Pan Amsterdam - Panarama (2026) [Hi-Res]

Trumpeter, rapper and composer Leron Thomas, born in Houston and based in New York, performs as Pan Amsterdam, a project that occupies a distinctive place at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop. He has worked with Iggy Pop and Metronomy, and now makes shapeshifting, adventurous hip-hop in the city considered the genre’s spiritual home. His persona is irreverent, born out of frustration and named after a misunderstanding; the catalogue feels deeply rooted in Black American musical tradition while remaining untethered by convention.

His new album “Panarama”, released on Def Pressé, reasserts the project’s hip-hop identity: the sound is harder-edged, yet it keeps blurring jazz improvisation, abstract rap, punk attitude and experimental production. Its sixteen tracks form a stream-of-consciousness journey through modern life and its endless cycle of information, conflict and distraction, mixing social commentary, personal reflection, absurdist humor and cultural critique. Thomas says his style comes naturally from “scroll down culture”, where everything, from the minor to the extreme, becomes hyper-normalized.

Lead single “Szechuan Beef” (produced by 1FS) shows domestic conflict, social division, entertainment scandals and political discourse flattened into a constant stream of content. “Vanilla Ice” responds to widely publicized ICE killings and to how quickly online culture absorbs and forgets tragedy. The opener “Old Friend” is cinematic and Interpol-esque, with shimmering guitar lines and a no-filter vocal; Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Brad Truax (Interpol) work with Thomas across several tracks. For beat lovers there are clever nostalgic sample flips on “Cutlery”, the sleepy lo-fi of “Shuriken” and the wonky LA beat scene / early Flying Lotus sound of “Drunken Noodles”. “Deep Fried Shiney Things” explores early electro and industrial sonics, and the closer is an upbeat new wave / indie band cut on which Thomas stops rapping but keeps his observations sharp.

Tracklist:
1. Pan Amsterdam - Old Friend
2. Pan Amsterdam - Cutlery
3. Pan Amsterdam - Hot Potato
4. Pan Amsterdam - Vanilla Ice
5. Pan Amsterdam - Szechuan Beef
6. Pan Amsterdam - Pan Out
7. Pan Amsterdam - Itchy Cashews
8. Pan Amsterdam - Impossible Meat
9. Pan Amsterdam - Shuriken
10. Pan Amsterdam - Unseasoned
11. Pan Amsterdam - Drunken Noodles
12. Pan Amsterdam - Plantain De Negro
13. Pan Amsterdam - Blushing
14. Pan Amsterdam - Stingray
15. Pan Amsterdam - Deep Fried Shiney Things
16. Pan Amsterdam - This Coverband Rules