It’s always nice when you can interview friends for a big publication, but the sense of pride is even bigger when it’s your Editor’s idea and not yours. Having seen Suren Seneviratne (he’s hard to miss) tearing up DJ sets across the capital for the last few years, it’s great to see him channelling energy into more complete musical projects and it’s with this in mind that we present, My Panda Shall Fly...
The Wrap Up: I'm pretty sure that you're going to be asked in every interview you do, but how did you get the name, My Panda Shall Fly?
My Panda Shall Fly: Well, it was when me and a couple of fellas went to go see our first horse-race, and we kinda jumbled up some names from our favourite horses that were there. It just kinda came from there. I suppose we owe them (the horses) something.
TWU: And for those who haven't heard of you, can you tell us a little about yourself?
My Panda Shall Fly: Sure thang! I'm 24-year-old male living and working in Camberwell, London.
TWU: MPSF used to be a band and now it's just you. What happened?
My Panda Shall Fly: Annoyingly, the others plotted against me and ran off, leaving me to deal with the unholy mess that we'd created. Not to mention the ridiculous bills and expenses I had to take care of.
TWU: You've been DJing around London for years, but you recently released your first EP. What was the reception like?
My Panda Shall Fly: Yeah, it was fantastic. I was really lucky to have such good feedback from people all over the world. I can't wait to get my next release out there.
TWU: Which of the two do you enjoy more: producing or DJing?
My Panda Shall Fly: I enjoy both very much, because they’re entirely separate things. I love the feeling of getting to a club, full of party people who are ready to have a fun time, and playing them some good music to have a dance to.
TWU: Does the music you DJ have a similar feel to your original stuff?
My Panda Shall Fly: Actually, no. It's strange, because the stuff that I released on my first EP is nothing like I would play out in a DJ set. I've always had an interest in electronica, so I think that kinda came through a lot in the writing stage. At the time, I had been DJing dubstep for a while and was getting quite sick of it, so there was definitely a choice of not leaning toward that kind of sound.
TWU: Who do you see as your contemporaries/peers?
My Panda Shall Fly: There's a whole load of pals I know making great music: Bok Bok, James Blake, Cloud Boat, Throwing Snow, Dam Mantle, Girl Unit, Dark Sky, Sduk, Pirate Soundsystem... The list is endless!
TWU: Has work already started on your second release?
My Panda Shall Fly: Yes, and it is very exciting. I've been getting inspired like never before and have been making some really crazy stuff – well, I think so anyway. I can't wait to share it with the rest of the world.
TWU: What was the studio setup for the creation of the first release and is that going to change?
My Panda Shall Fly: The material was written over a number of months, even whilst I was in Australia for one of them. Then I hooked up with an engineer by the name of Asier Leatxe Ibañez d'Opakoa, who helped me release the project. Over a year down the line, we still have the same setup. More often than not, I come to his studio with stuff already done and we take it from there to the final product. Some remixes, though, we have worked on together. It's a really good way of working and I've learnt a lot.
TWU: I've seen you at probably 100 or more parties over the years. How many DJ sets have you actually done?
My Panda Shall Fly: I've counted up to 4,084.
TWU: How do you think London’s club scene has changed since you first started going out?
My Panda Shall Fly: It has changed tremendously. I remember when I first met you at I HEART NIYI at Punk in Soho. That was some crazy fun! But nowadays, there seems to be so many ‘club nights’ and everyone seems to be a promoter, or had been one at some point in the last few years. But it’s all good, the more parties the better. In regards to what I play now compared to then, it has kind of come back around. You probably remember me doing a UKG set at Punk, and that was so many years ago, but now I've started to play UKG again! It’s all good.
Download My Panda Shall Fly's free new track, 'Sydney', below...
Stay up to date with My Panda Shall Fly on Twitter – www.twitter.com/MyPandaShallFly
Words: Jayga Rayn (@JaygaRayn)
Online editing: Joseph 'JP' Patterson (@Jpizzledizzle)
