Pantha Du Prince was essentially the catalyst for my interest in techno. I had listened to techno before I listened to his music, I’d enjoyed techno before enjoying his music – But I wouldn’t say I really began to follow techno properly until after Alex introduced me to the music of Hendrik Weber - under the moniker of Pantha Du Prince. Furthermore, and more importantly, he taught me much about the capabilities of electronic music. Black Noise, the 2010 album from Pantha Du Prince, unveiled new landscapes and possibilities for me, with its use of organic sound and naturalistic tone.
Pantha Du Prince was back in collaboration with a group called The Bell Laboratory – PDP was frequently known to enjoy using bell-like sounds in his music but this joint venture took things much further and explored the use of these sounds in greater depth. It came to light that part of the point of this joining was for live performance. As someone who’d seen PDP before but only with synths and drum machines in a club environment, and who’d only recently discovered performances by Steve Reich, Brandt Bauer Frick and Matthew Dear, the prospect of a more traditional classical/band-like spin on minimal techno was very promising, and very enticing.
Thankfully it feels like good thought was put into the choice of venue – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London – where the seats were comfortable, the acoustics brilliant and the overall atmosphere endearing. It was nontraditional in the sense that it was a seated gig, in a classical venue with no support act – I speculate these features would share common ground with orchestra performances. I’d argue PDP’s show has much more in common with orchestras too, as opposed to other bands.
The Bell Laboratory, dressed in aprons, enter stage with PDP in tow. They are all carrying bells, ringing the most delicate of melodies as the audience falls silent. For minutes at a time, the artists would approach the front of the stage and let the simple chimes do the talking. Other times, the group would be in full flow, recreating tracks from their new album, Elements of Light.
Pantha Du Prince uses his laptop, and some other pieces of hardware to set the tone. There is another who spends the large majority of the gig using a drum machine. There are also more typical band instruments around, namely the drumkit which is beaten in tune to techno kicks with astounding influence and dominance of the overall sound. A xylophone of sorts as well as a gong and other percussion can be spotted, most prominently a marimba. And at the back, a lady plays what looks like it could be an organ. In fact, this organ is a giant, rectangular-shaped glass box – filled with giant bells. There are keys as there would be but I’m not really sure what the mechanics of this bell-organ entail.
The tracks played are sprawling, seamless movements of soft kicks, shimmering chimes and bouncy basslines – it’s surprising how so many people in the audience manage to dance embarrassingly even while seated. Lovely to see! At every opportunity, the mismatched, forcibly-civilised crowd scream and cheer and clap in deafening appreciation – along with the occasional exclamation of the desire to be physically involved with Pantha Du Prince, likely somewhat uncharacteristic of the usual audiences in this venue.
The final song played is an Earth-shattering rendition of Spectral Split, where the bell-organ really does dominate the soundscape. As the dust settles from the storm, Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory end the show with another minimal bell-ringing congregation at the front of the stage. This time they begin to dismount from their platform and walk through the aisles in the audience, still ringing bells in time – the bells are heard purely, with no amplification, and we’re treated to the delicate, fragile and beautiful tones of the bells supported by the venue’s commendable structure. Because the sound is all acoustic now, it means the sound the audience is hearing moves, drifts and develops as the artists walk through the hall – this show really could have only been done in a place like this. Humble as ever, Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory disappear through the rear exit.
Soon enough, they are forced to reappear due to the rapturous, relentless applause and appreciation emanating from the audience. They opt to treat the fans to an encore of two classics from Black Noise – Lay in a Shimmer and Satellite Snyper. As soon as the audience realises this, the atmosphere manages to climb even higher. In what seems like too short a time, the performance finishes with a much-deserved standing ovation. This was truly an astounding experience and it sent me to a dreamy, magical state of consciousness. I’m blessed to have been able to attend.
Photo by Katya Ruge
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