Exclusive Interview with Pan-Pot
Pan-Pot are a brilliant multi-dimensional Berlin duo currently twisting house and techno fans into rapturous fits. In just a few short years, Pan-Pot have developed a dominate presence amongst the top tier of electronic dance music. When not in the studio writing original material or putting their unique spin on tracks by a myriad of artists, the bad-boys of impassioned, pitch-black techno can be found on the road touring at a near ceaseless level. Their dance floor oriented DJ sets see them playing back to back and are unconstrained by boundaries as they effortlessly transition between techno, house and everything in between, demonstrating an immaculate understanding of the audience’s wants and needs.
Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Pan-Pot, shortly before their performance at Glow Nightclub on 26th April.
How did you get in touch with electronic dance music in the first place?
Thomas: When I was about 15 years old I went to a flee-market with my grandmother who bought me a tape with Techno music. This is how it all started for me.
Tassilo: My best friend Bernhard took me to a Techno boat on the lake close to my home and DJ Hell was playing and I think Miss Kittin. I totally fell in love with this music that day, 12 years ago.
How did you guys meet and what made you team up and produce music together?
Tassilo: We met when we both started to study audio engineering at the SAE Institute in Berlin.
Thomas: After few days we found out that we shared a similar taste in music (Techno) so we hung out together and started working together in the studio.
How would you describe your music in just a few words?
Tassilo: When we produce it ranges from Tech-House to Techno with a bit of experimenting. If I had to define our own genre, it would be "darkroom funk" :)
Thomas: And when we play gigs it can vary depending on the event (club or festival) and if its day or night-time.
Your debut album “Pan-O-Rama” was released in 2007. What are you currently working on?
Thomas: We still have on our mind to work on another album because we get many requests but today an album concept does not seem to be as important as it used to be years ago.
Tassilo: Sometimes it is good to release EPs, singles and compilations because there is a shorter gap between the finished track and the release. Last December we released our "White Fiction EP" after our back to back compilation with a documentary video on mobilee records. And this summer there will be another compilation coming along.
Out of all tracks you have made, which tracks would you recommend to someone that is not yet familiar with your music?
Thomas: Confronted & Faces. Both tracks reflect the range of style what we doing.
Tassilo: I would also say Captain My Captain and Mental Rush. Kepler should be mentioned to show the broader spectrum. Anyways, we don't want to be bound to one certain genre but be able to do whatever we feel like. That's what we're working on right now. :)
What are the essential things you need to have with you at all times and what are the things you miss when you are on tour?
Tassilo: On tour we always bring our equipment with controllers and laptops as our standard gear. This is very essential for us. Besides that I need: iPad, sunglasses, usb stick and Aspirin. :)
Thomas: And we miss sleep! :)
What was the best and the worst gig you ever played?
Thomas: This is always a hard question because there are so many great gigs. If we would need to point out some it would be Time Warp Mannheim and our residencies at clubs such as Watergate in Berlin or Studio 80 in Amsterdam. But there are many more good ones.
Tassilo: Bad gigs are seriously hard to remember, maybe at our own events that we did at the beginning of our career. :) In general it is always very important to us to have a good crowd and lots of our friends around, then the gigs are always fun.
What was the funniest thing ever occurred during any of your performances?
Thomas: Classic story in Gent with two girls, who jumped on the stage, showed her boobs, took their slips and threw them to us. End of the story was that I was dancing with one slip on my head on the stage. :)
On 26th April you will make your Thailand debut at play live here in Bangkok at Glow Nightclub. Have you visited Thailand before? Are you excited to play here?
Thomas: No, this is our first time in Bangkok. We heard so many great things so we are really excited so see the city and to play at Glow!
Tassilo: Hopefully we have some time to see a little bit of the city and enjoy some good food also.
Are you adventurous if it comes to food? Do you try the local dishes of the countries you travel to, or do you usually eat what you know from home? Will you give spicy Thai food a chance?
Tassilo: Local food is a must for us and of course we will dare who can eat the most spiciest food - maybe. :)
Thomas: Of course I'm a big fan of local dishes and also local beer. :)
What can Bangkok expect of your performance at Glow Nightclub?
Thomas: A massive party we hope!
Tassilo: Two very motivated germans with a big bunch of music to play :)