LW Mag LW Magazine
Genre: Pop
Hometown: Cape Town
Who is Jax Panic? Please give us a little insight…
At the helm of Jax Panik is Cape Town-based music producer and songwriter, Jax van Heerden, but the project is really a collaborative one that consists of many contributors.
The song Sex Me Slowly has shades of Hot Chocolate and Tom Jones. Have you ever been compared to any other musicians? If so, who and do you agree?
Sure. There’s this 80s connection that Jax Panik just can’t seem to get away from. Erasure, Alphaville, Dead or Alive… these are some of the names that have popped up in the last few years. But Jax Panik has also been likened to contemporary groups like 3OH!3. I don’t mind at all. Every musician, singer, or songwriter has certain influences – Jax Panik is no exception.
You’ve been described as a “man of disguises and many voices”. Tell us about the masks.
Jax Panik is a brand, as much as it’s a band. Masks and disguises have become a big part of the Jax Panik ‘thing’ and people have come to expect that by now.
Are any of your songs/ lyrics inspired by exes?
Of course! Almost all of them…
What local artists have caught your attention?
The Arrows are cool.
Goals for the rest of the year as far as albums and gigs go?
We’ve got so much lined up this year. Better keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Right now I’m just hoping to navigate my way through it all without losing my mind!
Have you ever been arrested?
I’d rather not say.
Which song (in the history of music and forever) do you wish you could take credit for?
Anything by Van Halen
Who are your major influences?
Whatever’s cool now; Jax Panik has always been that sort of project, and I’m not even ashamed to say it. Right, what’s happening? Okay, let’s try to sound like that and/or better.
What’s the most embarrassing album in your collection?
Spice Girls.
Interview by Bronwyn Westmore
Photos by Arno Kruger
