For its next release Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks in Hell label takes a surprising turn with an eight track LP by Berliners Panna Cotta. This duo came together one summer evening on the legendary Berlin airfield of Tempelhof. Their debut album is the sonically sweet and heartfelt audio delight entitled ‘Sunrise’, produced, and curated with blissed-out, sun soaked, love filled days in mind
Sitting somewhere between sultry disco and polished pop, French-born Alex Arslan, and Italian Riccardo Pirotto, takes the listener on a journey to the blissful planet joy. All of the tracks are composed, mixed, and mastered on vintage analog gear, maintaining a feeling of past, and making for a sublime combination of warm keys and heart beating drums. The music is inspired by Panna Cotta’s soulful search for instant happiness and long-lasting love through poetry in musical moments.
Opener ‘Tasting Sugar’ takes us on a psychedelic cosmic journey, while ‘Sweet’ picks up the yacht rock pace a touch. ‘Childhood’ with its slo-mo vibrations encourage the dancers to sway, while ‘Nobody’ surprises with its broken beat breakdown and impressive drum solo. ‘I Feel Love’ plays with analogue synths and steady drums, with flecks of acid beneath the uplifting vocal, all floating along on a killer groove. Track ‘ Sunrise’ allows the honeyed vocal harmonies to take centre stage amidst the blissed-out soundscape, with Marcel Vogel adding muscle and further acid twists with his interpretation, taking us on an even further exploration of Panna Cotta’s cosmic disco universe. Panna Cotta have travelled space and time in search of these poetic moments.
We had a conversation with the sweet toothed duo just before the new album dropped…
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
Panna Cotta is a Berlin-based band comprised of Riccardo Pirotto (Drums, Visuals) and Alex Arslan (Synthesizer, Voices). Panna Cotta cooks sweet music which could be defined somewhere between Slow-Disco and Synthwave. We met by chance on the Tempelhof airfield in Berlin, the place where thousands of people each week, symbolising the openness and tolerance of the city of Berlin. We share a vision of sexy and groovy music.
What are you up to today?
We just got the keys of our new studio in Berlin next Funkhaus. And we are ready to work on some new tracks.
Tell us about your new release ‘Sunrise’
We wanted a full analog experience, taking the listeners back to a classic sound and letting them revive their sweetest moments in life. The LP “Sunrise” was conceived at the beginning of the pandemic, a time where Music could not be lived freely anymore. The album is an ode to all these beautiful moments and feelings we missed during the first lockdowns, moments we all remember and learn to cherish even more: our Childhood, Love, Sunrise, etc.
This release is for lovers of …
Payfone, Parcels, 70’s Disco, Synth lovers and warm drum sounds.
Where is the best place to listen to this album for maximum listening effect?
Berghain!
More seriously in the car, at the beach, driving slowly with open windows.
What should we be drinking while we listen to it?
Aperol Spritz or Nice beach cocktails
If someone wanted to get to know your taste, what other album should they
listen to?
From the past we love Motown records, Pink Floyd. In the present Air or Wayne Snow.
What do you like to do when you’re not making music?
Cooking and drinking a glass of natural wine.
Do you have any other desserts in the pipeline?
Tiramisu. More seriously, we can’t wait to move into our new studio to invent our next dessert.
The Nearest Faraway Place 