In his latest musical experiment Conference of Trees Hendrik Weber aka Pantha Du Prince translates the communication of trees into an impressive sound journey. What does it sound like when trees communicate? This is the question the German composer, electronic music producer and conceptual artist Pantha Du Prince attempts to answer in his latest album, Conference of Trees. The depths of his exploration into this mysterious language clearly visible by the various routes he takes into uncovering it; The instruments Pantha du Prince uses on Conference of Trees are the tools for his exploration; partly handmade by the artist himself, who wanted to explore the sound characteristics of different woods through intensive studies of the material.

He is supported by a percussion ensemble consisting of Håkon Stene and Bendik Hovik Kjeldsberg, who already participated in his last ensemble project The Bell Laboratory, and Manuel Chittka, drummer of the German artist Jungstötter. Jazz musician Friedrich Paravicini, who has already worked with Lou Reed and Robert Wilson, also participated in the arrangements. For an artist who was mainly producing electronic music up to this point, working with wood instruments also meant a shift in day-today habits, “Spending so much time in front of the computer and working with electronic machines started feeling a bit bleak to me,” explains Pantha Du Prince, “I wanted to find a way to spend more time outdoors and to legitimize it with art.”

Pantha du Prince’s experiment with Conference of Trees also carries in all its melodic tensions an important social critique. The implications of how we currently interact with nature, and our destructive relationship to our ecosystems are also addressed. He seems to be saying that tree mustn’t only be respected and protected, but it should also be appreciated. Conference of Trees is a profound probe into the lives of the beings that co-inhabit our planet for millennia, and without which our life depends. By taking us to the very core of that being, and by granting us their perspective, even if only momentarily, Pantha Du Prince hopes we can start to grasp the importance of our friendly neighbors, and start to heal our relationship to our ecosystem.