Exclusive Interview: Panther Modern's LA Takeover

In a span of about a year, Panther Modern has made a name for himself as a solo artist in

the LA music scene. With one of a kind visuals to go along with some of the best electronic music you'll hear around, he is definitely in a league of his own.

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Brady Keehn, the man who goes by Panther Modern, has been making music for 13 years now. Before he started making electronic music, he was in a punk band called Sextile. The band gained popularity playing shows all over LA, among other places. They made an appearance at Desert Daze a few years back. However, they went on a hiatus in early 2019.

Members of the band decided to go their own route in the meantime. Brady turned into Panther Modern and took the city by a storm. Performing some of the most wild and energetic shows, people quickly began to talk about him as a must see artist. In 2019, he released his first record titled Los Angeles 2020 which gained much appraise from fans. You can stream the EP on Spotify and YouTube.

To me, it feels like you're inside the world of Blade Runner when you listen to his music. The visuals he provides for videos are just insane, you feel like you could see them in any science fiction film. He recently teamed up with Dark Energy to put on one of the craziest live stream shows I've ever seen on Twitch, further cementing his artistry to a level that no one else comes close to in the current Los Angeles scene. Plus he did it all from his home. Unbelievable.

I had a chat with Brady aka Panther Modern to talk about life & music.

Here's what he had to say:

Q: What inspired you for the cover on your first EP?

A: I cant say that anything inspired me, that just came to me while learning and messing around with 3D applications. It seemed fitting for a cover and began to represent a state of being for me.

Q: Your music feels like it can be perfect for films, what type of films are you into the most?

A: I love fiction, especially science fiction, anything that feels like an escape for me.

Q: If you could do the film score for any director, who would it be and why?

A: I can't say I'm up on contemporary directors. I don't really pay attention much to that sort of thing. So I'm going to go old school and almost a given, Ridley Scott. To me, the pacing in his movies really allow the score to breathe and set moods, develop connections and raise emotions with in the worlds hes creating. 

Q: Where did you learn how to do all the amazing visual art work and CGI you've done for your music videos?

A: YouTube! Started teaching myself two years ago.

Q: Who are some of your biggest influences in the electronic world? You definitely remind me a lot of Aphex Twin when it comes to the music and crazy visuals to go along with it.

A: I'd say two of my biggest influences in the electronic world would be DAF and Crash Course in Science. Aphex Twin is amazing, been listening a lot to his ambient works through the pandemic and while I work on visual art.

Q: What was your favorite city you visited on your recent European trip?

A: Unfortunately, I never get a lot of time to explore or experience cities for what they truly are, but I do remember having a really good time in Prague this time around. Also Munich and Leipzig had really good vibes as well.

Q: Did you visit any obscure places out there?

A: There really isn't much time on tour to go out explore. Most tours there is only one day off, and usually that's spent trying to catch up on sleep and doing laundry. However the techno bunker in Leipzig has to be one of the coolest places I have played. I also played at this place in Stockholm that was like an old meat storage warehouse that was really cool looking.

Q: Favorite place to hang out in Los Angeles?

A: Right now, its on the Arroyo trail, its keeping me sane these days. That or my house. Can't say I got a particular spot you can find me at often right now. It used to be Downtown Rehearsal space. 

Q: If you were asked to play a big stage at a festival what would be your ideal set up?

A: All my vintage synths on stage with me, some drummers, live visuals in the BG, but maybe I'll do that for SEXTILE at Cruel World festival.

Q: If you could collab with any artist who would it be?

A: Identified Patient, I really love their production, sound design and structure. They're on to something special.

Q: Thoughts on the universe and other life forms being out there somewhere in the deep reaches of space? Or even here, among us.

A: Sometimes I think we maybe are the first. According to the Fermi Paradox, our very own Milky Way galaxy should be steaming with life, but it isn't. No signals from anywhere. And I wonder, collectively, as the human race, if it were to become accepted that there was no after life, that we are the first conscious life in the known universe, would we treat life more preciously, would we be as scared of the coming singularity?

Wouldn't an entity with the amount of intelligence as the singularity possibly render the human race, and life on Earth as the most precious thing to occur on a linear timeline? Would we care more for our existence and this planet? Just things I

have been thinking about recently.

Q: Is there any advice you'd give to your teenage self?

A: Nah, they'll figure it out. haha

Q: How was the experience of performing your first live feed from home?

A: The experience was really cool. I actually felt comfortable performing in my small ass room, especially because it didn't look like my room, but it was also nice to not load-in and load-out of a venue, and just being home. I could walk downstairs after the show, throw a pizza in the oven and chill out after. I mean... that in itself is really cool.

Q: How many people tuned in?

A: I had 1600 unique views during my show.