Pancrace – Papotier 2LP

Pre-Order. Out early November.

“Free the organ from its dependence on the church and remove it from its sacred immobility.”

“…a phenomenological approach that involves experiencing the limits of sound objects.” – Pancrace Manifesto

“The talented Pancrace ensemble reminds me of David Munrow and the Early Music Consort.” – Charles Curtis

Music for spatialized midi controlled pipe organ “Organous”, Silbermann pipe organ (1778), Voices, Bird Calls, Baroque Violin, Rattles, Ventilators, Whistles, Uilleann Pipes, Gaïda, Sheng, Rhombus, Pouet-Pouet, Pi Synth, Kastle Synth and AM radio.

Pancrace is an ensemble comprising French, British and Austrian performers. The members being Prune Bécheau, Arden Day, Julien Desailly, Léo Maurel and Jan Vysocky.

Pancrace has “a unique, fully formed vision that combines improvisation, composition, eclectic instrumentation and a church’s massive pipe organ” (Sarah Hennies).

Pancrace’s latest double LP “Papotier” is the third panel of a tryptic after “Pancrace” (2017) and “Fluid Hammer” (2019). The ensemble knew at some point from their previous LP they would have to go back to church and repent confronting a Silbermann 18th century baroque organ with their custom made modular midi pipe organ : the “Organous”.

After nearly 18 months of lockdown the quintet finally met in Bouxwiller Alsace a few miles away from Dangolsheim where Pancrace first formed in 2015. During a residency Pancrace had full access to the Protestant church with its humongous Silbermann pipe organ famous for its “human voice” stop. Ironically the album title “Papotier” came up before the covid era. Ironic because a “papotier” is a mask or to be very specific a grotesque face carved in wood, initially rigged to the lower part of the organ casing. There are only very few of these fancy oddities left in France and around the world.

After months of feeling gagged during lockdown, having a “papotier” as an amulet was somewhat liberating and greatly contributed to opening up the Pancrace sessions to the exploration of human voice. Relearning how to breathe, listening to the human membrane, questioning the nature of air all within the confined space of a 14th century church were the essential acts that compose the pieces. One can consider this album as a phenomenological investigation into voice articulation trying to emulate the birth of a vocable like von Kempelen’s speaking machine who also used rudimentary organ modules to mimic human babbling. Essentially understanding what a mouth is to us to the point where, when all the pipes are blowing, they make a hell of a noise.

Reviews :

The group Pancrace consists of five members who
have positioned themselves, as it were, around the organ,
although you can also speak of multiple organs. They
improvise on instruments that are partly made by Léo Maurel,
such as the Organous, and Midi-controlled multiple organ. They
contrast that with an eighteenth-century church organ,
which can roar like a monster. Sometimes Julien Desailly
adds a bagpipe to that. Prune Bécheau not only
plays one of those organs, but also the baroque
violin, and sometimes she sings. On ‘Papotier’
(the French name for a grotesque face of woodcarving
that is attached to some old organs) their music
sometimes sounds as if it has blown over from earlier
centuries, then again the five go on the hunt for the
most extravagant sounds. In ‘Abat-Voix’ it is mainly
a collection of noise. In ‘Le Papotier’ it includes Donald
Duck-like vocals and walking bass moving deep underneath
and shrill chords flying over it. That is topped off on the next track
‘Miyazakiste’ with buzzing organ sounds. Jungle Mistake’ lets you
wander through a crazy artificial jungle. ‘Fausses Teintes’ lets
the organs shiver and float on each other, an effect that is
enhanced by the singing ofBécheau and one of the other band
members. It is thoughtful madness. They are mad sounds, brilliantly
coloured. You wish they could take a church organ like that on
tour. Does the Orgelpark know about their existence?

(rvp) – Gonzo Circus