Panic City has hovered between styles of fresh club music and EDM for quite some time now, but it wasn't until his recent Up All Night EP that we finally felt hooked.
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Honing from the Bay Area, Nick Magbanua's first run with the renowned Dim Mak label happened in 2014, which prompted him to move to Los Angeles.
Dim Mak gave me the chance to build a legitimate identity in the dance music scene. At the time I was putting out all my music myself, DJing was my only source of income and I was running out of it fast from my move to LA. Dim Mak couldn’t have came into the picture at a better time.
Earning the recognition to have a widely recognized label back up your career is by far the ultimate dream for most artists. Nick describes his relationship with the Dim Mak team as creatively challenging, "they don't want to hear what everyone else is doing". Individuality is key to growing as an artist and we could hear this growth in Panic City's latest collection of tracks..
Up All Night feels all too familiar at first. Each track tinkers with elements of pop music yet they are arranged in a way that nods to the more melodically attuned sounds of hip hop and RnB. For example, we can hear a type of uprising Missy Elliot synth in the title track 'Up All Night', but also some DJ Mustard influenced cowbell samples in 'Go Grey'. His knack for hitting soulful piano stabs are definitely a strong point that give his work an organic touch. As a result, the familiarity comes with a plenty of twists as Nick progresses each with concepts that throw out the basic formulas of popular EDM. Rather than go generic, he immerses his listeners into the sounds of jersey club, future house, and break beats. Although these styles are currently in the underground, we're confident that releases such as this will help it become the standard for club music in the future.
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What was the inspiration behind ‘Up All Night’?
It was really everything it took to get to this point. Endless nights in front of my computer screen trying to get better... Being stuck alone in my little Hollywood studio apartment by myself not knowing if I made the right move or not. Thankfully all of the planets aligned and this EP helped solidify that decision.
How is this different from other music you’re currently listening to?
I feel like Up All Night shows all the different sides of me. A lot of artists have a sound you can easily put your finger on, but I don't think you can place me just yet. You just know it's there and I’m finally here ready to make some noise.
Purchase the full EP on iTunes now
