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Fashion victim >> German hardcore drum & bass producer Panacea puts the D&G into D&B by RAF KATIGBAK
Mirror:
So what’s with the über-fashion visuals on Underground Superstar? Panacea:
That’s superstardom.
M: Sorry,
I was just mesmerized by the huge close-up of you in those aviator sunglasses. P: Yeah,
they’re Versace. Anyway, it’s because I’ve been spending
a lot of time in New York and all my friends are in the fashion industry—I
don’t hang out with music people ever—so for the photo shoot
I worked with Kate Bruce, who’s done stuff with Kylie Minogue,
Pink and Alicia Keys. M: Okay,
pop quiz. What’s your favourite article of clothing? P: Well,
the best fashion accessoire ever has to be Hedi Slimane’s bloodstain
for Dior, Spring 2002. It’s made with red sequins and little silvery
elements and you can pull it over your shirt. It’s the most insane
thing. I think it’ll set you back something like $750. Then there’s
the Prada outfit I was wearing at Mutek 2000 in Montreal. I only wore
it once, never again. That was like $1,500 for the vest, and another
$2,000 for the pants. It’s made of Teflon. I even have matching
shoes. M:
That’s funny, I can’t imagine many hard-steppin’ U.K.
DJs who’d blow three and a half Gs on a non-stick shirt-pant combo. P: Why would
I be another drum & bass artist from the U.K.? There’s no point.
I’m not from the U.K. and I never wanted to be there. They have
their own people, and a lot of the artists are very good. But then there’s
guys like the Usual Suspects who I played with in Rome—which is
always fun ’cause they love me there—who were so far up their
own asses it was fuckin’ unbearable. M: It doesn’t
sound like you spend a lot of time worrying about what people think. P: People must love me and my persona, not just my music. When they see me they must either enjoy it or leave. There is no in between. With the new album, some people don’t get the joke. It’s nothing to be too serious about, you should look at it with a winking eye. People who have followed me throughout my career and have seen me live, they’ll get it. : With Scott
Brown, Maüs, Iznogood, Stabba, Mutante, David Kristian, Martin
Tétrault, 18U, les Abdagraditionistes, Mitchell Akiyama and lots
more at the DJs R Us party on Saturday, June 8, $30+, info: 845-3891
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Panacea
has lost control. At least that’s what a lot of critics would like
to believe. A cursory glance at the glammed-up, fold-out fashion shoot
poster included in his latest full-length Underground Superstardom,
and it’s no wonder people are a little shocked. Decked out in haute-couture
threads from Vivian Westwood and Dolce & Gabbana, Panacea’s
new image is a far cry from what most of the techno world expected from
the German darkstep producer. In a phone call to Germany, the Mirror
recently got a chance to talk sequins, not sequencers, with the originator
of evil drum & bass.