Hendrik Weber, more commonly known as Pantha Du Prince, is no doubt one of the most innovative producers out there. He transforms everyday sounds into beautiful songs that tell stories. He has a unique way of making music, whether he is recording it or playing it in front of a crowd. He’s put out three fantastic solo albums, collaborated with Workshop’s Stephan Abry to bring us Ursprung and is coming out with a new album with his latest project, The Bell Laboratory. His North American tour begins Oct. 23 and he is sure to put on an amazing show. For those of you in Miami, he will be playing at Bardot on Oct. 30 for just $10 with our good friend, Diego Martinelli. That being said, I expect to see your pretty little faces there!
You haven’t had many tour dates in the U.S. in the past and now you are visiting 11 cities in Canada and the U.S. in less than 2 weeks. What are you looking forward to the most? Is there anything you are worried about?
I’m looking forward to meeting new, interesting and inspiring people and to see the leaves change for autumn. I’m worried about losing my luggage.
Take a look at his tour dates and buy tickets here.
When playing live, you often incorporate the sounds of objects around you, such as fans and chairs, into your sets. Have you ever had a specific member of the audience participate? What is the strangest object you have ever incorporated?
No, I’d rather incorporate objects and things that are vibrating. The strangest thing I’ve incorporated was a gas oven that was behind me.
You use a lot of field recordings in your productions as well and then you layer them on top of each other. Are there specific sounds you are drawn to more than others?
Sound is always connected to a moment so it is not a specific sound that is of interest. More importantly, the story of a moment needs to be audible in the recording and it will turn in to a sonic adventure if you combine these collections of time. Field recordings give me the chance to archive moments like this.
Is there a specific place or environment you record in, like a cabin in the middle of the woods or an old factory? If you could record anywhere, where would it be and why?
I´m working on a rooftop of a building in Berlin. It feels like a spaceship drawn to earth. I can overlook the city and it is very inspiring. If I could choose now, I would like to work in a treehouse that overlooks a whole valley. It could also be a factory in a tree.
Pantha Du Prince and The Bell Laboratory is a project in which you and a few others play on a carillon, a large ensemble of bells, and mix it with electronically produced sounds. Can you tell us more about it?
Pantha Du Prince and The Bell Laboratory only perform the written piece “Elements of Light”. We play on a mobile carillon, so we can bring the instrument to the cities we play in. The piece will be performed next year in several cities. I will still play at clubs as a solo live act and incorporate some sounds from the Laboratory, but what you hear when Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory play live is unique and only audible when we all play together!
You believe there is a difference between music that is made for people to listen to and music made for people to dance to. Which do you enjoy more?
The best is if you can have a listening experience while you move your body. I like techno music because of the swarm intelligence that sounds can create. At the same time, I like music that is only made to listen to a lot.
Do you have any releases coming out in the near future?
Pantha Du Prince and The Bell Laboratory will be a collaborative album, which will be released in January on Rough Trade Records. It is not the follow up of my last album, “Black Noise”; it is a new collaborative piece with real instruments played by musicians, not just electronic music. My next solo album will be out in 2014!
Listen to Photon, a track off of “Elements of Light” below.
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