Panchiko's story is the stuff of dreams, of legend or a film script, a band who's record simmered away for a few decades while gaining momentum and building a fan base.
Released in 2000, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L was an EP from Panchiko. Remastered and released twenty years later, D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L had been seemingly lost to time, but in reality a cassette had been found in a charity store in Nottingham, shared via Mega and Zippyshare download links and slowly built a massive cult following.
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2025 sees the release of Panchiko’s followup, Ginkgo, out April 22.
Guys, thanks for taking the time! What a ride you’ve been on and congratulations on the new single. How has been working on new music compared to writing D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L?
Andy: I think the approach to recording, or at least demoing Ginkgo felt quite similar to D>M … certainly in the sense of excitement and fun we were all having whilst we were trying things out, and I think that comes through in the album.
The equipment we have access to now is a little different to what we had 25 years ago. Back then, we had just one microphone and a digital Roland 8 track, a few keyboards, and very little else. It could definitely be argued that that’s all you need, but now we’ve got a few extra treats …
I just love pressing buttons, so we have some lovely analogue outboard stuff that I mix into, or patch in for tracking: my favourite preamp is a lovely BAE 1073 into an API 2500+. There’s also a little green box called an APB by McDSP that I love. The tape emulator is just insanely good. I modded a Neumann U67 with NOS Telefunken valve from the 70’s and that works perfectly with Owain’s voice. We tried a few different mics but found some of them a little too shiny. I used a Schoeps small diaphragm on the acoustics and strings just because it sounded so much faster.
Owain: The approach to songwriting was different on this one as Andy wrote the music and lyrics, which wasn’t the case on the D>M, certainly when it came to lyrics. So the fresh approach was much more liberating. The song was demoed for a while, and as Andy said, when the drums were down, it came alive. I told him we need to see this one through!
I added my own variations/edits to the lyrics and vocal line (which were really close to what Andy had in mind… in his mind).
We had this great track where I could focus on the “vocal performance” so to speak. I did add some guitar and used the Chroma console pedals glitch/breakdown effects which was fun! It’s our first waltz, maybe not the last.
How did you find out that D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L had become a cult classic?
Andy: Owain sent me a message over Facebook, I think. At the time I’m not sure that D>M quite inhabited the same sorta place as it does in people’s minds now. It’s grown into something much bigger and we appreciate how people are connecting with it. It’s a whole new generation of folks and it’s incredible to see.
Owain: Yeah, we found out through Facebook, I was contacted by two super sleuths who had been searching for members of Panchiko for a few years.
“Panchiko” I thought, “… now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time!”
It was baffling as I knew we had never put any of the music on the internet. How did they know about the band? I then found out about the CD discovery story and all the hard work of a small group of determined individuals on Discord, who had been hunting down lost media. Specifically, the lost media we made.
I am very grateful for the time and effort that was put into the search and could have never predicted that the whole thing would take on the life of its own, that it did!
How has the recording of Ginkgo compared to your previous experience? Had you all been playing music in other bands?
Andy: Recording Ginkgo compared to Failed at Math(s) (the album before Ginkgo) was so much easier as we had more time to write and more time to make mistakes. For Failed At Math(s), we all still had our ‘regular’ jobs, and life was a much more frantic place! Trying to juggle Panchiko and have a regular life is increasingly difficult… (I write this answer as a toddler jumps on my head for instance!)
The song Ginkgo nearly annoyed me to the point where I was wanting to throw it in the bin, but with the addition of Jon’s drums and some lovely double bass it came together really well at the last moment.
Owain: It was great to finally have the time to take a breath and enjoy the writing and recording process with less outside pressures from jobs, etc. The song floated about a bit and then settled down nicely in the end. Like all the bits were there already, we just had to find them.
How have your influences changed over the last twenty years?
Andy: I still occasionally listen to the stuff I grew up with, like Radiohead and Super Furry Animals, but there’s so much great new music out and about that it keeps me busy and excited. I’m really enjoying Mei Semones, Hovvdy, Alex G, Mitski, Clinic Stars, 100 Gecs… there’s lots of time in the tour van to listen to new things. Often we’re recommended a band by a fan so we try and keep up with what the youngsters are listening to!
Owain: My musical influences change all the time. I don’t think my influences have changed that much over twenty years. The music is what has changed! Maybe I listen to more solo piano nowadays.
Like Andy said, one of the really great things is learning about the music that influences and inspires the folks who listen to us and come to our shows. Sometimes these influences match up, but it is great to share knowledge and recommendations. I am listening to a lot of Kelly Moran, 100 Gecs, Cashmere Cat, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Big Thief, Remi Wolf, Floating Points, NxWorries.
How and where did you record Ginkgo and the rest of the new album?
Andy: We recorded most of the album in our studio in Nottingham, but for drum tracking we weren’t quite set up for it at that point, so Pieter Rietkerk at Chapel Studios engineered our drums and some guitars in the UK, and Jon Nellen recorded most of the drums you hear on the album in his studio in Brooklyn, New York.
I then edited and mixed at our place in Nottingham. There’s so many layers of drums… Owain programs a lot, I’ll layer stuff over them too, so things get pretty hard to define where they came from in the end, but I like the density that can be achieved working in such a way.
Sometimes we use the close mics from Jon in Brooklyn, and the room mics from Chapel in the UK. The beats are a little different but it made it more unique and fun sounding.
We mixed for [Dolby] Atmos at Confetti Studios in Nottingham during some down time they had.
You’re touring the US right now – how does your live show compare to studio recordings?
Andy: I’m really not a fan of backing tracks, I know it’s pretty ubiquitous these days, and it works great for some folks, but for us, I feel like it takes a bit of the fun away, both for us and for the audience.
We have a couple of great engineers who really make it sound much better than we deserve to sound, without relying on click tracks and backing. Maybe, down the line, we’ll think again, but for now, we’re happy as we are. We also have tiny amps on stage, so our stage sound is always manageable.
Owain: It’s fun playing everything live; there is a certain jeopardy to the whole thing! I hope it makes it exciting for the folks who have come out to see us. I suppose it does leave us in the situation where there could be the ‘Live’ version vs the ‘Studio’ version. I think that’s good though, the push and pull is what makes things seem alive and free flowing. Perhaps too free flowing!
What’s next for Panchiko? More albums? Another hiatus to re-emerge even bigger than before? Something else?
Andy: I’d like to say we’re going to take another 25 years off, but we’ll be so old that there’s a realistic chance we’ll be dead by then, so we’ll probably tour the new album and start writing again quite soon. We love it, it’s a dream and an honour to be able to play to so many people.
Owain: I want to make more music! As long as people want to hear us and we can go out and share it with them, I’m happy to keep going. It really is an honour and I hope it encourages people to make music and perform. It’s got to keep going!
Keep up with Panchiko here.
