Panchikobin

Independent third party verification from a record label who recieved their demo, including handwritten notes dated November 2000

https://imgur.com/gallery/4nEt7bJ
https://i.imgur.com/dcR6dBV.jpg

Confirmation that Fierce Panda moved office just before the Covid lockdown, as stated in the email
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03514648/filing-history


The band performed live at The Little Civic venue in Wolverhampton on April 13th 2001 for the Battle of the Bands contest
They competed against Sonic Lord and Available in Braille while Fuse were the guest act
Searching for these bands on the Wolves Civic website shows the old gig listing

https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025654/http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/
https://i.imgur.com/spqIV0K.png
https://i.imgur.com/sacL85O.png
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Profoundemonium/battle-of-the-bands-2001-2002/

The search results have been archived here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210816203206/http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/ajax/ajax_GetSearchResults.aspx?k=Panchiko
https://web.archive.org/web/20210816203636/http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/ajax/ajax_GetSearchResults.aspx?k=Sonic+Lord
https://web.archive.org/web/20210816203530/http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk//ajax/ajax_GetSearchResults.aspx?k=Available+in+Braille


Video footage from before and during Available in Braille's performance can be seen on YouTube
Andy, Owain and Shaun of Panchiko appear briefly in the background

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOt2dMDicPo
https://i.imgur.com/vml6VfK.mp4
https://i.imgur.com/4drb3ZQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dH2hWvP.png
https://i.imgur.com/Sr188CU.png
https://i.imgur.com/T9VXWrc.png


Other performances include:
July 5th 2000 at Berlins (Battle of the Bands contest by JMP Promotions)
August 2nd 2000 at The Farnsfield Village Centre

Flyers for each of these gigs can be seen here:
https://imgur.com/a/JjeMsTw

Viterbo, Tennason and Tubescreamer's gig history support the Berlins flyer:
https://web.archive.org/web/20020206234437/http://pages.eidosnet.co.uk:80/~jonc/viterbo/gig_history.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20020414043426/http://www.tennason.com:80/moregigs.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20010124012700/http://www.tubescreamer.co.uk/page4.html


Known copies

1. Early version owned by Owain.
2. Anonymous 4chan user.
3. Henry Parkinson (aka TARS).
4. georgeisreallycool (Bandcamp raffle winner).

https://i.imgur.com/mMF3xca.jpg


Copies 3. and 4. are Traxdata branded discs manufactured by Ritek Corporation.
Deciphering the hub code with CD2Date shows that they were manufactured on October 28th, 1999.

https://i.imgur.com/xmW8lY5.png

https://www.discogs.com/lists/CDr-Codes-Master-List/792097
https://www.discogs.com/release/14812426


Panchiko font: Italicized Haettenschweiler (Designed in 1954 and included in Windows '95)
D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L font: Arial (Designed in 1982 and included in Windows 3.1, 1992)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haettenschweiler
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/haettenschweiler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arial
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/typography/font-list/arial


Interviews:
March 15, 2020: https://web.archive.org/web/20210801013554/https://www.corduroythreads.com/features/the-surprising-story-of-panchiko
May 18, 2020: https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/panchiko-deathmetal-interview
December 8, 2020: https://web.archive.org/web/20210716122914/http://warp.la/editoriales/panchiko-bandsyouneedtoknow
June 10, 2021: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP8HqGosf5M/ | https://imgur.com/a/TXszd8u
November 24, 2021: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWq2bYesZxO/
November 24, 2021: https://web.archive.org/web/20220509074148/https://impctjournal.com/blogmusic/interview-panchiko
December 29, 2021: https://www.theindiescene.co.uk/interviews/andy-guitarist-of-enigmatic-panchiko-delves-into-the-widely-speculated-mysteries-surrounding-the-band?format=amp
February 28, 2022: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Js0ed6wBHQyHoXGhWnACt?si=4R1UNzGBQvup0hrBt6TEBQ&nd=1
June 26, 2022: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0dz8NPbQm0Pwld0rYXa45y?si=9bce66ddc52d4838&nd=1
March 19, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZSPaC2RdEM
September 23rd, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4oeSoWGpO0
October 19, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBU_MBKJAs
February 2, 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPwb1yVrquU
April 30, 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Q8gNWzTk8
September 16, 2024: https://uclaradio.com/welcome-to-the-pop-show-an-interview-with-panchiko/
January 7, 2025: https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/panchiko-death-metal-and-becoming-famous-without-their-knowledge/

Articles:
January 3, 2021: https://setsandthecd.medium.com/how-panchiko-made-me-fall-for-death-metal-4811451b806a
September 4, 2021: https://web.archive.org/web/20230331215527/https://medium.com/@piratediscoking/4channer-discovers-mysterious-album-asks-who-is-panchiko-a5f29f9ab5ce
February 2, 2022: https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvjmb/panchiko-band-death-metal-cd
February 27, 2022: https://sbpress.com/2022/02/panchiko-the-internets-greatest-music-mystery/
August 16, 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/16/panchiko-visual-purple-little-known-bands-surprise-fame
March 10, 2023: https://www.nme.com/news/music/nottinghams-rescue-rooms-celebrate-20th-anniversary-panchiko-3411425
May 9, 2023: https://uproxx.com/indie/panchiko-interview-failed-at-maths/
May 16, 2023: https://www.clevescene.com/music/brit-rockers-panchiko-return-with-new-music-after-20-year-hiatus-41955287

Fandom Wiki:
https://panchiko.fandom.com/wiki/Panchiko

Spreadsheet of live recordings:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pQCNUgnoQ9adRdNCFJeJtm7dzZ5bvbgKpwgeZvcLvgs/edit#gid=0

YouTube videos:
Panchiko - 4Chan Finds An EP
July 15, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPMlfE_C7-k

The Mystery Of Panchiko's "DEATHMETAL"
November 10, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXaKP0t3F0Y

Panchikos Deathmetal: The Most Mysterious Album On The Internet
January 4, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi9M9XxnYmc

An Update To Panchikos Deathmetal
February 23, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx3z3Y2dqkg

Everyday Chemistry & Panchiko - Lost Media or Marketing?
May 8, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pArdGoirvo

La Búsqueda de Panchiko: La Banda Perdida
May 8, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX1p71u5Thw

20년만에 발굴된 로스트 미디어 - 판치코
February 28, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOXjpabyPfg

Panchiko - A Mysterious CD Found in a Shop
March 18, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1tAZ8ga0hw

Panchiko - DEATHMETAL: Album yang Ditemukan 16 Tahun Setelah Dibuat
March 21, 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZXL_VxRzuQ

Panchiko: The Story of a Lost Album
June 22, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4De7Cu0LcQ

The Mysterious Story of Panchiko
July 3, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lpv2syF4RQ

El misterioso álbum musical de una banda perdida | Panchiko Deathmetal
September 1, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4d6tzWRY2o

Panchiko DEATHMETAL - Tales From the Internet
February 4, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJzpAGYYWjM

That Time 4chan Discovered A Band
August 14, 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK4t-bCyk7E

Panchiko: Putting a Mystery To End
June 30, 2024: Panchiko: Putting a Mystery To End


Examples of distorted or unreadable data due to layer separation, chemical alteration to dyes, pinhole decay and various other potential factors. Collectively referred to as 'disc rot'. Extremely prevalent in recordable discs that have a sticker label across the whole surface (which were present on the original Panchiko discs).

https://i.imgur.com/KZ8JvPU.png

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7fy-p5faatso5bkcPwAzsC_ovdxyATzF
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Profoundemonium/disc-rot-showcase/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k29pyzJIixk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pKY-mBOCF8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUNo3fsvo0A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u2j1Q8uCgQ&t=5m34s


Further reading:
https://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/cd_quality.shtml
https://cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-5
https://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/sec3/
https://web.archive.org/web/20170424181147/http://www.datarecovery.com.sg/data_recovery/optical_disc_explained.htm


Mint na Bokura fan communities (Late 90s & early 00s)
Including fan translations into English (as early as 1997), manga scans, image galleries, Winamp skins, etc.

https://web.archive.org/web/19991128081105/http://members.tripod.com/angel_lillie/mintmain.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19980110073822/http://www.swb.de/~zahara/yo/mint.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19990129005530/http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/1515/
https://web.archive.org/web/20030224184936/http://www.dreamers.com/mnbokura/mnb/
https://web.archive.org/web/19991110031802/http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/gibson/275/main.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20010508135802/http://mintnabokura.50megs.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/19991128202930/http://www.stormloader.com:80/mint/index2.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/19991105070541/http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Fuji/9793/shoujo/bokura.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19991125030423/http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/5072/mint.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19991004033517/http://www.angelfire.com/or/keichan1/index.html

"Oh so the cover... I found a nice picture on the internet and then stuck some words on it and 20 years later everyone's going crackers."

https://i.imgur.com/giAt4we.png


Anime & manga importing and shopping resources from the 90s

https://web.archive.org/web/19991114073544/http://www.anime.jyu.fi/~anipike/comguide.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20000818012628/http://anime.jyu.fi/~anipike/stores.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19991007011249/http://members.aol.com/sledgepuc/maas.html


Anime & manga cover art in the west (90s & early 00s)

https://i.imgur.com/FOFi3U1.png

https://www.discogs.com/release/18174991-Crane-Crane
https://www.discogs.com/release/21000607-Thats-All-Folks-Lupin-Pinky-Deluxe
https://www.discogs.com/release/20992189-Short-Cut-Left-Behind
https://www.discogs.com/Sadida-Despair/release/15839181
https://www.discogs.com/SupremeEx-Destructor/release/694703
https://www.discogs.com/Harlequin-Fly-Dilate/release/12916197
https://www.discogs.com/Out-Of-Use-Until-The-Next-Time/release/10130811
https://www.discogs.com/Linus-Driven-Superficial/release/13865050
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Here-Comes-Santa-Paws/release/18960541
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Gold-Frankincense-and-Purr/release/16086161
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/sensoria/make_it_real/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/sensoria/run_4_love/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/syndicate/realms-of-darkness/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the_fighting_cocks/come_and_see/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/fault_line/demo-2003/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/casper-fandango/hows-your-hand/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/god-is-my-co-pilot/what-doctors-don%E2%80%99t-tell-you/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/djmix/paulina-taylor/harmonic-fusion/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/djmix/paulina-taylor/smiling/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/splitters/international_smugglers/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/kid606/gq-on-the-eq/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/djmix/mijk-van-dijk/multi-mijk/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/voodoo-glow-skulls/who-is-this-is/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/further-nyc/after-the-lights-go-down-low-e-p/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/hydrophobia/hc-65/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/helen-love/love-and-glitter-hot-days-and-music/
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/helen_love/ahead_of_the_race___diet_coke_girl___rollercoasting/
https://www.discogs.com/artist/1049992-DJ-Reflect-2
https://www.discogs.com/Cola-Boy-7-Ways-To-Love/release/2591909
https://web.archive.org/web/20020610102251/http://www.planb.cwc.net:80/Discog/index.html
https://www.discogs.com/Pzychobitch-Master-Of-Myself/release/144443
https://www.discogs.com/Pzycho-Bitch-Eden/release/175008


Andy has been writing music for WSUOR since at least 2003 and a MySpace page has existed since 2005.
He was the sound engineer Nottingham's Rescue Rooms for 6-7 years and has worked with numerous bands across the UK.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090728163038/http://www.myspace.com/wsuor
https://www.discogs.com/artist/840324-Andrew-Wright-7

Owain has performed live several times throughout the 2000s as a solo musician and visual artist.

https://myspace.com/midsr/music/songs
https://soundcloud.com/midsr
https://digitalbroadway.wordpress.com/tag/wii/
https://gamecity2012.sched.com/exhibitor/owaindavies1


The music has always been free to download, with the merch initially intended as a small run based on demand as discussed with the fan community beforehand.

https://i.imgur.com/pXQNWpO.png
https://i.imgur.com/iNo3nDm.png
https://i.imgur.com/bketlj2.png


Direct musical influences

Radiohead - High and Dry + Let Down (Sodium Chloride)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qFfFVSerQo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgkI1zI61bQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYfD-5gHX1A

Ultrasound - Fame Thing (Stabilisers for Big Boys)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76ZXwe1rzRo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR7P9VfjFEA

Stabilisers for Big Boys was named after a line from an episode of Scrapheap Challenge which originally aired on October 4th, 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8Y9iat-Mc

Machine Gun Drum is based on a track from Owain's solo project (Last)Exile, dating back to 2009
https://myspace.com/midsr/music/songs
https://soundcloud.com/midsr/machine-gun-drum


Samples

DᐳEᐳAᐳTᐳHᐳMᐳEᐳTᐳAᐳL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q155JQxh2SQ&t=0m53s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WRbiCsENOo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XuflxIr3mY

Cut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KJafmiooQA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWrGwdVvZIA&t=0m11s

That One Time a Girl Sang and Saved the Galaxy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itDPJlE-9rY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inLmdQUhP6A


Laputa: The Castle in the Sky on British TV

https://web.archive.org/web/19990203085748/http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/asbel/uk.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20001012133845/http://nausicaa.net/miyazaki/laputa/availability.html
https://forums.animeuknews.net/threads/laputa-itv-1988.2043/

The Guardian, Sat, 31 Dec 1988: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-saturday-television-guide/131007511/

Owain previously stated that he saw a French dub of the movie but later admitted he "could be wrong" about that.
https://i.imgur.com/4BFPhIg.png


False leads (The search for Andy, Owain, Shaun and John)

https://i.imgur.com/qCVZ30n.png
https://i.imgur.com/LSAUuOS.png
https://i.imgur.com/S2HZbzr.png
https://i.imgur.com/BQWGyqv.png
https://i.imgur.com/DjtyE52.png
https://i.imgur.com/A7tNkK7.png


Closing in on the location and first contact

https://i.imgur.com/Lb9PgBv.png
https://i.imgur.com/ieDaetV.png
https://i.imgur.com/9umUW8C.png
https://i.imgur.com/NQuT6qe.png
https://i.imgur.com/oEaHIO7.png
https://i.imgur.com/4FCMFoj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/lPjDxit.png


Panchikord Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zDwlpL17E3ECI70GWezkWynRXsck-blSb1Zeaj8eCj4/edit#heading=h.n08nxqsu0ffy


Full transcript of the video shared by Owain to the Discord community on January 23rd, 2020:
"In the past 24 hours, I've been contacted by various people from the internet who've
been concerned in hunting down the facts about the EP called Deathmetal, made by band Panchiko,
and whether or not this EP is a hoax. I'm here to confirm that Panchiko Deathmetal is
in fact a genuine artifact from the year 2000. It's an EP made by a four piece band in the
years 1999 and 2000. It's been strange hearing the reactions to the music and how the degradation
of the one copy that has been found has added to the music. Now what I find interesting
is after listening to many videos on Youtube about the EP I feel that the degradation of
the CD is actually a part of the music now and it's a part of why people enjoy the music.
And whilst I will try look for an original copy and I may be able to show that in the
future, I feel like it may take something away from what people found in the music.
And maybe it's best left how people found it as this interesting half-destroyed piece
of music from bygone era. Again, I can say that it is not a hoax and a genuine demo CD
produced by a four-piece band while at school to promote their music to record companies
potentially. There is only one copy in existence theoretically. I'm not sure if thirty copies
were made, maybe thirty, fourty, but there may still be some around so you may still
be able to find a version that doesn't quite have the datarot. As I said before, I think
that it's part of it's story, I think it's part of what makes it charming today and that's
what people should hold onto and enjoy that about the CD. But maybe we will never fully
hear the restored version ever again."


Original 4chan thread archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227212225/https://yuki.la/mu/66571671
https://4archive.org/board/mu/thread/66571671/panchiko-d-e-a-t-h-m-e-t-a-l

Download mirror: http://www.mediafire.com/file/w44j6fxc4surece/Panchiko_-_DEATHMETAL.zip/file


It's sometimes repeated that the Exif Info shows the songs were created in FL Studio or Ableton
This is neither true nor possible. It shows the tracks were ripped from the disc in 2016 using iTunes
This has no relation to when the tracks were recorded or produced

https://i.imgur.com/UhkVP2N.png