Panda Lassow

To get to know the musical all-rounder Panda Lassow well, we actually have to make a short trip down memory lane to Dresden, Germany. There lies the roost of the founder of ANUS Records, who looked over her city limits and moved to the angular city of Rotterdam. Her famous ‘not too serious’ mentality works as a breath of fresh air in our opinion. With her contribution to The Beatmakers Union and Bass Odyssey, she broadens Rotterdam and the music scene in general. With her infectious energy she makes this scene lively and more diverse (she doesn’t mind any tropical flavour as well), time to have a small chat with her in our High-Fives series.

How did you become an artist?

Wow, the question sounds simple but was actually not easy to answer. Let me take some time to answer.

I truly believe that art is something deep in every one of us and it only needs something or someone unlocking it. And art is very subjective. The artist does what she does and hopes that some other people like it too. When I now think back, I think back of my early youth. I have to mention that I was raised in a very, very small village in Germany close to the Polish border. My family is not into culture at all.

But for me listening to music as well as painting and drawing have always been important to me. I even wanted to become a singer back then, but better I am not 😉 I remember one moment in school when we had to paint some imaginations and I painted something like Kandinsky – never having seen a Kandinsky before. My teacher was so impressed that this painting even got on show… So, maybe I consider this period the period when my artistic side starting to touch the surface.

And with DJing and composing music, I would say this was just me starting and doing it. Well, I remember a moment when my inner me was telling me: now. And then I did it. Walking in the record shop of town, telling that I want to start DJing and asking what I need and they told me. Hahahahah I have always been someone throwing myself into the deep first and thinking afterwards… OMG. Haha. And I also have to say that I cannot play instruments. But I work hard on teaching myself. That is why I am a slow producer maybe. And I am an interested person and I consider myself to be a good listener. I am interested in music theory, patterns, different music styles, dance moves (very important for me) and so on and so on. My body and ears tell me what’s right or wrong. When I know I know.

And what I know now for sure is that music is my way to express my art.

The Dub and Drum’n’Bass-scene of Dresden never lost attraction. Influenced by that, but always forward-looking, Panda Lassow explored herself in different genres like Beats, Wereld Bass, Jungle & Rave, Dub, Ghetto & Future Funk and many more.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?

recently read this book from Peter Wohlleben “Can You Hear the Trees Talking? Discovering the Hidden Life of the Forest”. This was just WOW!!! Trees can talk! And even see?!?! He said that science is about to explore why some trees mimic others – they, for example, copy the form of the leaves of the trees growing around them. And this even seems to work when they repeated the experiment in a lab with surrounding plastic “trees”. So, that is why they consider trees to be able to “see”. Whuuuuut?!?!? Amazing. I so much watch my plants different now. Even me talking to them as long as I can think ;). Haha. Trees are sis’s.

If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?

I like dogs and foxes. But I don’t know if I would like to be an animal. Maybe a tree. Getting hundreds of years old and watching the stress world around me changing.

Imagine your house on fire, what are the few things you just can’t leave behind?

OMG I hope this will never happen. Too many records to choose from. So, I guess no records then, but definitely my partner in life and my laptop to make music with. The two most important darlings in my life. Thanks to Discogs all my records are listed there (took me some months last year). So, I could try to get them back when lost. Thanks to cloud technology all my own music will be saved too.

What is your dream project?

I guess studio weekends with Mark Pritchard, Steve Spacek and Mala. Definitely my musical mentors since Panda Lassow emerged. I would love to learn from them live. What a great project that would be….#dreaming

Thanks for reading! Want to know more about Panda Lassow?

🔗 ANUS Records

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