Pan American
Pan American is Labradford's Mark Nelson's solo project. All though his work under this moniker is definitely more beat-oriented and obviously influenced by the whole minimalist glitch/ambient scene (of Mille Plateaux, Force Inc. and Kompakt for example), I get the impression Pan American is simply the next logical step after the now mostly inactive Labradford. Every Pan American release sounds like the slightly mutated offspring of Labradford's E Luxo So. The music is so incredibly similar that I've wondered just exactly how big a role Nelson played in his first band; I'm ready to believe that he was Labradford and that Pan American is basically a stripped down version of this band (the essentials). Pan American's sound isn't simply limited to scratchy electronic sounds however; the odd instrument does pop up once in a while (including of course the usual guitar and organ of his former band) to add a warm touch to these austere soundscapes.
Even though Pan American's music is often considered as ambient music (regardless of the use of guitars, synthesizers and what not), Nelson's habitual use of extremely high pitched sounds sometimes can turn a seemingly pleasant and down-beat tune into an exercise in irritation. If you are able to let these harsh sounds seep into your ears, then Pan American's music will be most beautiful and rewarding, but if you, like me, have trouble with high frequencies, some tunes might prove to be an endurance test more than anything else. Lovely, trying, contrasting (warm yet austere) and devastating; such is the Pan American sound.
360 Business/360 BypassLabel: Kranky Records Release: 1999 Format: CD Cat. no: KRANK 041 |
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Quiet CityLabel: Kranky Records Release: 2004 Format: CD+DVD Cat. no: KRANK065 |
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