Pantha du Prince

Pantha du Prince

Pantha du Prince is the recording name of Hendrik Weber, a German electronic musician from Bad Wildungen, Germany, born in 1975. He also records under the names Panthel and Glühen 4. His work sits within minimal techno, electronic music, microhouse and dark ambient, and is associated with a dark, experimental approach to techno.

Style and sound

His music is described as combining melodic chimes with heavy, hypnotic techno rhythms. It often uses layered, textural arrangements and a melancholic mood, while still keeping a steady tech-house pulse. Although linked to minimal techno, his recordings do not stay within a single fixed style.

Career

Weber first appears as Pantha du Prince with the four-track Nowhere in 2002. This is followed by the album Diamond Daze in 2004, which receives wide critical attention. His music at this stage shows influences from late-1980s British shoegaze groups such as Slowdive, Moose, Ride and My Bloody Valentine, alongside references to Detroit techno and the Chain Reaction school of minimal techno.

He then issues the remix release Butterfly Girl Versions in 2005 and the new-material 12-inch Lichten/Walden in 2006. His second album, This Bliss, arrives in 2007 and again receives strong critical response. German magazines Spex and Groove both name it Record of the Month, and Pitchfork also reviews it positively.

Labels and collaborations

Pantha du Prince works with Dial, the Hamburg label run by Carsten Jost, Turner and Lawrence, for his Pantha du Prince releases. He is also signed to Rough Trade Records. On Black Noise in 2010, he includes guest appearances from Tyler Pope of !!! and Noah Lennox of Animal Collective. The following year, XI Versions of Black Noise features remixes by Four Tet, Hieroglyphic Being and Animal Collective.

Later work

In 2013, he releases Elements of Light, his fourth album, as a collaboration with Norway’s Bell Laboratory.