Pantha du Prince

House and techno are big genres. Reading about their origins only complicates the issue, as they have grown into such a umbrella terms that I don't really even fully understand why anyone even bothers with them anymore. That a group like Justice and can have their sound reduced to "French house" seems a bit ridiculous to me, because it does a disservice both to their sound as well as providing people with a ready-made label they can smack onto any given type of music, just for the sake of being able to call it something.

That being said, the evolution of these terms is interesting to me if only as an academic exercise. Why a certain type of music classifies as something specific is much less interesting to me than seeing what types of people get into what types of music. Someone who can seem very shy and introverted might only be able to study while listening to Rob Zombie. A kid from London might like an over-the-top American experimental pop group because it gives them a worthwhile glimpse into our country and its scene, or maybe just because music like that doesn't get made where that person lives.....or maybe just because it's fucking ridiculous and you can jump around to it while throwing back PBR and chain-smoking! Whatever the reason, I always enjoy trying to dig at the upbringing and the culture behind a given artist just as much as objectively analyzing the music itself.

With this in mind, I suggest giving Pantha du Prince a spin. He's from Germany, and his style could be classified six ways to Sunday, but I think the best way to think of it is like a cat that doesn't necessarily jump right on your lap the first time you meet, and is gonna do what he's gonna do. I have a feeling (and I may be wrong, but it's fun to think about) that this guy's personality is channeled directly into his albums without being filtered too much, if at all. This isn't music you have to be patient with; this is music that has to be patient with you. Most every song begins as stripped-down as it can possibly be while still representing some musical idea, and takes its time to allow you to naturally follow its progression. There are no sudden, jarring shifts, yet it's also not music designed for a purpose (i.e. for people to dance or rave to). There is never a moment where the listener is jolted out of the hypnosis the music creates, but the hypnosis isn't as important as seeing how the songs unfold to bring you along for the ride. Even when the music fills into its complete form, the listener was allowed to see the naked process. It's like watching cells divide and grow into a person. What begins as a series of scattered clicks and background noise will be a pulsating, hoppin beat 5 minutes later, with nothing skipped in between. It's an amazingly simple concept, but he does it so well that you never get bored, and it can be played again and again without losing its effect.

I think a good introduction to Pantha du Prince would be the track "Saturn Strobe," off his 2007 album This Bliss. It's easily one of my favorite songs of his (and I'm really glad someone made a video like this to go along with it):



Yeah. I know. Just take a second and soak that in. Now for "Satellite Snyper," off his brand new album Black Noise. Just let this roll all over your ears. It's like raindrops caressing your soul:



Teh sex. Also: best. night. driving. music. ever.

Pantha du Prince - MS|OS