Dj Panic

There are but a few instances when the concept of panic doesn’t imply a complete and total loss of control. Panic is, by definition, an inability to process events going on around us. Panic is feeling overwhelmed and in some cases, downright helpless. When you need to get something done, or as in most cases, some things done, panic is the last thing you want. Unless of course you’re in the music business, in which case Panic might be exactly what you need.



Since the late 90’s, Indiana’s own DJ Panic has been on a mission far more comprehensive than simply shutting down parties around the globe (which he’s done plenty of times), with some of the most exclusive and inventive mixes today (which he has plenty more of). “When I first meet somebody they’re always like, so DJ Panic, what do you do?” he says. “And my response is always…Well, everything.” In this case, Panic is referring to everything an artist, music label or even someone just trying to get their business off the ground could need to blow up their brand. His abilities include the hands-on aspects of party rocking, mixtapes and artist production, the digital aspects of web design, animation, motion graphics and video editing, and the social aspects of event promotion and marketing, all areas in which DJ Panic has a wealth of professional experience.



As a prodigious DJ coming up in Indianapolis, Indiana, Panic would learn quickly that his city just wasn’t yet prepared to accommodate his unique business ambition. It wasn’t long into his career, however, before he’d take it upon himself to help them along. Making his name as a party DJ just as hip hop mixtapes were finally being acknowledged as a viable industry asset, Panic attempted to jump in the game headfirst but was soon grounded by his naiveté. “I had hustler’s spirit without the know-how,” he says. “I thought I could draw the cover, but what from there?” Receiving little to no help from peers, he worked from the ground up, pressing his CDs up by the hundreds, hand labeling them with marker, and more importantly, teaching himself the design software to create presentable cover art. “Nobody knew how to do it and other people were stuck in the same position I was, but without the creativity,” he says. “And at that point I had actually gotten better at the graphics than the person I was trynna get a hold of.”



The knowledge couldn’t have come at a better time as Panic would use this expertise to design MySpace layouts during the once titanic website’s boom at the turn of the millennium. As his DJ reputation grew, so too did his customers and with them his skill set, which lead to a stint with the notorious Core DJ collective. His talent on the wheels was not to be outdone, however, as he’d go on to produce mix shows for Sprint Radio, Direct TV and XM 66, as well as collect nominations for the Justo’s Mixtape Awards and the Southern Entertainment Awards including an SEA nod for mixtape of the year 2006. Panic was also hand-selected by Atlanta upstart DG Yola as his official mixtape and touring DJ.



And though an uncanny ability to mix and scratch records was what opened doors for the Indianapolis native, DJ Panic stays focused on the challenges he has yet to see. “I’m always trynna beat the last thing that I did,” he says. “Make the next mixtape that much hotter, make the next website that much better, and so on and so forth.” So with the DJ’s next project promising to be his best, anyone looking to get something done right, and especially some things done right, would be wise to heed some unconventional advice: Panic.