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INTERVIEW - PanKAT publishd by Steelbands North, Newsletter September '07, by Dave Edwards In a recent issue we reported the launch of this new electronic steelpan from California; we have since contacted a PanKAT player in the UK and we are hoping that he will come up to the north east to demonstrate the instrument very soon. This is none other than The Mighty Jamma (his superlative, not ours) from Birmingham, a player of 30 years experience of panning so he should be in a good position to comment on PanKAT. Dave (D): Firstly Jamma, what is the PanKAT like to play? Jamma (J): I think it's good to play. It's laid out exactly like a C 4ths and 5ths tenor, but is a couple of inches larger in diameter giving room for plenty of note pads. You can pla with sticks or fingers. D: What can the PanKAT do? J: Obviously it needs to be amplified, but basically it's a MIDI controller in the form of a steelpan, so it can do an endless amount of things. It can sound like any instrument you want it to, so for me it means that I can do a whole recording arrangement on it, whereas before I had to bring in other musicians for drums, bass, say, etc. Not only that, but you can programme it to have exactly the same sound characteristics of a particular pan, band or tuner with the use of samples. I plan to use it alongside my regular pan so that I can quickly switch to different sounds such as flute, violin, etc. D: How much does it cost? J: List price is $1800, around £900 which compares to traditional tenor pans from many makers, much cheaper than some. Of course you have to add th cost of amplification and any samples that you may want to buy. D: Do you think it will take the place of metal pans? J: No. It's not a replacement for traditional pan but an extention to the musical options that an individual panist has available to explore and work with. This is a massive breakthrough for pan players; like when the electronic keyboard came in it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the pianist. D: Some would say that was not necessarily an improvement, just an electrification. J: Maybe, but it's just extra options, the hand made metal pan will still be around for those that want or prefer it. I think PanKAT could help pan to reach new audiences and in that way could be a catalyst for greater instrumental in the traditional instrument. For instance I can see that a pop group would consider using a PanKAT MIDI controller as part of their act where they would prbably never have dreamt of using a real pan. D: Finally, what do you think future developments for electronic pan might be? J: Accurate sound modules are being developed and will provide a new market for pan makers to sell their sounds. PanKAT can be inputted directly to a mixer socan avoid the minefield of problems associated with miking and amplifying acousatic pans, especially large bands like at Panorama. Also the realms of double tracking and overdubbing will be opened up, especially for solo panists. D: Thanks for the chat Jamma. |