Pantha du Prince: This Bliss [Dial]

wait 'til you find it used/cheap i'd say?

I throw it on quite a bit... I bought the vinyl version, which is only 5 versions, but you get a free high-quality DL of the full 11. I should note that I pretty much buy anything Moritz von Oswald is on without question, though.

URSPRUNG (pantha du prince and stephan abry) record is definitely worth a listen: some nice ambient passages, motorik, and noodly guitar a la göttsching

err motorik isnt the word i was looking for. whatever that sequenced beat in autobahn is called

The Christian Loeffler album is really good, but so obviously in debt to Pantha Du Prince that it might qualify as a tribute album in places.

PANTHA DU PRINCE & THE BELL LABORATORY, ELEMENTS OF LIGHT, TO BE RELEASED ON 14TH JANUARY
Work Composed by Pantha Du Prince Features a Three-Tonne, 50-Bell Carillon, Percussion and Electronics

Over the course of three albums—and as an in-demand remixer of artists ranging from Animal Collective to, most recently, Philip Glass—the Berlin-based musician and producer Pantha Du Prince (Hendrik Weber) has been celebrated for pushing the envelope of electronic music. His newest effort, Elements of Light, a collaborative project with The Bell Laboratory, is doubtless his most ambitious to date: The work is a symphony for electronics, percussion and bell carillon, a three-tonne instrument comprising 50 bronze bells.

The genesis of the project began in Oslo in the summer of 2010, when Weber was having lunch with the local curators Mattis With and Håkon Vinnogg and heard, in the distance, one of the concerts that are played multiple times daily on a bell carillon inside the city hall. Weber was struck by how the frequencies and overtones unfolded unpredictably, influenced one another, and resonated, more or less, throughout the Norwegian capital.

With and Vinnogg suggested he compose for the carillon, which was developed in China 3,500 years ago, during the Shang Dynasty, and made its way to Europe during the Middle Age. Weber began collaborating with the Norwegian Lars Petter Hagen, who served as arranger and conductor. For the recording, a bell carillon was shipped from Denmark to Germany, where Vegar Sandholt, the same carillonist that Weber had heard during his stay in Oslo, played it.

A separate session, in Oslo, brought together a variety of percussionists, including Weber; Martin Horntveth, of Jaga Jazzist, Killl and The National Bank; Erland Dahlen, of Nils Petter Molvaer Trio, Susanne Sundfør, Madrugada, Xploding Plastix, and Kaada; the researcher and performer Håkon Stene, who teaches at the Norwegian Academy of Music; and Heming Valebjørg, of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. They contributed numerous tubular bells, marimba, xylophone, cymbals, chimes, handclaps, finger snaps and other percussion.

The album is a single continuous work, although it has been broken down into five tracks named for elements of light: “Wave,” “Particle,” Photon,” “Spectral Split” and “Quantum.” Sonically, the work is a fusion of electronic music and classical composition, and draws on house and minimalism, jazz and new music, gamelan and western sacred music. Influences include John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, LaMonte Young and Moondog.
Elements of Light is a natural next step in the Pantha Du Prince oeuvre. Bells figured prominently on his last album, the highly acclaimed Black Noise, which Rough Trade Records released in 2010. In a Best New Music review of Black Noise, Pitchfork said, “each track is its own micro sound world with enough rich detail to draw you back for deeper investigation.”
Elements of Light live performances are being planned for late 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87rx_1xFgvg

YES

I was quite excited upon reading that and the track is really nice but it does sound almost exactly like most of the last two albums but with live percussion. I still find myself wishing he'd stretch himself more either melodically or texturally.

Yeah, saw mention of this earlier. Looking forward to it.

Matt DC you misspelled "wishing he'd keep re-making the same album forever because they're basically dopamine release levers for humans instead of rats"

Ooh, I quite like the youtube with live bells. It does seem to lift it above the "more of that same album he makes every years" thing. I'm not sure what exact envelope he's supposed to have been pushing exactly.

I didn't get around to listening to the remix album for Black Noise, maybe it will help me get into that record more. Magical words "Four Tet remix" appear in there.

I have that FT remix somewhere, WCC. I'll try and dig it out for you.

No need! It is on the remix album. Which I am listening to right now. But thanks.

His music is lovely but he doesn't "push the envelope" at all, that's just press release bollocks.

I mean when you read things like a fusion of electronic music and classical composition, and draws on house and minimalism, jazz and new music, gamelan and western sacred music. Influences include John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, LaMonte Young and Moondog then it's reasonable to expect a greater departure. Maybe the rest of the record will provide that.

Probably looking forward to the live performance more than anything right now.

I'm not really a fan of pdp's music but saw him live at the dial night at netil house last month and was actually pretty good

Dunno if it's just the effects of the snow, but this record is sounding pretty great right now, if essentially the same as his previous albums. 'Spectral Split' is amazing.

I was thinking of "Es Schneit" earlier today. Might have to give Black Noise a listen as I journey across the tundrous wastes of N London after work.

The live bells don't really sound that different to his sampled bells but this is really good, very wintery sounding. The sense stillness at the start of Spectral Split is really striking (excuse the excess alliteration).

buildup on 'spectral split' is great

This record making a tedious grey morning in a pokey little office seem infinitely more bearable.

it's a gorgeous record, very cocooning, very suitable for this current weather

Its brevity is a virtue as well, I lose interest in both This Bliss and Black Noise in their final third because his sound palette is consciously limited, but this is exactly the right length for one sitting.

Very much looking forward to picking this up at the weekend.

I held the LP in my hands last weekend but chose not to buy it, largely because of what Matt DC says - the Pantha thing is often too much to take in the form of an album. Its supposed brevity makes me reconsider though...

love this album

did anyone else go to the live show last night? INCREDIBLE experience. spellbinding

Did he/they basically play the album in order?

pretty much, but for the encore did reworked older Pantha material (Eisbaden among them)

the ravey/percussiony bits were way more intense than on record, and it was really visually compelling too - the lights, the shadows, the weirdly robed musicians (at first I thought it was a religious thing - the whole thing sounds so devotional) - but their costumes were actually scientists' lab coats; also, the actual act of playing bells is oddly fun to watch

So jealous.

ya. i stupidly missed them when they were here in chicago — and it looks like he won't even be playing in the states for the rest of the year :C

jealous too

elements of light a godsend today

In the mood for a new Lawrence album.

(Couldn't find a Dial thread).

have been loving efdemin's s/t lately

Feeling like I should love "Elements of Light" ... but I don't.

^^

the human bell-players aren't as tight as machines + he doesn't get to play with timbre the same way

Had a late night Dial Records shopping spree ... Phantom Ghost, Ursprung and Christian Naujoks albums now in the post.

x-post: maybe. i usually love hearing people hitting bells and usually love pantha du prince but i like the * idea * of it more than the actual result.

The new Lawrence single is making me want a new full-length too. But Elements Of Light is plenty sufficient.

Any thoughts on the new Lawrence album?

I still have to hear it properly but the samples didn't excite me much :(

I wish he'd kept to the sleeves being monochrome plants/old photographs.

I have time for Lawrence definitely, but agree with mmmm on this one, nothing in the samples is making me think about buying it

It is a nice album but the Etoile Du Midi single features the two best tracks from it.

Just repress The Absence of Bliss already!

Lol, I mean Absence of Blight. S/T Lawrence album too!

Succumbed and bought it. On a couple of plays (admittedly, whilst driving so I may have been missing detail) it didn't seem particularly special: like Lawrence but ... less so.

New Efdemin album in March.

A Sunday evening playing of Lawrence's "Lowlights from the past and future" ... beautiful.

Never did hear the Efdemin album ... any good?