Panopticom
| "Panopticom" | ||||
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| Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
| from the album I/O | ||||
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| Length | 5:13 | |||
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| Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
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"Panopticom" is a song by English musician Peter Gabriel, released in January 2023 as the first single in promotion of his tenth studio album I/O, his first album of original material since 2002's Up. Three versions of the song have been released: the "Bright Side Mix" (mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent) on 6 January 2023, the "Dark Side Mix" (mixed by Tchad Blake) on 21 January, and an "In-Side Mix" (mixed by Hans-Martin Buff) on 28 January. The cover (for both versions) features David Spriggs' Red Gravity as the cover art.[3][4] The single was released on the first full moon of the year.
Additional tracks from the album were also released on full moons and received "bright side", "dark side", and "in-side" mixes by Stent, Blake, and Buff respectively.[5] Gabriel also performed the song during his I/O The Tour in 2023.[6]
Background
[edit]On the origin of the song, Gabriel said that the song was centered around the idea of an "infinitely expandable accessible data globe: the Panopticom", where the intention was to "connect a like-minded group of people who might be able to bring this to life, to allow the world to see itself better and understand more of what's really going on."[7] Musically, the song began with the sound of a bouzouki, over which some improvised vocals were overdubbed. Following the addition of a rhythmic pattern, Gabriel worked with Oli Jacobs to develop the track further.[8]
A band session was arranged in September 2021, which featured David Rhodes (guitarist)|David Rhodes]] on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, Manu Katché on drums, Jacobs on programming, and Gabriel on synths and vocals.[8] Gabriel then asked Brian Eno assist him on the album, who contributed some electronic elements to "Panopticom", credited as "bells and haunting synths".[8][9] Near the end of the recording process, Ríoghnach Connolly sang some backing vocals, although Gabriel said that her parts were "not very audible" in the mix.[8]
Additionally, Gabriel cited research group Forensic Architecture, investigative journalism group Bellingcat, and the non-profit human rights organization WITNESS (co-founded by Gabriel) as inspirations.[3]
In-Side mix
[edit]Hans-Martin Buff handled the In-Side mix for "Panopticom" using Dolby Atmos.[4] "Panopticom" was the first mix that Buff worked on for Gabriel's I/O album; he worked on the album's first three tracks in sequential order. On the In-Side mix of "Panopticom", Buff wanted to add new instruments to capitalize on the capabilities offered by Dolby Atmos. Buff believed that the two guitars found on the stereo mixes of "Panopticom" were insufficient for the In-Side mix, so with Gabriel's approval, Buff brought Stuart McCaullum into the recording studio to overdub additional guitars.[8][10] McCaullum and Connolly had previously played together in The Breath, a band signed to Real World Records.[11] Buff viewed his role as ensuring that Gabriel's musical intentions were fully realised with the In-Side mixes and cited his mix of "Panopticom" as an example of this being achieved.
The easiest example of this I can think of is in the first song that was released, "Panopticom." It starts with these spacey moving bursts, which work nicely in Atmos because you have the expanded environment and the ability to create spaces. Then, it all of a sudden comes into focus with this pre-chorus of his vocal and some acoustic guitars.
— Hans-Martin Buff[10]
On 28 January 2023, the In-Side mix of "Panopticom" was released on Apple Music and Amazon Music. These platforms required a link to a stereo version, but since the In-Side mix was not recorded in stereo, the Dark-Side mix was linked to the song instead.[4]
Artwork
[edit]The cover artwork features Red Gravity by David Spriggs, who created the piece in 2021 with acrylic paint on layered plexiglass with dimensions of 84 × 61 × 20 cm.[12] The artwork consists of a red vortex with a black hole in the center.[8] Gabriel commented that the artwork reflected "Panopticom's" lyrical themes of surveillance, which prompted him to reach out to Spriggs for permission to use Red Gravity for the cover art. The artwork was also used as a backdrop for performances of "Panopticom" during Gabriel's i/o tour.[3][12]
Personnel
[edit]- Peter Gabriel – lead and backing vocals, synthesizers, rhythm programming, production
- Tony Levin – bass guitar
- David Rhodes – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Manu Katché – drums
- Brian Eno – haunting synths, bells
- Katie May – acoustic guitar
- Richard Chappell – rhythm programming
- Oli Jacobs – rhythm programming, synthesizers
- Ríoghnach Connolly – backing vocals[13]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[14] | 45 |
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[15] | 19 |
| US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[16] | 12 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Peter Gabriel Confirms First New Album In A Decade". Clash. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Gleadow, Ewan (9 January 2023). "Peter Gabriel - Panopticom Review". Cult Following. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Bonner, Michael (6 January 2023). "Hear Peter Gabriel's new track, "Panopticom"". Uncut. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "New Atmos mix puts you In-Side the music". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
- ^ Jones, Damian (6 January 2023). "Peter Gabriel shares rousing new single 'Panopticom' from forthcoming album 'i/o'". NME. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ Baille, Geoff (28 June 2023). "Concert Review: Peter Gabriel - i/o Tour - Dublin, Ireland 6/25/23". The Prog Report. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Hussey, Allison (6 January 2023). "Peter Gabriel Shares New Song "Panopticom": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Marziano, Alfredo; Perasi, Luca (2024). Peter Gabriel: The Rhythm Has My Soul. Milan, Italy: L.I.L.Y Publishing. pp. 284–285. ISBN 978-88-909122-5-2.
- ^ Rogerson, Ben (6 February 2023). "Peter Gabriel releases new single Panopticom, with Brian Eno providing "haunting electronics"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ a b Cornell, Jonathan (5 September 2023). "Q&A With Hans-Martin Buff: Producer, Engineer & 3D Audio Expert". Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ "Society of Sound: The Breath". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Red Gravity – David Spriggs". Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ "New song from Peter Gabriel! – SuperDeluxeEdition". 6 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
- ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History". Billboard Rock Digital Songs. Retrieved 27 August 2023.