- Joined
- Jan 1, 1970
- Location
- Portsmouth, UK
After Dnbforum's recent news feature with Dutch new boy - Panda, we took time out to ask him a few questions about the influences behind his new album "Retake Manhattan"...
Personal
1. How old are you?
21
2. Where are you from?
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
3. Do you think your location has affected your success in Drum & Bass?
Probably, yes. This is where I experienced Drum & Bass for the first time, went to my first parties, played out for the first time. The scene is great here and I probably wouldn’t have experienced Drum & Bass if I did not live here.
4. What is your first name?
Peter
5. Where did the name Panda come from?
I had a Panda as an avatar on a forum once and someone supposed I should change my name on the board to it. It stuck! They are funny animals. They sleep most of the day, when they wake up they have sex and eat and fall asleep again. Good life!
6. What is the Drum & Bass scene like in your area?
It is really healthy and great. I think it is one of the best countries in the world to be in. I think we can be proud. Many Dutch people who’re not in the scene, have still heard of drum & bass and often even like it. The only problem is that they don’t know where the parties are or where to get the music. As a scene, we should focus more on them. So broaden our scope to them.
7. 2008 looks to be a good year for Drum & Bass, where do you see it heading?
I am really very positive about it. I am loving how a new breed of artists like Culture Shock and Brookes Brothers are in some way taking the torch over from Subfocus, like he took it from Pendulum. That sound is really going new places now. And then you have Matrix & Futurebound moving that area of sound forward as well.
I don’t see us heading in to a minimal sound at all like Dubstep is doing. I actually see the sound going more and more mainstream but in a qualitative way. I am certain that Drum & Bass can still become a more regular part of the mainstream (dance) charts and I am getting more certain of that every day. I would love to hear it regularly on MTV while still remaining to be quality music.
In addition, we have to make sure we are not isolated from the other genres in dance music as we kind of are right now. We are the ugly duckling. That shouldn’t be the case. I feel the fans of general dance music are starting to converge with the drum & bass fans.
8. Do you have a web site?
Yes, you can learn more about me and my music on http://www.pandadnb.com.
9. How long have you been producing Drum & Bass?
Since January 2004, that is almost 4 years now. I started when I was 17 years old and still in high school. I actually got kicked off school because I considered making music and going out a higher priority. I simply didn’t have time anymore for school. I managed to get back in to school later and am now at university. But yes, Drum & Bass did that to me, ha-ha.
10. Do you DJ, and how long have you been mixing for?
I started mixing in 2005 and have been doing it extensively in clubs since 2006. So that’s about 2 years now. In the end I will always consider myself a producer/musician first of all.
11. What are your Drum & Bass influences?
They are definitely all across the board. I really love the whole modern musical jump up camp like Pendulum, Subfocus, Brookes Brothers, Culture Shock. But I also love the new sound Commix is bringing, very deep and experimental but still very upfront and not boring at all. Also Nu:Tone, Logistics and the new High Contrast stuff. I also really like what Raiden is doing, he is really focused on bridging the gap between Techno and Drum & Bass. Very interesting to hear.
12. Do you have any other musical interests?
Yes, like most people I have listen to electro house a lot lately, especially the dirty stuff. I have also been following trance music a bit lately and I still love funk music and punk rock.
13. How did you become involved in the Drum & Bass scene?
Well, I saw some electronic musicians play at a music festival, making live music behind laptops. I had never made music before but really wanted to try it. All they used was computers, so I started downloading software and trying it at home. My brothers used to go to a local Drum & Bass night called “Jungle Galaxy” which was really popular back then. So, while making music I also started listening to Drum & Bass and it evolved from there. I started to go to more nights and met lots of people in the Dutch scene.
14. What did you do before Drum & Bass?
I started with Drum & Bass when I was 17. Before that aside from school I was really fond of visual arts. I made it myself as well. A lot of my works were published in online and offline design magazines and one piece even made it to a sister magazine of Vogue in France. It is hard though, as getting attention from your visual artwork is much harder than music. We are a culture that market and idolize artists in music and not so much artists in other arts. I still had a great time doing it and learned a lot things that I also applied on learning to produce music. Like discipline to learn for example.
15. What do you do when you’re not playing out or in the studio?
I sit in class at university, swimming in the local pool or hanging out with friends, getting drunk and partying.
Personal
1. How old are you?
21
2. Where are you from?
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
3. Do you think your location has affected your success in Drum & Bass?
Probably, yes. This is where I experienced Drum & Bass for the first time, went to my first parties, played out for the first time. The scene is great here and I probably wouldn’t have experienced Drum & Bass if I did not live here.
4. What is your first name?
Peter
5. Where did the name Panda come from?
I had a Panda as an avatar on a forum once and someone supposed I should change my name on the board to it. It stuck! They are funny animals. They sleep most of the day, when they wake up they have sex and eat and fall asleep again. Good life!
6. What is the Drum & Bass scene like in your area?
It is really healthy and great. I think it is one of the best countries in the world to be in. I think we can be proud. Many Dutch people who’re not in the scene, have still heard of drum & bass and often even like it. The only problem is that they don’t know where the parties are or where to get the music. As a scene, we should focus more on them. So broaden our scope to them.
7. 2008 looks to be a good year for Drum & Bass, where do you see it heading?
I am really very positive about it. I am loving how a new breed of artists like Culture Shock and Brookes Brothers are in some way taking the torch over from Subfocus, like he took it from Pendulum. That sound is really going new places now. And then you have Matrix & Futurebound moving that area of sound forward as well.
I don’t see us heading in to a minimal sound at all like Dubstep is doing. I actually see the sound going more and more mainstream but in a qualitative way. I am certain that Drum & Bass can still become a more regular part of the mainstream (dance) charts and I am getting more certain of that every day. I would love to hear it regularly on MTV while still remaining to be quality music.
In addition, we have to make sure we are not isolated from the other genres in dance music as we kind of are right now. We are the ugly duckling. That shouldn’t be the case. I feel the fans of general dance music are starting to converge with the drum & bass fans.
8. Do you have a web site?
Yes, you can learn more about me and my music on http://www.pandadnb.com.
9. How long have you been producing Drum & Bass?
Since January 2004, that is almost 4 years now. I started when I was 17 years old and still in high school. I actually got kicked off school because I considered making music and going out a higher priority. I simply didn’t have time anymore for school. I managed to get back in to school later and am now at university. But yes, Drum & Bass did that to me, ha-ha.
10. Do you DJ, and how long have you been mixing for?
I started mixing in 2005 and have been doing it extensively in clubs since 2006. So that’s about 2 years now. In the end I will always consider myself a producer/musician first of all.
11. What are your Drum & Bass influences?
They are definitely all across the board. I really love the whole modern musical jump up camp like Pendulum, Subfocus, Brookes Brothers, Culture Shock. But I also love the new sound Commix is bringing, very deep and experimental but still very upfront and not boring at all. Also Nu:Tone, Logistics and the new High Contrast stuff. I also really like what Raiden is doing, he is really focused on bridging the gap between Techno and Drum & Bass. Very interesting to hear.
12. Do you have any other musical interests?
Yes, like most people I have listen to electro house a lot lately, especially the dirty stuff. I have also been following trance music a bit lately and I still love funk music and punk rock.
13. How did you become involved in the Drum & Bass scene?
Well, I saw some electronic musicians play at a music festival, making live music behind laptops. I had never made music before but really wanted to try it. All they used was computers, so I started downloading software and trying it at home. My brothers used to go to a local Drum & Bass night called “Jungle Galaxy” which was really popular back then. So, while making music I also started listening to Drum & Bass and it evolved from there. I started to go to more nights and met lots of people in the Dutch scene.
14. What did you do before Drum & Bass?
I started with Drum & Bass when I was 17. Before that aside from school I was really fond of visual arts. I made it myself as well. A lot of my works were published in online and offline design magazines and one piece even made it to a sister magazine of Vogue in France. It is hard though, as getting attention from your visual artwork is much harder than music. We are a culture that market and idolize artists in music and not so much artists in other arts. I still had a great time doing it and learned a lot things that I also applied on learning to produce music. Like discipline to learn for example.
15. What do you do when you’re not playing out or in the studio?
I sit in class at university, swimming in the local pool or hanging out with friends, getting drunk and partying.
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