As those who were at Rampage earlier this year may already know, Panda Eyes has officially joined the ranks at Disciple. His arrival has been heralded by his biggest EP to date: Isolation.
Four tracks deep, including a massive collaboration with Virtual Riot and Barely Alive called Triforce, Isolation marks the start of a brand new chapter for the Swiss wub-conjuror as he plans to relocate westward in LA among his Disciple homies in the near future.
We grabbed the title track from the EP for the channel. It goes like this…
We asked Panda Eyes – AKA Oskar Steinbeck – a few questions to see how the rest of his life is going…
Destination LA! Where you at with your relocation?
I just came home from a bit less than three weeks there. LA is insane. I already miss it. Palm trees everywhere, lots of sun, it’s insanely big compared to Zurich. I’m just very happy to be over there with all the artists, feeling like I belong somewhere and being around creative people in such an amazing and exciting environment. I made lots of friends already and I can’t wait to move officially.
What was the first ‘f**k yeah! I’m in LA baby!’ type of thing you did when you went over?
I just wanted to check it out and to see if I resonate with the whole vibe of the city and the people. But I had those moments every day. Just the palm trees, the sun, the food, the people, the different vibe and language.
Should probably say congrats on signing to Disciple at this stage! Has that been brewing for a while behind the scenes?
Thanks. As you might know I self-released pretty much all of my music before working with any label. Disciple was definitely my first choice for a label since they seemed to care a lot about values of being a family and supporting each other and having fun while doing that. So first there was an EP planned which then turned into a ‘’don’t you just wanna join us?”. I thought about it for like half a minute and then replied ”hell yeah I’m in”. I’m very happy about the situation since a lot of the artists on Disciple are people I look up to and I adore them so it’s such a pleasure to work with them.
I think a lot of fans won’t be surprised. Didn’t Virtual Riot announce you as a new member at Rampage?
Haha that’s such a funny story. He tried yes. We all had a lot of fun on stage and well, he tried to announce me but he accidentally shouted ”MAKE SOME NOISE FOR DIAMOND EYES… F*CK I MEAN PAND*DROP HITS*…” we all just laughed about it for days.
The EP Isolation tells the story of your LA trip, right?
Yeah it’s about me finally getting out there. The first two tracks were written more introspectively… Particularly the vocals on I Am Undead which really capture the message of the EP. I’m here, I’m alive, I’m not going to stop pursuing my dreams and inspirations.
The second two tracks are more uplifting melodically and particularly the collaboration with Virtual Riot and Barely Alive felt like the first step in pursuing a new journey and getting out of Isolation in Switzerland.
Tell us why it was important for you to be out in LA and not based in Switzerland…
The main reason is that I don’t really know anyone here that makes music and has ambition and the will to pursue a dream. In LA i have all my friends who make music who share the same passion as me and I feel like I belong there. I feel appreciated there.
There’s a new lease of life and energy to each of the tracks. Is that fair to say?
Yeah you could say that. Being an independent artist and creator in general takes a lot of self-motivation and will power to keep pushing yourself. This EP marks the next chapter for Panda Eyes and my influences and inspirations changing because of new surroundings.
What are you looking forward to the most for your first summer in America? And what can we expect after the Isolation EP?
Playing my first shows there this summer is what I’m looking forward to the most. and chilling out with all the artists and just making lots of music and having a good time. Meeting new people and enjoying life. After the isolation EP there is so much more new music I’ve been holding back. Like really a lot!
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