Pantha du Prince will release his new album, Conference of Trees, on March 6.

Conference of Trees sees the German artist, real name Hendrik Weber, translate the communication of trees into an “impressive sound journey,” we’re told. Across 10 tracks, Weber asks: what does it sound like when trees communicate?

To answer this question, Weber’s research spanned the scientific studies of forest ecology professor Suzanne Simard, Erwin Thoma’s “The Secret Language of Trees,” and the mystical meanderings of the 12th century Sufi, Farīd-al-dīn Attar. Weber also asked himself what it’s like to live like a tree: “I wanted to become a tree myself and enable a group of musicians to become trees as well,” he explains.

Across the album, Weber relies on several handmade tools because he wanted to explore the sound characteristics of different woods through intensive studies of the material. He is supported by a percussion ensemble consisting of Håkon Stene and Bendik Hovik Kjeldsberg, and Manuel Chittka, drummer of the German artist Jungstötter. Jazz musician Friedrich Paravicini also participated in the arrangements.

The blend of percussion, electronics, and strictly organic sounds also carries in it an important social critique: the implications of how we currently interact with nature, and our destructive relationship to our ecosystems.

Weber’s last album, The Triad, came in 2016, which he followed with an ambient version the year after.

Tracklisting

01. Approach In A Breeze
02. Transparent Tickle Shining Glace
03. Holding The Oak
04. When We Talk
05. Roots Making Family
06. The Crown Territory
07. Supernova Space Time Drift
08. Silentium Larix
09. Pius In Tacet
10. Lichtung

Conference of Trees LP is out March 6. Meanwhile, you can stream “Pius In Tacet” in full via the player below.