With Phraxia, Nick Pike moves further into his neoclassical style, this time combining solo piano with electronic textures and subtle synth work. It’s his third album, following Norastoria and Evergreen, but it feels more direct in its balance between traditional piano writing and ambient elements.
The album shifts between acoustic-led compositions and electronically enhanced pieces without losing cohesion. The opening track Whispertide plays like a meditation on motion, with piano and synth lines circling around one another. There are moments of build, but nothing feels inflated. Abaluna leans more into stillness, letting repetition carry the idea without needing to stretch it out.
Where Phraxia really opens up is on Für Beethoven, which is half homage and half reworking of the well-known Für Elise. Pike doesn’t simply replay the melody—he changes its harmonic context, moving it into his own world. The original material is still there, but the result feels like something that lives apart from the source. It’s a piece that would easily suit film or game scenes that need a reflective, classical edge without going full orchestral.
As a full record, Phraxia sits well among modern classical peers. It’s consistent without being repetitive and shows how Pike is becoming more confident in using electronics to complement, not overshadow, the piano.
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