A pan-pot is a simple, workaday knob, given to side-to-side flip-flopping and not much else. Pan-Pot, on the other hand, are a brilliantly multidimensional Berlin duo currently twisting house and techno fans into rapturous fits.

In just a few short years, Pan-Pot —the duo comprised of Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix—have become a central presence in electronic dance music’s most advanced sectors. Their rise parallels that of their home label mobilee, coming at a time when established categories are breaking down and accepted notions of “minimal” (please) are giving way to an unprecedented degree of dynamism on demanding dancefloors. Another mobilee signee, Marco Resmann, was a founding member of the group, but has since left to concentrate on his solo work.

Pan-Pot’s vinyl debut came in May 2005 with the Popy & Caste EP (mobilee002), featuring two cuts bursting with gritty, dirty funk, as though they’d scraped all the gunk from beneath the knobs of their gear, packed it into a ball and sent it rolling across the nightclub. Since then, in addition to their contribution to the Extra EP (mobilee005 plus), backing Daniel Stefanik’s anthemic banger “The Bells,” they’ve released three more EPs on mobilee (Obscenity, mobilee005; Black Lodge, mobilee012; and What Is What, mobilee023) and two on Einmaleins Musik. Their kinetic, undulating grooves have proved particularly tempting to other producers—Jesse Rose, Lee Van Dowski, Agnès, Barem and Camea have all taken (pot)shots at reworking the group’s tunes—and their own remixing skills are increasingly in demand: Pan-Pot have put their immediately recognizable spin on tracks by Misc., Anja Schneider & Sebo K, Tim Xavier, Dapayk Solo, Sweet ‘n Candy, and Damián Schwartz, among others.

The release of their debut album marks yet another milestone for the group. Appropriately titled Pan-O-Rama, the record—which has the honor of being the first artist album released on mobilee—offers a 360-degree tour of techno at its most twisted, balancing ominous atmospherics with an unusual lightness of touch, and running classic machine music through silicon’s digital wringer.

They may name themselves after a piece of gear, but Pan-Pot’s music is ultimately about moving bodies, not knobs. Both live and as DJs, Pan-Pot deliver on that promise with sets that rope together crisply minimal, coolly restrained techno and hot and heavy house. Anyone who’s ever played with an analog synthesizer knows that all those pots and dials are there to be touched; Pan-Pot reaches out and touches right back—with a love slap from the heart of the Berlin underground.

Dear friends, thanks for all your nice messages and comments. It’s a pitty, we can’t answer all of them. And it’s also impossible to listen all the tracks and give a feedback for everyone.

Please send your promo tracks to:
promo@pan-pot.net

All booking requests to:
booking@mobilee-records.de

Download (right click, save as) (61MB, 128kBit/s)

mp3

via

Well, here it finally is then! 6.5 hours out of 8 from November’s Menno Solo event in Westerunie, Amsterdam. It was an incredible night, and I’m very happy to share the set with you. See you at Menno Solo 2009! Love, Menno

Download (right click, save as) (530MB, 192kBit/s)

mp3

via

Mirror Ball

Here’s something new from Crayon Fields – their first 7”, and our first taste of their second record (due 2009).

‘Mirrorball’ is delicate do-wop from one of Melbourne’s most revered guitar pop ensembles. Try not to feel giddy when Geoff O’Connor (songwriter and shyest man in Australian music) sings, “I look at you and suddenly I’m a virgin” (who are these people that have love songs written about them anyway?)

www.myspace.com/thecrayonfields

Yet another lovebird-duo has come to my attention, this time in the form of The JEALOUS Sea. Being the twee-nerd that I am (and still somewhat bitter about missing out on its glory days), I got very excited when stumbling upon this band. Their sound of jangly guitars, sweet pop melodies and cute boy-girl vocal combo really makes you think back to the twee institution that was Sarah Records.

Officially formed in the spring of 2006, this boyfriend/girlfriend collaboration actually got its start several years earlier when Ronardo “Ronnie” P. Recacho had some instrumental songs that he couldn’t find much outside interest for. After re-working some of the songs as well as writing new ones with lyrics he asked girlfriend Taylor B. Crawley if she was interested in working with him, and so the ball started rolling.

Combining their mutual love for indie pop and twee together with shoegaze, mod and 60’s soul- and french pop their collaboration quickly proved to be a good decision. So far The JEALOUS Sea have released songs on various indie labels such as Cloudberry and Series Two Records and appeared on several compilations. Still, it’s just the beginning as Ronnie and Taylor are currently working on old as well as new songs which hopefully will be available for our listening pleasure real soon.

MP3s: “Past The Grey”, “All Over Town”, “The Games We Play”

- Cecilia

As I indicated less than two weeks when featuring Benji Hughes’ excellent A Love Extreme, releasing a double-disc album as a debut can be a risky venture for numerous reasons. Inaccessibility is the primary one for sure, along with a widespread assumption that the release may play by the “quantity over quality” ideology. There is no simple way to avoid these initial beliefs, apart from releasing consistent quality of course. Taking this methodical approach of releasing a debut album with over an hours’ worth of material can also prove to be a showcase of an artist’s confidence in regard to their songwriting. After all, the production cost for producing a double-album is considerably more, packaging and distribution included. If they truly intend to take this route, they must have material that they are fully committed to and feel that audiences will feel the same way. No one knows where Benji Hughes will go from here, but another example of contemporary independent songwriters who were adventurous enough to take the double-album route upon releasing their debut was Future Clouds and Radar. The Austin-based five-piece put out a self-titled debut in 2007, featuring 27 tracks of a very diverse nature. Some listeners noted the album for its successful use of stylistic variation, but the most outstanding feature that most listeners found was related to the consistency in quality that stretched over the vast selection of material.

As a veteran songwriter who had already seen a respectable share of success with Austin favorites Cotton Mather during the mid ’90s (their 1997 album, Kontiki, is highly recommended), Robert Harrison already had the credentials to attempt such a grandiose feat. Thanks mainly in part to Oasis’ Noel Gallagher’s very convincing promotion of to the adored Kontiki, the album had become very successful in the UK when it was reissued in 1998. NME basically went on to call them the next Supergrass and Cotton Mather had a few years of ample overseas recognition before the group was abolished in 2003 after releasing The Big Picture in 2001. What occurred next consisted of a series of tragic circumstances, as Harrison’s intent to continue immediately with his songwriting was put on hold after he suffered a critical spinal injury shortly after Cotton Mather’s break-up. Restrained to his bedroom, he continued writing songs as recovery loomed in the future. Always noted as a rather prolific songwriter with three albums and two EPs in the span of seven years with Cotton Mather, it was also a tendency of his to put out at least something every year whether it was a full-length or a single. To spend such a long period of time in recovery must have been devastating, but he obviously used the time wisely to release the debut for his new project, entitled Future Clouds and Radar.

Upon the release of Future Clouds and Radar’s debut, their style tended to be consistently within the realm of psychedelic-rock. While other elements in the vein of electronica, pop, and blues were also sporadically present, psychedelia was a driving force that ultimately resulted in a cross between ‘60s pop and psych-rock experimentation. Still though, whether one was a fan of the bluesy “Devil No More”, the power-pop flair of “Let Me Get Your Coat”, or the brass-led funk cover of Bob Marley’s “Wake Up and Live”, the album offered some of the most successful interpretations of stylistic variation that I had heard all year in 2007. Harrison’s full recovery is a blessing for both him and listeners alike, as he has now reverted back to his expectedly ambitious scope. Just slightly over a year after the debut’s release, he is back again with Future Clouds and Radar’s second album, Peoria. However, this time it not “he” alone who writes and stars on the tracks. Peoria happens to be a more cumulative effort, featuring four other members who provide just the right dose of contrasting perspectives to complement Harrison’s songwriting beautifully. Peoria proves to only be about half the length of its predecessor, but Harrison’s knack for stylistic variation remains undoubtedly prevalent.

As both Future Clouds and Radar’s debut and the recently released Peoria suggest, Harrison’s excellent songwriting was not effected one bit by his five years away from the music industry. If anything, he has returned with more successful ideas than ever. However, unlike the expansive array of styles presented on a track-to-track basis on their debut, Peoria offers an overall more consistent sound that is a result of several blended musical genres and techniques. There is a decreasing emphasis on psychedelia and more on power-pop, as is presented on an infectiously concise track like “Feet on Grass” where a jazzy key progression underlies a series of sweeping strings, alternating percussion, and guitar progressions that sound like they are straight out of a ‘70s spy flick. When the next track, “Mummified”, arrives, the departure is able to illustrate a stark melodic contrast within a comparable instrumental arsenal. Over a series of familiarized strings and guitar progressions, the primary addition here is in the brass that flows seamlessly over Harrison’s excellent vocals (which sound like a cross between John Lennon and Jellyfish’s Andy Sturmer). The first four minutes prove for an illustriously brilliant pop soundscape; it is easily one of the best things Harrison has ever written. The final three minutes of the track are quite fascinating as well, equating to a mixture of avant-garde jazz, psychedelia, and sample-led electronica as this epic of a track comes to a masterful conclusion.

“Feet on Grass” and “Mummified” are just two instances of the stark contrasts on Peoria, this time more melodically and structurally than stylistically. “Eighteen Months” serves as the most linear track on the album in rather enjoyable fashion, employing a series of repetitive guitar riffs over Harrison’s vocals as it sits perfectly between the epic “Mummified” and the electro-acoustic experimentations of “The Mortal”. A few other highlights include “Mortal 296”, which sounds like some Gypsy death march with its smatterings of discordant brass, and “The Epcot View”, a catchy opener in a power-pop vein that sounds strikingly similar to Lawrence Heyward and Felt with its jangly guitar progressions and quickly adjusted keyboard enhancements. Even more so than their debut, Peoria is a remarkable stylistic achievement for Future Clouds and Radar. While the few critics of their excellent debut complained about occasional periods of stylistic indecisiveness, Peoria offers up a consistent sound while still remaining to tread in different stylistic territory throughout the entirety of the release. From avant-garde jazz to cleanly infectious power-pop, it is remarkable how Harrison and co. are able to conjure up such a fascinating sound so consistently.

——————————————————————————————

Future Clouds and Radar - Feet on Grass

Download audio file (fcloud-fee.mp3)

——————————————————————————————

Future Clouds and Radar - Mummified

Download audio file (fcloud-mum.mp3)

——————————————————————————————

Future Clouds and Radar - The Epcot View

Download audio file (fcloud-epc.mp3)

——————————————————————————————

Official Web Site

MySpace

BUY

Threatmantics announce UK Tour for January 2009

Following from their recent tour with Clinic, Threatmantics have just announced a full UK tour for January 2009. The Cardiff trio will be joined by Swanton Bombs and Video Nasties in an exciting triple bill, with a rotating headliner, across the country.

The UK tour will kick off in Threatmantics’ hometown with a show at the Barfly on January 14th and will call at Cargo in London on January 27th.

Threatmantics January UK Tour dates:

Wed 14th Cardiff - Barfly
Thu 15th Wrexham - Central Station
Fri 16-Jan-09 Barrow In Furness - The Canteen
Sat 17-Jan-09 Liverpool - Korova
Tue 20-Jan-09 Glasgow - King Tuts
Wed 21-Jan-09 Newcastle - Academy 2
Thu 22-Jan-09 Aberdeen – Club Snafu
Fri 23-Jan-09 Leeds - Little Cockpit
Sat 24-Jan-09 Leicester - The Charlotte
Mon 26-Jan-09 Wolverhampton - Little Civic
Tue 27-Jan-09 London - Cargo
Wed 28-Jan-09 Brighton - Prince Albert
Thu 29-Jan-09 Kingston - New Slang
Fri 30-Jan-09 Hastings - The Crypt

Threatmantics have also been invited to perform at Club Uncut at the Borderline on 26th November with Wild Beasts, and will be playing the Angel in Aberystwyth on Nov 28th, Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff on Dec 5th and Tapestry at St. Aloysius Social Club in London on Dec 19th.

Their splendid debut album Upbeat Love and the wonderful single Big Man, are out now on Double Six Records.

For those new to the wonders of Threatmantics, they are a rock and roll band not quite like other rock and roll bands. This is mainly due to their lead guitar being a viola and their drummer and keyboardist being the same person, at the same time.

Heddwyn and Huw (brothers) hail from the Neath Valley in South Wales, Ceri hails from Hertfordshire. They met in a lay-by on the A470 and decided almost immediately that they should, at the very least cut each other’s hair….and then form a band.  Nice!

Random Posts

• December 14, 2007 -- Neil Young dates for 2008
• September 1, 2008 -- Tricky cover version of Slow by Kylie
• January 31, 2008 -- Glastonbury, first name confirmed