Some artists evolve with the times. Others seem to exist somewhere outside of them. After more than 17 years immersed in electronic music, Beirut-based artist Pambouk has developed a sound that feels both deeply rooted and difficult to place, a meeting point between deep, driving rhythms, emotive melodies, and richly textured electronic production.
A Grammy-nominated artist, Pambouk has released music on respected imprints including Hoomidaas, Melody Of The Soul, Saisons, and My Other Side Of The Moon, with his music repeatedly reaching the top of the charts.
For TOR, his return carries an added sense of continuity. Pambouk was already part of the label’s story back in 2023, and we’re excited to welcome him back with ‘Time Travel’, a two-track EP that feels perfectly aligned with what TOR represents today: emotional, timeless, and deeply connected to the dancefloor.
Created from melodies that emerged almost spontaneously in the studio and were left largely untouched, ‘Time Travel’ is a reminder of what can happen when instinct takes the lead. The title track moves through sustained chords, warm basslines, rolling toms, and soaring synths, balancing melancholy with a feeling of hope and release.
On the flip, ‘Motion’ takes a more patient route, unfolding through spacious electro basslines, intricate synth interplay, and a nostalgic atmosphere that seems to recall a place you may have never actually been.
Together, the two tracks capture something increasingly rare: music that isn’t trying to chase a moment, but instead creates one.
Ahead of Pambouk’s return to TOR, we sat down with him to talk about Time Travel, trusting instinct in the studio, his musical journey, and why some sounds never really belong to a particular era.
WWD: Hello Shant, welcome back to When We Dip! It’s a real pleasure to have you back on TOR with such a masterpiece EP. There’s something very timeless about your Time Travel EP. It feels like music that exists outside of current trends, while still sounding unmistakably like you. At a time when electronic music is constantly evolving, and artists are surrounded by so many influences and expectations, how do you stay connected to your own identity?
This EP came from a very particular period in my life. Those months were deeply spiritual for me, and I wasn’t thinking about what was happening in the industry or what anyone else was doing; I was focusing entirely on my own story. I have a strong feeling that music comes to us from a higher dimension, and when you’re aware of that, your role is to receive it rather than interfere with it. The way you record that initial idea is part of the music itself, and you should record it as it was meant to be rather than forcing it to fit somewhere else.
WWD: Walk us through the moment these ideas first arrived. What was going on around you, and when did you realize you had captured something special?
The moment felt very strange, almost like a dream. I remember the feeling vividly: I went into the studio, followed what I was feeling, and it felt as though the music had simply arrived and I just needed to capture it. Because that period was so important to me spiritually, I consciously chose not to overthink or force anything into existence.
WWD: What was your workflow like in the studio for this EP, and how did you handle capturing the initial ideas as they came to you?
The process was completely instinctive. I worked directly with analog synthesizers (using a Behringer Poly D for the bass and a Moog Muse for the lead) and recorded everything in single takes like a live performance, without MIDI. At one point, I was playing the lead on one synth while recording the bass on another simultaneously. Because they were created together in that exact moment, the lead and bass fit naturally. Working this way opened up a new approach to studio creation for me.
WWD: ‘Time Travel’ and ‘Motion’ carry unique but different energies. How did these two tracks come together as a pair, and what connects them for you?
They have different personalities, but they come from the exact same creative space. ‘Time Travel’ is more expansive and emotional, while ‘Motion’ is a patient slow burner with more space between elements and a different conversation between the bass and synths. They work together because they showcase two different sides of the same emotional world without needing to sound identical.
WWD: Having lived through so many different eras in Beirut, how do you think your environment quietly shapes the emotion and atmosphere in your music?
Beirut is my environment, and I can’t separate it from who I am or the music I make. Having grown up during the war and lived through many different realities, my music reflects my true story and everything I’ve experienced there. Beirut is full of contrast, beauty, chaos, culture, and hardship, and while I don’t consciously sit down to write about it, that emotion releases itself naturally through the music.
WWD: Your sound draws on a lot of classic and non-electronic elements. What kind of music outside of the club scene has had the biggest impact on your creative language?
I’ve always been heavily influenced by music outside the electronic world, artists like Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Alphaville, Daft Punk, Jean Michel Jarre and cinematic composers like Hans Zimmer.
WWD: Looking back at your journey so far, what are some of the places or moments where your music connected with people in ways that completely surprised you?
It’s incredible to see how music travels beyond anything you could plan. For instance, after releasing “Forest Language,” it built a deep connection with listeners in Russia, which unexpectedly led to multiple tours and playing there around six times. Experiencing your personal story resonate with people in a completely different culture is very powerful.
WWD: You recently played Sundance in Albania for the third consecutive year. How did that relationship with the festival originally begin, and what does it mean to be invited back for a third time and see the festival grow from year to year?
After releasing my Janabar EP on Hoomidaas Records, which featured three tracks, “Forest Language,” “The Magic of Athens,” and “Janabar”, the release had a strong impact in different countries. One of those places was Albania, where the music really connected with people. That connection eventually led to my first booking at Sundance Festival. Sometimes there is a strong connection between the crowd, location and music, and those experiences remain somewhere inside. I don’t necessarily go into the studio thinking about one specific dancefloor moment, but those emotions become part of me. In the same way that my experiences in Beirut can come out unconsciously through the music, the experiences I have with people and dancefloors can also find their way back into the studio.
WWD: When it comes to the technical side, how do you approach mixing your own music to make sure the original feeling translates properly?
I handle my own mixing, relying on my Barefoot monitors for absolute clarity and detail in the studio. But because music lives in the real world, I always test my mixes on Apple AirPods and a portable JBL Flip 6. If a track retains its soul and energy across both high end studio gear and everyday speakers, I know the mix is finished.