Editorial and interview by Calle Wirén
Pandhora is a duo of musicians based in France blending psychedelic guitars, deep beats, and electronic soundscapes. They describe themselves as a bromance built on love for psychedelic music.
We had a chat with Pandhora to talk about their current musical projects.
First of all, I just want to say congratulations on the release that is the remix of ‘Grey Skies’ by Crimsen & FeyIn featuring Oliver Wickham. The production truly showcases the musical elegance of what you guys do, as well as the transformative process of putting one’s touch on an already finished work of art.
The original ‘Grey Skies’ is a beautiful track about long winter months and the even longer wait for summer and all that it entails to arrive. The Pandhora remix of the original is equally beautiful and the atmosphere you’ve created gives the feeling of summer having arrived and that we’re now merely remembering winter and those grey skies.
The addition of colorful chords and a melancholic bassline changes the tone of the original track and smoothly carries the vocals. The wobbly lead luring in the mix is aces as usual and an extended break & buildup reset back to letting the vocals breathe on top of pads and percussion. All the while on a journey to a drop of spacious arpeggios, chords, and vocals that really seals the deal. The track radiates feelgood-vibes and It turned out amazing. On that note, I’d love to dive deeper into the musical process and thoughts that drive Pandhora.
Electronic Groove: Hey guys, thanks for your time today. What was the first thing that stood out when hearing the original for the first time? And what feelings and emotions are you hoping for the listener to have when experiencing your take?
Pandhora: Thanks for the invite. We instantly connected with Oliver Wickham’s vocals when we heard the original for the first time. Moreover, the chords used in the original played a big role in us accepting the remix request Alex sent us. It’s the kind of combo that truly inspires us. Proper vocals and a solid harmony always yield great remix possibilities.
We wanted to give the original an uplifting vibe without deconstructing the original emotions. That is why we can feel a kind of melancholia throughout the track even though it stays hopeful.
EG: When remixing a track, what would you say is a key element in your work that tends to bring forth that typical Pandhora sound that we all love?
Pandhora: It is quite difficult to choose a single key-element that would define our work but we would say that three main ingredients work hand in hand to create that Pandhora synergy. Here it would be the groove (bass-line layered with a bouncy synthesizer sound), the chord progression that we reharmonized & enriched, and finally the arrangement to lay-out all the elements in various sections in order to tell a story.
EG: You now have a long and impressive record of remixes that span a wide range and variety of sounds. With the experience you have now, what would you say is the hardest part as well as the most fun part about remixing a track? And what was the best part about remixing ‘Grey Skies’?
Phandora: The most challenging part of remixing a track is to stay faithful to the original song while giving it a different twist. It is always about finding a balance between adding artistic value and staying true to the original piece. This track was particularly challenging though because we explored chords and harmonies that we’ve never laid-out before. We wanted the progression to sound beautiful but tense and rich at the same time.
We spent a whole day chatting together over the internet trying to figure out the right chords that would complement the vocals. We ended up finding a good set of chords and then arranging the remix was pretty straightforward. Once we had the chords working with the vocals, we could build the structure of the remix, which parts would be with vocals and which would be instrumental. Then, it’s all about making the different instruments sing together in harmony.
“The most challenging part of remixing a track is to stay faithful to the original song while giving it a different twist”
EG: Pandhora as a duo is known for the seamless incorporation of live elements such as guitars & keyboard in live performances as well as in your productions. What is it with live & organic elements that work so well with electronic music in your opinion?
Pandhora: We always loved the approach of combining elements that would, intuitively, feel antagonist. The combination of electronic instruments – whether analog or digital – that are by default mechanical with the fragility of acoustic instruments created something special to us. We are avid fans of the ’60s and ’70s psychedelic and progressive rock. In these genres, there is often a fusion of synthesizers with electric guitars and acoustic drums. We love this fusion and our music is highly inspired – consciously or not – by it.
The modern music-making environment makes it possible to create any type of fusion, so matching electronic instruments with acoustic ones can work well if the global atmosphere is coherent. This is achieved by various mixing techniques, as well as extensive sound design. Our approach is twisting the timbers of both electronic and acoustic elements so they become closer to each other and eventually yielding a coherent sound. For example, there is no limit on shaping a guitar sound when it’s processed in a DAW and the opposite is also true: any electronic sample can get a life of its own and tend to sound more “acoustic” or “human”.
EG: As earlier stated, you are no strangers to working with live instruments. Do tell us which instruments that currently are sitting at the top of your wish-list to work with? And what makes them special?
Pandhora: In fall 2018, we started touring and playing live with a guitar, a keyboard and a couple of midi controllers. During the quarantine days, we experimented using our own vocals & layering effects on top of them, pushing them into the electronic realm. Early 2021, we will have a new live show ready featuring a new setup including guitars, synths, and vocals!
We do enjoy other instruments such as the violin, the oboe, or the clarinet. We would love to collaborate with musicians who play these instruments in the near future. Alternatively, they would be our first choice if we ever had time to learn a new instrument… But let’s be honest this is not very likely in the near future!
EG: As artists and music lovers in general, Pandhora is not the only music project that you’re pursuing. Tell us a bit about Art Vibes Music, how it came to be, and what you’re hoping to accomplish with running a record label?
Pandhora: Art Vibes is a record label we run with our overseas friends Beyond Physical in Canada, Veytik in the USA, and 9DEEP in Macedonia. It was founded in early 2015 when Amine was studying in Montreal and met with Eric who was producing as Eryck Wyseman at the time (now Beyond Physical). Eryck was already good friends with Justin (Veytik) who was producing Nu-Disco at the time, under different aliases. So the label actually started releasing nu-disco / deep house tracks and it feels like our sound has evolved quite a lot since then.
In any case, our goal has always been to have a home to which we can come back to and be surrounded with trustworthy people that share the same mindset. Even though we have different sounds as artists, we often come together on compilations where we also feature upcoming artists that we think have great music. Besides our music, Art Vibes has also released the music of artists from every continent and we do our best so they are happy with their experience. We try to avoid trends and release only music that we personally enjoy listening to in our home studios.
EG: Lastly, what can we expect, and what’s in the pipeline for Pandhora as well as Art Vibes Music coming 2021?
Pandhora: You can expect more originals coming from us in the next months. We are accepting fewer remix opportunities and focusing on writing original material. Our next 3 tracks EP named ‘Imaginary Crossroads’ is getting released in November on Art Vibes with remixes from Rasi Z and Raposa. We also have another 3 tracks EP ‘Floating Consciousness’ we will release independently early next year with remixes from Teenage Mutants, Lauren Mia, and Underher. We also have two originals for Los Angeles-based Pipe & Pochet that should see daylight in Spring 2021 as well as a very special single for HMWL.
Our current production work is about finishing a few collabs we started with close Art Vibes collaborators Teom, Shunus, Mel7em, and Cahelo. These tracks will be released on compilations the label releases each year, starting with Art Vibes family this winter. Then, a good chunk of our time will be dedicated to working on our first album which already has a dozen draft projects. While it is still unclear when this album project will release, we want to make it sound modern, danceable, while also being cross-genres and creative.
You can also expect a few remixes here and there that we will keep making for close labels. Besides the remix of Grey Skies, we also have an ethnic house remix of Alex Twin’s ‘Pandora’ due to be released on Pipe & Pochet as well as a remix of Paax Tulum’s ‘Walas’ that is yet to be signed.
Pre-save Crimsen & Feyln feat Oliver Wickham – Grey Skies Pandhora Remix here.
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