots of reactions, just from flicking switches to get them started.”