Interview week: DJ Soviet Panda

Peter Lansky (a Soviet name if I’ve ever heard one) makes bodies move at the Too Much Love, the weekly dance night at First Avenue that has grown from a small party to a pretty major stop for national DJ talent.

Diplo shows up on your birthday, James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem just pops in as a surprise… what the hell is going on over there?

One time a few years ago I aksed James Murphy for life guidance. He told me to start a sovietpanda dance night. So, eventually, I did. Then he came and played it, and it was awesome. Diplo was just looking for a place to party, and I guess on a Saturday he’d be hard-pressed to find something better downtown.

Fader, Discobelle, Stylus or Pitchfork?

Fader. I go in and out as a fan, but since it started it has been consistently ahead of the curve for music. I remember getting an issue once, looking at the cover, and thinking “Who the hell is Kayne West?” Yes, Kayne West is what I thought. Plus they’ve gone disco-crazy lately with awesome features on Glass Candy, DFA, and Cut Copy and friends. Big stamp of approval. Discobelle posts as many duds as hits. I don’t get how they choose what to post and what not to post. Pitchfork was at one time like a bible to me, but now I find it impossible to take seriously—there are so many things wrong with that site! And Stylus is dead, unfortunately. Sad face.

How many more or how many beats fewer that 120/sec makes for the best dance music?

Of course there’s not really a perfect tempo, but I’d say 120 is actually pretty good. That’s like fast disco. I can move to that without feeling self-conscious, but still close my eyes and listen to the bassline and be like “Yeeeeeahhhh dude.”

West Bank or East Bank?

WEST BANK 4 LYFE! I live next to the Nomad, and despite all the cons about living here (there’s a lot), you can’t really ignore the benefits: light rail, Triple Rock, Nomad, Acadia, THE WIENERY!, a Chipotle, Hard Times, and the Town Hall Brewery has wicked burgers. Hmm, that kind of makes me sound food-obsessed, doesn’t it… well, the East Bank has like, some college on it or something. What good has college ever done anyone?

Do people ever actually say, “Hey DJ, play my song”?

No, no one has said those exact words to me. I get a lot of “Can you play some dance music?” or “Can you play some REAL dance music?” I also seem to get a lot of requests for “Satisfaction.” It always takes me a second to realize they mean Benny Benassi and not the Stones. Yikes. What us DJs like to do is tell the person, “No we can’t play that song, but the next guy TOTALLY will” and then watch what happens.