"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
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] 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]
The song's title references the panopticon, a prison structure designed by Jeremy Bentham that enabled prison guards to observe the actions of all of prisoners without being detected. Gabriel's concept of the panopticom was to invert this model by enabling "ordinary people" to observe the actions of authority figures. The "com" in the panopticom refers to the ability for people to "communicate both to the globe and what's going on in the globe. It's turning surveillance on its head."[8]:3:30–4:46
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.[9] A band session was arranged in September 2021, which featured David Rhodes on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, Manu Katché on drums, Jacobs on programming, and Gabriel on synths and vocals.[9] Gabriel then asked Brian Eno assist him on the album, who contributed some electronic elements to "Panopticom", credited as "bells and haunting synths".[9][10]
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.[9] The song's Bright-Side Mix features more prominent acoustic guitars than the Dark-Side mix, created by Mark "Spike" Stent and Tchad Blake respectively.[9][11]
In-Side mix
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.[9][12] McCaullum and Connolly had previously played together in The Breath, a band signed to Real World Records.[13] 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.
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
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.[14] The artwork consists of a red vortex with a black hole in the center.[9] 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][14]
Critical reception
Steve Erickson of Slant Magazine characterised "Panopticom" as a song that "confronts our surveillance culture, its title referring to the ability to observe a world where facts are difficult to determine." He also indicated his preference for the Bright-Side mix over the Dark-Side mix, calling the former a "more potent version of the song."[11] In his review of i/o, Chris Roberts highlighted the song's themes of surveillance and Gabriel's "hushed but crystal-clear diction.[15] Writing for Uncut, John Lewis noted similarities in the song's production to some of Gabriel's earlier work, including on "Intruder" and "No Self Control".[16]
Personnel
Peter Gabriel – lead and backing vocals, synthesizers, rhythm programming, production
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