Panik Productions:Certified Orlando Heavy Weights

As a student and huge fan of Hip Hop I’ve been fortunate enough to have experienced all 4 of the elements (Emceeing, B-Boying, Graffiti, and DJing), both personally and professionally. Of all of these elements, Djing has always been the key element to this culture. I mean, let’s call a spade a spade right? It’s not rocket science. No DJ! No B-Boying, and definitely no emceeing! To me that sounds like no hip hop. So I’m a pay respect, where respect is due… Right? Right!!!

Oh, yeah! and one more thing… Don’t forget it was DJ Kool Herc who pioneered Hip Hop, when he came from Jamaica W.I., and decided to start expressing his love for music in the park. It is also the DJ, who continues to keep this art alive through Mixtapes and Mix Shows. They are even hosting morning radio shows in some of the larger cities in our nation.

So, It’s time for me to do 2 things. First, I would like to start my mission of introducing you, our wonderful Culture Vault Radio audience to the Orlando Hip Hop Movement. Second, pay homage to the DJ.

Now, I know what your thinking, “Here comes another watered down rapper who thinks he’s/she is the next Rick Ross or Trina”. Well, hang on to your 59 50 hat, cause Orlando is definitely more than Disney and Maybach music. In the words of Common Sense, “What I’m talking about ya’ll, is Hip Hop”. That all-star era hip hop… With that being said, I better get started before you stop reading.

First, up in the Orlando series is a DJ Team, called Panik Productions. I recently caught up with DJ Chaos and DJ Maestro (Brothers), and got a chance to chop it up with the fellas to see what they have been up to.

CultureVaultRadio: Where are you guys from? Tell me a little bit about your background.

DJ Maestro: Originally from Peru, we moved to Miami, FL in 1980 at ages 4 (Maestro) and 5 (Chaos). After 4 years in Miami, we moved to North Carolina, where we started breaking. In 1985, at the height of the hip-house movement, we moved to Chicago. We joined a dance crew and the head of the crew (Willie Colon) introduced us to DJ’ing. He gave us a bunch of old house/freestyle records, a pair of rubber band powered Technics turntables, and a mixer. That’s how it all started. In 1991, we moved to Orlando, FL and went to Dr. Phillip’s HS. House music started turning into techno, so we started collecting hip-hop records.

CultureVaultRadio: How & when did you guys’ start DJing?

DJ Chaos: In 1991, we started studying DJ’s competing in the DMC battle circuit (Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike, Roc Raider, Rob Swift) and started putting together routines. In 1993, we competed in the first Dr. Phillip’s Battle Of The Bands. Code 4 took first place, Maestro took 2^nd, and Chaos took 3^rd. From there, we formed Panik Productions and started promoting parties in Orlando, FL.

CultureVaultRadio: Tell me a little about your mixtape history.

DJ Chaos: We made our first mixtape in 1997. It was called “Straight Out The Box”. That was back when mixtapes were actual cassette tapes. In 1999, we released “Pandemonium”. In 2000, we won the Volusia County Fair DJ battle and a guest spot on the 102JAMZ Traffic Jam. In 2001, we put out a mixtape called “Politix” and joined forces with Rayon N$X Payne on 95Live (N$X was sentenced to prison for masterminding the largest unlicensed radio network in US history). In 2002, after 95Live got shut down, we put out a mixtape called “Rebirth”. In 2003, we did some Mixshow Weekends out in Fort Myers with DJ Quest & DJ 007. In the same year, we put out a mixtape called “No Tomorrow”. In 2004, we released “Warhedz Radio”. In 2006, we released the best of “The Afternoon Crash” (the show we co-hosted with N$X on 95Live). The CD is called “Unfinished Business”. Then we went on hiatus, until we came back in 2011 with “The Best of Jonny Storm”.

CultureVaultRadio: What was your first professional gig?

DJ Maestro: Our first professional gig was in 1995. We partnered with Wize World of Muzik to promote a club night called “Release Yo Delf” at The Round & Round Express Lounge in Orlando, FL.

CultureVaultRadio: How do you separate yourself from other DJs?

DJ Chaos: Our versatility. We play everything: hip-hop, R&B, reggae, disco, funk, soul, house, freestyle, etc. And there’s no substitute for experience. We’ve rocked clubs, radio, mixtapes, etc.

CultureVaultRadio: Who influenced your style?

DJ Maestro: Q-Bert, Roc Raider, Rob Swift, Craze, Bad Boy Bill, Julian Perez, Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, Premier, Funkmaster Flex, Tony Touch, Doo Wop…that’s just to name a few. We’re students of the art form…we learn from everybody.

CultureVaultRadio: What is PanikVision?

DJ Chaos: We formed Panik Productions in 1993.It comes from the word His-panic. And like most names in hip-hop, we changed the spelling by adding a “k” to the end. In April 2011, we launched PanikVision.com.  We wanted a website/blog with video content that reflected our personal taste/vision. It has a hip-hop feel because that’s who we are but we also post new videos every day on world news and other forms of entertainment because we’re also interested those things. Then we expanded the site to showcase our webcast/mixshow called “The PanikAttack” which is live Mon-Thurs 8-10pm with all of our shows available on-demand. Next, we added a Mixtapes page, which in part was inspired by our work on “The Best of Jonny Storm” mixtape. We made our entire mixtape catalog available for free download and then started featuring releases by new and veteran Orlando artists. We promoted the release of Storm’s mixtape and the new Mixtapes page on a special edition of The PanikAttack. It continued from there and we expanded the mixshow to include interviews (in-studio or Skype) of different players in the entertainment industry. Viewers can interact via the chat room or they can call into the show. So in a nutshell, people who share our taste in entertainment can visit the site and stay connected to the latest in music, world news, sports, etc. And if they’re looking for a wide variety of classic tunes mixed by veteran DJ’s, they can join the webcast or download the latest mixtapes.

CultureVaultRadio: What was your objective when you created PanikVision?

DJ Maestro: To create a website that reflected our personal tastes and to create a platform for artists who might not otherwise have an outlet for their art, including us.

CultureVaultRadio: Has it become all that you intended it to be?

DJ Maestro: We’re still in the early stages of building the brand but basically, we stay true to ourselves. We’re also trying to expose people to a side of Orlando’s hip-hop culture that doesn’t get enough shine. We’re trying to dead the “crabs in a bucket” mentality. We support talented artists and their brands. In return, they expose their fans to our movement. Together everyone achieves more. The Internet is a huge opportunity for all of us. As people become more familiar with the technology available to view content and interact, we hope to expand our network and watch the brand continue to grow.
CultureVaultRadio: What was the highest point of your career to date?

DJ Chaos: The exposure we’re getting from PanikVision.com right now is the highest point of our career. We have people from all over the world visiting the site. In all, people from 40 different countries come to PanikVision.com: China, Japan, India, Russia, The UK, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain, just to name a few. And in the US, people from 27 states visit the site every day. We hope that the best is yet to come.

CultureVaultRadio: Who have you worked with? Who do you want to work with in the future?

DJ Chaos: We’ve worked with 102JAMZ and 95Live in Orlando, FL and 105.5 The Beat in Fort Myers, FL. We’ve DJ’d at pretty much every club in Orlando and even promoted club nights in Southeast Missouri State. We’ve worked with a lot of Orlando artists, including The Warhedz, All Terrain, Jonny Storm, and Trop Montune. We’ve worked with a lot of DJ’s in Orlando, including Nasty, Disco, Mega DJ’s, Greg G, Point Blanc, Verse, C-Smoov, Cutloose, Code 4, and Jevi Jay.
CultureVaultRadio: How should aspiring artist approach DJs to get their music played?

DJ Maestro: We can’t speak for other DJ’s but if you have music or

videos, just email them to info@panikvision.com. If it’s quality music, we’ll play

it on the show. If the video’s on point, we’ll post it on the site.

CultureVaultRadio: What advice can you give to upcoming artists?

DJ Chaos: Make art from the heart. Stay true to yourself. Be original. Be consistent.

CultureVaultRadio: #1 album of all time?

Panik Productions: Wu-Tang’s “Enter The 36 Chambers”. It was a game-changer.

PanikAttack (Eddie B Swift Edition)

Transmitting Live

unsigned Hype Section.

Stay Tuned For More!!!