Biography
SID LE ROCK aka PAN/TONE Over the last 15 years, Canada native Sidney S. Thompson, AKA Sid Le Rock & Pan/Tone, has made a name for himself as a prolific producer, DJ and live performer, with eight studio albums and over six dozen EPs to his name. His sound is hard-to-pin down, falling somewhere between synth pop, electronica, and electro, fused together with his own emotive vocals. His abounding talent and prolificacy hasn’t gone unnoticed, as Sid has regularly released on labels like Beachcoma, My Favourite Robot, Kompakt, Shitkatapult, Mute Records and Hafendisko. Likewise, the Toronto-born artist has been remixed by the likes of DJ Koze, Acid Pauli and Gui Boratto, while remixing Depeche Mode, Placebo, Gui Boratto, Fairmont, further underpinning his underground credibility. Despite his solid studio credentials, the Berlin-based artist has never sought fame or attention, instead remaining devoted to his craft, an ethos that is fully manifested in his productions. Having introduced his Sid Le Rock alias with his critically-acclaimed debut LP Written in Lipstick, which came out via Ladomat/Mute Records in 2004, the Toronto native now boasts four Sid Le Rock LPs. His sophomore LP, Keep It Simple, Stupid followed on Ladomat in 2006, and featured his highly successful vocal-heavy anthem ‘Naked’. It was later re-released with a remix by DJ Koze on Get Physical, becoming an instant classic. 2006 also saw the launch of his vinyl-only imprint Cereal/Killers, in partnership with Kompakt Distributions, allowing him the creative freedom to release an 11-part split-concept series under his Pan/Tone alias, which assembled a co-op of talented friends, including Ada, Reinhard Voigt, Gabriel Ananda and Gui Boratto. Three years later, Sid teamed up with long-time friends Metope and Fairmont to found Beachcoma Recordings. Now in its 10th year, the label has seen over 70 releases from the label bosses, as well artists like Ryan Davis, Edu Imbernon and Niconé. Sid Le Rock’s third album, Tout Va Bien, came in 2010 on T.Raumschmiere imprint Shitkatapult. The release was followed by Busted With a Bag of Bliss on My Favorite Robot Records in 2013. Inspired by his early works, the record was a welcome return to innocence and natural creativity that is deeply embedded in Sheldon’s voice and sound. 2019 will mark a new chapter in Sid Le Rock’s musical journey, putting his fifth album, Scenic Route in the spotlight. The 11-track release, which will be released via Hamburg label Hafendisko in the spring of 2019, is a natural continuation of Sid Le Rock’s signature indie electronica. With a brand new album, a new live show and a tour on the horizon, it’s clear we’re yet to see what Sid Le Rock is truly capable of. 2022 will see the return of Sid with a planned album, entitled – Invisible Nation, which will be released on his own label Beachcoma.
