Pantha du Prince
Black Noise
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Label: Rough Trade
Minimal techno is, for all intents and purposes, a compilation genre. The scene spreads through the power of label-released showcase collections, mp3-bevy message boards and countless DJ mixes flowing through the likes of Beatport and similarly inclined websites – naturally that makes it pretty rare to find an unassisted full-length released on, say, Plus8, to stand up on its own. But that only makes the latest record from German musician/producer/DJ-extraordinaire Pantha du Prince (née Hendrick Weber) more impressive. The amiably-titled Black Noise abandons the fluttering airiness of his promising, though lulling second effort This Bliss, and embraces a sort of found-sound authenticity – ending up being the most cultivated, and obviously focused album in the scene since the Field’s epochal From Here We Go Sublime.
Black Noise moves like a masterfully sequenced mix – to the point where after the first spin I was convinced that it was some sort of veiled Rough Trade compilation. Each of the productions breathes into one other with a remarkable amount of grace – pairing likeminded tracks (“Welt Am Draht” and “Bohemian Forest,” “Stick to My Side” and “A Nomad’s Retreat”) to an incredibly resonating effect. There has to be some beatmatching going on behind the scenes here. Weber also lets the songs grow in a sense, letting them take full advantage of their beyond-six-minute running time – allowing standouts like “Stick to My Side” to develop from a wayward off-cymbal to a full-on phantom-voice gospel – it’s actually pretty rewarding. Minimal techno has become so stuck on single-idea tracks that it’s rather refreshing to hear the trappings of the genre culminate into something that isn’t a diminishing fadeout.
Black Noise clocks in at a hefty 70 minutes with a relatively lean 11 tracks, but that should only speak to the overall effectiveness of the entire package. Weber allows no filler here, keeping the album’s entire trajectory catchy enough to be driving music, and curious enough for headphoned audiophiles. It works very well as an album too – its constant, reoccurring grooves bury into your skull and tug on your synapses – the way dance music should, rather than pile a bunch of mediocrity around an obvious centerpiece. Black Noise is undeniably well-executed, well-ordered, well-performed, devoid of weakspots and easily liked. This may not be the first time we’ve heard these sounds, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t remind us why we love them.
by Luke Winkie
