Panda Transport
Panda Transport | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Charlottesville,  USA - Lyon,  France |
| Genres | Electronica, Downtempo, Indie pop, Jazz, Chill-out music, Lounge music |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Alpine chic rec, Bip-Hop rec, Etherbunny music, Substream rec, Dope Beat |
| Members | Kathy Compton, Thierry Holweck |
Panda Transport is a French / USA lounge electro-pop duo created in 2006. The duo comprises Kathy Compton and Thierry Holweck. Their debut album, Plush Mechanique.[1], was released in 2008. Subsequent albums include Monorail, Wildlife and The Songs We Used To Hate. Their song “Transmission” was featured in a Grey's Anatomy episode "Beat Your Heart Out”[2]. It was also used in 2017 by Metabook for Wally Lamb’s "I'll take you there", featuring Kathleen Turner and Elizabeth Banks among others.
History
Charlottesville, Virginia native Kathy Compton studied music with a focus on jazz vocals with renowned jazz trumpeter John D’earth. Her musical interest eventually gravitated more towards pop -- combining forward-thinking beats and production with the dusky vocals of her jazz heroines like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald. Compton began to write her own songs and play gigs armed only with her guitar. But it was at musician and talent advisor Ross Hoffman (Hanson, Dave Matthews Band) prompting that she moved to New York City to try her music on the audiences in small clubs and at open mic nights. She played both solo, and with members of Suzanne Vega's band, including bassist Michael Visceglia, keyboardist Stephen Gaboury, guitarist Marc Shulman, and drummer Frank Vilardi.
Upon her return to Virginia, Compton went into the studio to record her debut with Hoffman on guitar, producer Kevin McNoldy on bass and keyboards, drummer Roderick Coles, backing vocalist Andy Waldeck, and Craig Harmon on Hammond B3.
Thierry Holweck is best known for being the singer and guitar player in the 90's French punk-grunge band Garlic Frog Diet, signed on major label Semetary-Fnac Music and Weird records.
Holweck’s own interests moved more towards electronica in 2002, under the name, Severin24. His first EP, Teepee, was playlisted on college radios, followed by two LPs, Underworld and subsequent, Sabotage. He also made several remixes and collaborated with Philippe Petit (Bip-hop Records, France). Other collaborators included Roppongi Inc. Project (Q-Code Rec. Russia), Miss Fitz (Derschmuck-Archipel-Berlin-Germany), Nous Non Plus (Aeronaut rec.-NY-USA).
In 2004 Kathy released her follow-up album, Gentle Ravings Under a Martian Sky and decided to support the effort with European shows. It was here that Compton and Holweck met, in Lyon, France, where Thierry was and still resides. Soon after meeting they began collaborating. Their first recording was a cover of bossa nova classic, Dindi. Soon after they recorded Joy Division’s “Love will tear us apart”. After the positive response they formally formed Panda Transport.
Compton and Holweck’s varying tastes in musical styles are what dictate Panda Transport's sound – a melange of electronic and natural instrumentation, utilizing vocal harmonies, theremin, flute, vocoder, guitars, wood percussion, synths and toys.
In September of 2006 the pair began to work in earnest to record material for the debut album. This was followed by touring in Europe and the U.S.A. to support their first album, Plush Mechanique[1]
Their video "Back to School" is published on "la B.O. de Lyon", distributed by the city of Lyon and with the magazine Les Inrocks June 2008. The video was broadcast on TF1, the national French TV channel on a show dedicated to the internet called WATTV.
Their cover of Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart" was released on Dope Beat compilation (Play It Again Sam Records).
In 2009, the band under the name of Severin24 and Kathy Compton created a track in collaboration with Philippe Petit for his upcoming release, entitled Reciprocess[3]. Lydia Lunch, Bela emerson, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Eugene S Robinson member of Oxbow (band), Justin Broadrick amongst others are part of this album. Reciprocess[3] was given away by The Wire magazine and has been nominated for Compilation of the Year in the sixth edition of the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards.
Transmission, featured on the debut album was featured in the Grey's Anatomy episode February 5th 2009.
The band has appeared on ARTE, the European TV network’s Tracks.
Their second album, Monorail[4][5], features the song, “Saint’s Revel”. The video for “Saint’s Revel” was directed by Grey's Anatomy editor Justin Chinn in Los Angeles with film crew comprising a majority of Grey's Anatomy crew.
“Dark Horse” also on Monorail[4][5], is the second video collaboration between Panda Transport and L.A. based director Justin Chinn. The video was filmed in Lyon, France and finalized in Los Angeles in the summer of 2012. The crew comprised French TV - film maker and producer Jean-Marc Birraux as Assistant Director and Scott Bradbury, color timer. A remix of “Dark Horse” is featured on the third Panda Transport album, Wildlife[6], released in 2012.
In 2016 the band released Songs We Used to Hate[7], Volume 1, a concept album based on covers.
In 2017, Panda Transport released the single “This Way”.
Currently the band is at work on a new album.
Discography
- 2008: "Plush Mechanique"
- 2009: "Monorail"
- 2012: "Wildlife"
- 2016: "The Songs We Used To Hate"
- 2017: "This Way" (single)
Other Albums
- 2007: "Dope Beat-The harder they come"
- 2009: "Reciprocess: +/vs."[3]
- 2009: "Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack"
- 2010: "V/A Substream likes vol.1"
- 2011: "Kayleigh Prince - - MUA"
- 2011: "Love, Music, Art, Vol. One"
- 2011: "The World of Sisters: Dioz and Shay"
- 2011: "Electronic for Japan"
- 2012: "Retrospective"
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Musicdish. "Panda Transport Releases Plush Mecanique, Including 'Transmission'", Musical America, September 23, 2009.
- ↑ lesinrocks.com. "Panda Transport sur la BO de Grey’s Anatomy", Les Inrockuptibles, February 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Herrington, Tony. "Panda Transport, Monorail", The Wire (magazine), January 7, 2010. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "“[Reciprocess:" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Smith, Simon. "Panda Transport – “Monorail”", Higher Plain Music, January 31, 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rae, Jimmy. "Panda Transport, Monorail", Skope Mag, December 16, 2009.
- ↑ Editor. "New Single! PANDA TRANSPORT", lyricloungereview.co.uk, October 4, 2012.
- ↑ Le Bled, François. "Songs they used to hate – Interviewing French American music duo Panda Transport", The New Heroes And Pioneers.com, 16 October 2016.
External links
- Discogs
- Dark Horse lyrics
- Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack
- Panda Transport on Bandcamp
- iTunes
- V/A - Substream Likes Vol.1
- V/A
- Thierry's YouTube Channel
/* Panda Transport */ Edit references and discography. I hope everything's fine now.
This article "Panda Transport" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Panda Transport. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
