Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise

Pantha du Prince

"Black Noise"

17 February 2010, 07:55 | Written by Simon Gurney

(Albums)

(Pantha du Prince)

Pantha Du Prince (German Hendrick Weber) returns with another album that is ripe for indie crossover success. His second album - This Bliss - was his initial 'hit' (in relative terms obvs), along with The Field's From Here We Go Sublime, and Gui Boratto's Chromophobia it created a trio of albums that were born of the minimal techno scene, which had flourished around Europe since the early 00s (Berlin being the epicentre). The Internet community seemed to latch onto these albums, the three producers managed to make their music more engaging and full of memorable melody, whilst also retaining the harder indigistible qualities that made it sound cutting edge, (PDP's peers, such as fellow Dial record alumni Efdemin and his S/T from '07, showed what it's like to have the harder, indigestible cutting edge elements, minus the memorable melody and engaging tone [which, yes, is a slight, despite the fact I like that particular album well enough, just trying to demonstrate the qualities that made this trio of artists more open to crossover recognition than others of the time]). Just check the Behind The Stars 12" released late last year if you want an idea of the longer-winded rain-on-a-windowpane moves Pantha has largely emerged from.Anyway this is all tailing off down a tangent. In light of all the above, signing to Rough Trade records and getting friend and touring partner Panda Bear of Animal Collective to collaborate on a track could be seen as a sort of selling out, or might indicate to some that we're going to see a less interesting, water-treading follow up in Black Noise. That has not happened. It's every bit as good as This Bliss, swirls of calm summer's day currents, mixed with some newly emphasized bassweight. Like Can's Future Days reinterpreted by techno. Well, kinda.It's full of that rhythmic melody, beats are the melody - not flat booming sounds, not necessarily reminiscent of a drum kit, not necessarily the expressive timbre of animal hide over different shaped spaces, that echo as they are hit. Those things of course, but also shiny globules and ringing chimes and different otherworldly textures and notes that ping and multi-coloured grains of sand drifting on the wind. It's a warm album that swirls and flurries, synthetic gloss, tactile, calmly musing yet also something of a slow screw of tension. 'A Nomads Retreat' through 'Behind The Stars' takes a more thumping course, nicely changing up the tone whilst still retaining the subtle bell and chime qualities. Its the bits and pieces of small woodblock percussion, steel drums ('Abglanz'), the juxtaposition of wood with metal chimes, and the synthesized grainy feedback sounds with glossy clean and sharp electronics, that fire the pleasure centres in your brain, check 'Bohemian Forest' and be stunned by the beauty.Does the bass actually act as a shadowy presence guiding the music throughout the album? It rather seems so, understanding the gravity it can have, the broad melodic qualities that are available, and managing to neatly layer all the other interesting sound and detail on top of that template, is a masterstroke. There's some absolutely awesome bass times in 'Behind The Stars', the most overt bass on whole album, it's menacing and funky and teutonic, offset by chintzy handclap and snare, with a sleazy German vocal. The fabulous bassy riff in 'Lay In A Shimmer' is worth the price of entry alone, imbuing the track with a subtle sense of direction. Feedbacky electronic groans and ghostly textural ambience float in the background at times too, courtesy of a series of note-like field recordings Weber undertook as inspiration and preparation for Black Noise.The album has a beautiful timbre, just completely gorgeous tones to the bass and the dulled velvet hammer of the blips and bloops, the vibraphone sounds, the levying quality of crisp hi-hat and snare. Pantha is still very much trading in blissful sounds, it's a slow build of detail that rewards awareness, not a flashy shallow release that you'll forget by the next day. Although I don't get on with 'Stick To My Side', Panda Bear's vocal ruins the track - I kinda want to forget that one.