Felipe Pantone is the kind of artist who makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a dimension where analog nostalgia collides with digital static. Born in Argentina and now based in Valencia, Spain, Pantone got his start tagging walls at just 12 years old. He went on to earn a Fine Art degree and build a practice rooted in motion, mutation, and modern overload. His signature style, vibrating gradients, warped geometry, and neon glitches, feels like a visual remix of the screen-saturated age. It’s no surprise that his work often runs in tandem with music. Pantone created the cover art for Virtue by The Voidz, a side project of Julian Casablancas from The Strokes. He also directed a hyperkinetic music video for DJ Soak’s “Run Away” featuring Anderson .Paak, and has been commissioned to create solar-powered neon murals for the Life Is Beautiful music festival in Las Vegas. His art doesn’t just complement sound; it pulses with it, which makes him a perfect fit for the Background Noise series.
First album you bought?
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs – Rey Azúcar
Last album you bought?
El Hombre Hace Planes Dios se Ríe – Dano, in vinyl.
First concert?
Zona Norte Possee
Last concert?
Duki
Was there one album that made a significant impression on you?
We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves by John Maus
Who is your musical hero?
Yesan 雪山. He’s working on an album right now in the recording studio of Casa Axis.
How important is music to your creative process?
Most times I have music playing while I’m working. Sets the mood and always sparks something — I find parallelisms between musical and visual compositions.
BONUS: What is your favorite album cover of all time (and why)?
The Dark Side of the Moon. Because it’s an ode to light coming from a music album. I love that I’m talking about music and that they were talking about light and color so explicitly with their cover art.
BONUS #2: Any visual artist(s) you’d like to see answer these questions?
Futura 2000. I love his Unkle covers.
(*Note: Futura was one of the earliest Background Noise interviews. Read and listen here.)
Air – La Femme de Argent
I Monster – Who is she?
Boy Harsher – Pain
DMX Krew – Come to me
Roxy Music – In Every Dream Home a Heartache
Cerrone – Supernature
Matthew Dear – Modafinil Blues
Midland – Final Credits
Larry June & The Alchemist – Porsches in Spanish
Q Lazzarus – Goodbye Horses
Mirwais – Disco Science
Kavinsky – Odd Look
www.felipepantone.com
instagram.com/felipepantone
Check out Felipe’s playlist below on Spotify. Be sure to like Background Noise on Facebook for updates on future episodes. You can browse ALL the Background Noise episodes right here.
