Well-known for mashups such as “Midnight Life” and “Stereo Hands,” the DJ duo The White Panda is returning to Columbia for the second time this school year to provide an unforgettable show and atmosphere.
_Bambooyah!_, the group’s newest album, was released Monday. The White Panda’s show at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at The Blue Note will be one of the first shows on their tour to debut their new mashups.
Taking time out of his busy schedule, Procrast (Tom Evans), half of the DJ duo, talked to MOVE about music, the new album and future plans.
**[MOVE]** You came to Columbia last September. What made you decide to come back?
**[The White Panda]** The last time we were down there, it was a sort of a disaster travel day. We got all of our equipment lost by the airline and thought the show was going to be ruined because we didn’t have any of our lights. Even though we didn’t have them, the crowd was still nuts the entire time and they maxed out. We knew we wanted to come back here.
**[MOVE]** What can we expect at your upcoming show on Saturday?
**[White Panda]** I guess for those who haven’t seen us live before, it’s a wild night of music, dancing and dudes dressed up like zoo creatures. Hopefully no one has epilepsy because there are a lot of bright, flashing lights. We have some new tracks that we will be debuting from our new album.
**[MOVE]** Are there any differences on your new album, _Bambooyah!_, from your previous albums?
**[White Panda]** On this new album we experimented a little bit. It definitely has some more mellow stuff. We incorporated a little more mellow stuff that we have not done in the past.
**[MOVE]** Can you describe your music for people who may not be familiar with The White Panda?
**[White Panda]** We are in a genre called mash-ups. The most well-known group in our genre would probably be Girl Talk. We basically take aspects of different music, instrumentation and vocals to form beats from different eras and genres. We use them together into one continuous stream that gives people sort of a new take on tracks that they already recognize. You may hear a top-40 vocal that you are familiar with, but you will hear it over a ’70s guitar rip with a ’90s hip-hop beat to make it sound fresher and make you hear it in a way you never have before.
**[MOVE]** What do you like about performing in college towns? How does it compare to playing in a big city like Chicago?
**[White Panda]** College towns are fun because majority of our fan base are college students. They are the kids who generally like to party the hardest. Playing shows in Chicago are obviously fun, but what is always so fun about college town shows are the college kids right in front getting real, real rowdy. That is our favorite part about performing.
**[MOVE]** How would you say you distinguish yourselves from other mash-up DJs out there?
**[White Panda]** It’s hard to say exactly. Girl Talk draws more to an ADD type crowd. They play 10 to 15 seconds of a song then switch to the next. We like to do slow intros into big chorus drops. We are more about the track in its entirety.
**[MOVE]** Who is your inspiration?
**[White Panda]** Girl Talk is a pioneer of the genre. I listened to them a lot in high school and that is what got me into this type of music in general before I even knew I could do it myself. Beyond that, the people who come out to the shows and go crazy are also inspiration. They show that hard work pays off.
**[MOVE]** What are your plans for the summer? Tour? Festivals?
**[White Panda]** There will definitely be a summer tour. The spring is pretty much tapped out right now. We will be playing in a few festivals. We can’t talk about all of them at the moment. But we do know we will be performing at Bamboozle in New Jersey. In the coming weeks, more information about festivals will be coming out.
**[MOVE]** How do you want the audience to feel when they leave your show?
**[White Panda]** Exhausted and deafened. And thinking that it was the best night of their life. That’s the ultimate goal.
