Panik

One of the original founding members of the Molemen collective, Panik is the product of his exposure to street life and its soundtrack at an early age. As a child he absorbed the music that he heard from his older brothers, such as the P-Funk Allstars and Earth, Wind, and Fire. As he grew older he favored a variety of genres and artists, ranging from Huey Lewis and Pat Benatar, to Luis Miguel and Run DMC. He first took advantage of an opportunity to dabble in music making as a kid, experimenting with his Mom's Emerson tuner/turntable. During his high school years he would dig for James Brown and Break records at such locales as Rock and Rose Records, and accumulated a respectable collection, which he eventually shared with a friend who owned an MPC60. He began making his own mixtapes in 1993, and in 1996 saw the release of the first Molemen 12" "A taste of Chicago/Keep the fame". Panik purchased an MPC2000XL in 1999, but continues to experiment with vintage keyboards and unique sounds. His own favorite offerings are All Natural's "Its OK", JUICE's "Freestyle or Written", and Rhymefest and JUICE's "How we chill pt. 2", because they have achieved international notoriety and he believes represent the spirit of Chicago. Written by Will Line