Hendrik Weber has remained remarkably consistent throughout his career as Pantha Du Prince. 2010's Black Noise saw the German techno producer move from Hamburg's Dial Records to the larger Rough Trade. Along with the label switch came a collaboration with Animal Collective's Panda Bear and a more physical, earthbound sound. Weber's penchant for dubby basslines and bell tuned melodies prevails throughout the record but the percussion is more active than on previous albums. There is plenty of space, little gaps of sound that allow Weber's tracks to take unexpected turns and introduce melodies that may have been buried beneath the surface. It's as if you've stepped inside some futuristic music box that produces beautiful fragments of micro textured house with every turn of the handle. Black Noise served to cement Pantha Du Prince's reputation while introducing the producer to a wider audience.

• music label: Rough Trade 2010

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 02/2015