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Pando Pando — Pando Pando
(Bandcamp Not Applicable no#, 2024, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-04-18

Pando Pando Cover art

Pando Pando is an improvising trio featuring electronics (Alex Bonney) and two drummers who also handle various percussion (Jem Doulton and Will Glaser). This kind of lineup could go several different ways, so the other piece of information that’s relevant is that they are not interested in grooves or beats at all — this is abstract, textural sound with only occasional hints of tempo. Within this niche, they explore many possibilities, from the roiling waves of sound of “The Graveyard of Sharks” that wash over the listener like the tide crashing against a rocky shoreline to the sparse textures of “Eno’s Bathroom” with droning tones and tinkling metal sounds. “Fluffy Wires” comes the closest to having a danceable beat, with pulses of synthesizers and drums stabbing the air, though it’s erratic enough that only the boldest DJ would program it. “Dolphin Suicide” has a sort of tonal motif on the electronics that repeats with variations and changing tonalities, but the drums only hint at a pulse, venturing into what might be regarded as abstract fills that obscure a sense of meter. The piece builds over its first four minutes in intensity, peaking with furious tonal mangling and thunder from the drums, then gradually diminishes over a couple more minutes to vanish into the silence. “Square and Stationary Earth” seems to consist mostly of drums, with the electronics providing live processing — it’s a pretty chaotic piece, so I could be wrong there. Pando Pando is an album unlike any I’ve heard, and should provide interest to those who are interested in abstract electronics.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Pando Pando

More info
http://not-applicable.bandcamp.com/album/pando-pando

 

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