Sensational musician Panoram shares ‘What It Means’

Synth savant Panoram’s has shared an irreverent track titled ‘What It Means’, out on the Running Back imprint. Boasting over a million streams across platforms, Panoram has endeared himself to the global IDM community over the last decade for his off-kilter compositions. He has caught the attention of tastemaker publications like Pitchfork, Rumore Magazine, The Ransom Note and The Vinyl Factory and has recorded multiple times for NTS and Boiler Room. He has appeared alongside the likes of Kraftwerk and Gold Panda at Sònar Festival in Barcelona. Notably, Thom Yorke included a track from Panoram’s album Pianosequenza Vol.1 in a playlist he curated for Sonos.

Hailing from and based in Rome, little else is known of Raffaele Martirani, the mysterious maverick behind Panoram. He has been part of the project Amen Dunes for the past decade, touring extensively across the U.S. and Europe with the band, performing at renowned venues and festivals like Primavera Sound, Pitchfork Festival, Roskilde, Koko in London, and the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles. 

Under the Panoram alias, he has released on labels like Firecracker, Running Back, and his own Wandering Eye that nimbly elude genre classification, dancing playfully in their own synth-soaked ecosystem. His discography is a quietly-growing collection of his eclectic experiments laden with a smorgasbord of stylistic etchings – you’ll find abstract pop, classical experiments, hazy lounge, detuned synths, cyborg funk and so much more. Whatever you hear, it resists categorisation, and will probably be a labyrinthine listen with a hint of impish self-awareness. ‘What It Means’ will ensnare fans of IDM luminaries like Squarepusher and Aphex Twin, as well those who enjoy slower synthwave of the ilk of Vangelis.

‘What It Means’ is a bewildered and brooding daydream. A noodly arpeggio weaves its way in and out of filters around a lazy, shuffling beat, stringing the listener along a floating cloud of sonic bubbles. Bland vocal samples that sound like AI-generated map guides hover around the listener throughout the song, meandering through the layers of synths, with the refrain “On the other hand, I don’t always understand what it means” driving home the song’s gentle yet foreboding nature. Equal parts cerebral and playful, and entirely captivating, ‘What It Means’ beckons listeners to empty their minds while ensuring helmets stay fastened.

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