Today we would like to talk about this type of instrument and its influences. There are many things in handpan history that are not well documented or well known, and so I would like to explain how Surya Pantam came to be:

 

Along our journey, many makers inspired us on this journey. Marti, from Sunpan, is without a doubt one of them!

 

Pioneer on many fronts, Marti brought to the world a unique concept of all notes tuned with double octaves, giving a very characteristic and unmistakable timbre!

Marti was also the first maker to use stainless steel, I believe between 2011 and 2012, followed by Zach from Leaf Sound Sculptures in 2013 (great inspiration too, and big respect) and us back in 2015, at the time there were many rumors about not being possible to build in stainless steel, that's when I saw a video of Zach in the makers' group tuning a stainless steel D Kurd on the rings and boooom!!! Our direction has completely changed since then, we believe that everything was a journey, and each maker that preceded served as a reference and inspiration for another, leading us to a very diverse scenario to the present day.

 

At the time, people couldn't appreciate the sound of stainless steel, they thought it was too much sustain, how ironic history can be!?

 

Happy that the community moved in that direction, realizing that this material had a lot to offer, in addition to being very different from Panart's creation.

 

Another very curious and little-known fact is that Marti was the first maker to use hydroforming to build a Handpan, yes, he was the one who created and developed the first machine capable of making a shell with water pressure, a method that I still use today!

 

After many years of admiring his work, and aiming for something that went in that direction, I created what I called "Surya Pantam", in Sanskrit (the language that inspires the vocabulary of Satya Sound Sculptures) "Surya" is the sun, and therefore Surya Pantam is an allusion to a great source of inspiration, the Sun our greatest provider, and Marti one of the most inspiring makers for us, judging by his work...

 

Surya Pantam is also tuned with double octaves, with the addition of bass notes in the bottom shell, tuned in the classic octave/fifth axis, creating a mix of the two worlds, forming a harmonically complete instrument, and unique in its timbre.

 

This is the first model/scale that we present, the F# Surya, in addition to the model bearing the name, this scale I also called Surya, and it follows almost the same scale created by Marti, but with the addition of D#5 to give a touch of La Sirena feeling and the addition of the low ones.

 

This model will follow a different line of production from our classical model "Atma Pantam" because they are different in many ways, so each one of them will have different availability and offers.

 

To know more, get in contact.

 

(B2 C#3 D3 E3) F#3/ (G#3 A3) C#4 E4 F#4 G#4 A4 C#5 D#5 E5 F#5

 

With you, Surya Pantam!