NEWS
EVENTS
Pan-Pot talk crafting music and crossing over from the underground
House | Tuesday 28th July 2015 | Christina
Pan-Pot – Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix – have become a dominant force on the techno scene. They’ve released a steady stream on unique and original tracks, toured relentlessly, playing both club nights and big festivals, and dived into the label game with their own imprint Second State. The busy duo took some out to talk crafting music and crossing over from the underground.
How are you guys doing? I know you’re in the middle of a busy touring schedule.
Tassilo: Yes, there is our album coming out on Second State, the Ibiza residency at the Hyte parties at Amnesia and the summer season crawling with festivals :)
Thomas: Yes, we are quite busy at the moment :)
Tell us a bit about how you got into music and started making music together.
Tassilo: Well, I started in 2003 when I decided to sign up to the Sound Engineering course at the SAE Institute in Berlin. I was studying business administration right before and I just felt it was not making me happy. I simply followed my wish to make music and fully dived into it.
Thomas: We both wanted to do this professionally and decided to start making music together. We found ourselves good together in the studio and there the connection was born.
Do you approach live sets as a b2b or do you prepare differently?
Tassilo: We do not play live; a live performance is when there are real instruments involved, like bands do. It is important for us to make this distinction.
Thomas: We play tracks from other producers and add elements and change patterns; it is more a like a “live” remix going on during tracks played in our sets. We mostly organize the work together. Sometimes we work on our own then bring ideas and discuss them together.
What are the advantages of playing as a duo as opposed to solo?
Tassilo: Synergies in the work structure and more ideas to discuss together.
Thomas: And of course good company while traveling :)
You are Berlin based, and the city is renowned as a hotspot for electronic music. Do you think the scene there has changed or is it still very underground?
Thomas: It definitely has as everything in this world :)
Tassilo: But it still preserves its own identity and underground touch. As long as people and especially the new comers move to Berlin for the “same” inspiring reasons as it has been till now (for the artistic explosion and liberal atmosphere in the street and in clubs) Berlin and its music scene won’t change. It can grow and expand but won’t change and keep its integrity.
You produce techno but your sound is definitely very experimental and draws influences from other areas, so do you find this obsession with genre and labelling a bit useless or frustrating?
Tassilo: it is not frustrating but sure it is pointless to put a label on what music you make (from the artist point of view). You are kind of forced to do it because of commercial reasons. It is a more efficient way to help people to look for music on online archives, or for promoters who need to market their events presenting a certain sound; but this is what’s all about. It shouldn’t be a problem of identity for an artist. It is just a functional tool from the market side.
Thomas: Music in general should speak by itself. Labelling could only limit the artist’s ability to express him/her self and come up with something unique.
You are playing at Creamfields in Malta next month, what have you got planned for the show?
Thomas: Lots of new music and tons of good vibes.
Tassilo: Then people will create the “magic!”
What do you think is so special about the Cream brand and festival?
Tassilo: We’ve only played at Creamfields in South America so far and it was always a great experience. The promoters are always caring and make you feel comfortable.
Thomas: And the parties for sure are just amazing.
You are able to play at more underground festivals like Awakenings as well more commercial festivals like EDC in Las Vegas. Why do you think you’ve been able to cross over to these more commercial shows?
Thomas: From the performance side, I think is the connection with the people on the dance floor and the will to understand their needs. You never know if people will like the next track you will play or not but experience makes it clearer with time. There is no rule to please one dance-floor rather than another apart from being able to acknowledge that as a performer. You are there for the people who came to see you playing and therefore you should make sure that they have a good time while not compromising your own sound.
Tassilo: And from the music side I would say that the Internet made techno and its sub genres easier and more accessible to a bigger audience who started to get into it. I guess it just became easier for people to find us. Nowadays music is a global phenomenon and I assume this is just a consequence of how the market has developed in the last decade.
How do you find the crowds in America compared to the crowds in Europe?
Tassilo: I would say that in Europe the scene and the dance floor look slightly more liberal than US (in Europe you have cities like Berlin where clubs run for days). Club policies are different and this has an impact on how people spend their night in a club or festival.
Thomas: Also, it really depends on the venue, or if it is a festival or a club. Nevertheless people from the scene seem to enjoy it all the time and are not afraid to show enthusiasm on the dance floor. It is about music and fun. It is a universal language and people enjoy the same way, no matter where we perform.
You’ve played all over the world but is there a destination that you’ve love to bring the Pan-Pot experience to?
Tassilo: Africa, which I really hope it will happen very soon :)
Thomas: Africa - as Tassilo said.
I saw on Facebook that ‘The Other One’, the first single from your upcoming album is ready, when will it be released?
Thomas: The first EP of the album that you just mentioned is already out :)
Tassilo: The full album will be out at the end of September accompanied with a cymatic visual project.
And what details can you give us about the album?
Tassilo: Well, our last album was about 8 years ago. This is our second album in our career and therefore it represents another milestone.
Thomas: It is definitely a more “mature” project than our previous works and sonically diverse: a journey throughout the sounds and music influences which inspired us in the last years.
Tassilo: The album also has a strong visual identity. Every track is accompanied by video including cuts of real-time cymatic experiments and the interaction between sound and matter.
Thomas: The artist who worked with us, Susie Sie is very talented and specialized in the field. We come from a sound engineering school and the science of sound has always played a big role in our education and career. We wanted to include this aspect in our next album.
You also run your own imprint Second State, why did you decide that last year was the right time to launch it?
Tassilo: We having been thinking to start our own label family for a long time and when the idea was set and we found the time and resources to do it we just went for it.
Thomas: It is a new step in our career. It feels good to give something back and help young and talented artists to show what they do.
What are the plans for Second State for the rest of 2015 and beyond?
Thomas: Clearly lots of fresh music from young talents and artist friends we strongly believe in. The label release’s schedule is quite tight at the moment. We have nearly a new EP lined up each month till the end of the year.
Tassilo: More label showcases as well. We will present the Second State family for the first time at Sunwaves this summer, on August 15th. Then we have another SNDST event in October during ADE for the second time with all the label artists and hosted by the Hyte crew. It is a good chance for us to present the label concept to a young audience, build a more personal relationship with music lovers and professionals; and of course partying together with the whole label crew :)
Vinyl or digital, which do you prefer?
Tassilo: The beauty of vinyl, the advantages of digital :)
Thomas: Likewise.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Tassilo: The tracks off our upcoming album.
Thomas: Same - for obvious reasons ;)
What’s the first record you bought?
Thomas: Wishmoutain - Radio EP
Tassilo: Midfield General - Coatnoise EP
What’s your go-to track to get a crowd really going?
Thomas: Raumakustik – ‘Raider’
Tassilo: Hinz & Rumhardt – ‘Doch’
Do have you have any pre-show rituals?
Tassilo: Sleeping :)
Thomas: iPhone gaming!
If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would it be and why?
Tassilo: Water - makes swimming more comfortable…
Thomas: Kakao, because I can never drink enough :)
If you were stranded on a desert island, but could have three tracks to keep you company, which tracks would you choose?
Tassilo: Motorhead – ‘Ace of Spades’, ‘Nessun Dorma’ (sung by Pavarotti), Friedrich Gulda – ‘For Paul’.
Thomas: John B – ‘Up all Night’, Quartetto Cetra – ‘Crapa Pelada’, Fink – ‘Warm Shadow (Dactyl Remix)’.
Follow Pan-Pot on Twitter. Catch them at Creamfields Malta on August 14th and at Sonus Festival, 16th - 20th August.
