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Just keep the music going
For this edition of ParentSounds I got to have a fun conversation with Panos Divanis, a DJ and producer based here in Berlin. You might recognize his name from the ParentSounds podcast - that’s because he produced the track I’ve been using for the intro and outro. It’s called Flamme and you can find it here.
Panos and I caught up before doing a bit of mixing recently and we definitely had to resist the urge to only talk about music in our interview. When we eventually did get to the subject of family life, one of the main topics we explored was how going out and DJing fills a kind of existential need. When I asked Panos how he juggles being a father of two small kids with occasionally staying out late for gigs, he spoke about the energy he gets from music and how important that is to his sense of well-being, even if he knows he’s going to be tired the next day.
Regular readers of ParentSounds will know that in addition to music, one of the main themes I’ve written about in these intros is my own journey toward finding a rhythm for this publication that feels manageable given... everything else. One of my goals with this newsletter is to inspire parents everywhere to continue being creative and doing the things we love. But it’s also important to be honest about how hard that is sometimes, and to not be too hard on ourselves when it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
Actually, it’s not that different from learning how to DJ (hear me out). The basic concept is simple: blending two or more songs together in a cool way. So when you’re mixing and you don’t quite get the timing right, or the beats are off and the transition between tracks doesn’t sound that great, it’s easy to get frustrated. But when you’re performing for other people, you can’t just stop the music. However annoyed you might be at the last transition, you have to take what you have and find a way to make it work. You have to keep the music going and focus on how you’re going to bring in the next song.
When I was going back over the interview with Panos and editing it for the podcast, I had a lightbulb moment. DJing, it occurred to me, is kind of a good metaphor for whatever we might be working on where we don’t always feel like our best, most perfect selves. We’re going to miss a couple of beats and we’re going to screw up a few transitions. But the important thing is to keep the music going. Whatever it is that you like to do, just do your best to keep doing it.
It’s not always easy. Some days, it can feel straight up overwhelming. But keep going and know that every time you manage to pick up the paintbrush or work on a new idea or take out your musical instrument of choice, it’s a victory.
So don’t stress about what you did or didn’t accomplish from your to-do list today - or compare yourself too much with others. It’s so easy to feel like we’re failing to live up to our own expectations. Just find a way to keep the music going.
Click on the link above to listen to the podcast audio of our interview with Panos Divanis. As usual, you can read a lightly edited written version below.
ParentSounds: Tell us a bit more about who you are and what kind of creative work you do.
Panos Divanis: I’m Panos Divanis, originally from Greece, but living the Berlin vibes for over a decade now. And I've got my hands full as a papa of two little boys: a six year old and a one-and-a-half year old. And yeah, when it comes to creativity, I have been getting into electronic music production since 2020 and started DJing in early 2022.
PS: You started taking musical production lessons during the Covid times, after you already had a small child at home. What motivated you to start producing music at this point in your life? Was it something you’ve always wanted to do?
PD: I wasn't always an electronic music enthusiast. It was something that really grew on me during my time in Berlin. And for many years I had this dream of making music. It was in the back of my mind. I had even purchased some online courses, watched some tutorial videos, but procrastination always got the best of me. And finding the motivation was always a struggle.
But when Covid came, you know, everything changed. We were all stuck at home, social life changed, working life changed. I dunno if you agree, but even time itself had this new dimension, at least at the beginning. I was staying home, couldn't do anything, any of my activities, couldn't meet friends, couldn't go to the gym.
So I had a lot of energy and I thought, I need to do something creative. That's when I stumbled upon a producer and DJ who was offering music production classes. And I decided, okay, let's give it a shot and see how it'll go. And I was kind of blown away immediately learning from a producer with this many years of experience and such professional equipment. It was really amazing. And before I knew it, I was spending countless late nights at home, practicing what I have learned, investing in software, building a small studio… really crazy times. And after a couple of months of learning the ropes, I felt ready to get out on my own.
In February 2021 I completed my very first track, Genesis, marking the start into this magical journey. I started reaching out to labels and I was lucky to find one in Mexico. And they released my debut track in April 2021. And since then, it's been an incredible ride.
PS: What made you also want to get into DJing?
PD: DJing was a bit of a natural progression for me. I had already released seven tracks by that time, and I was exploring a lot of music for inspiration, and I was trying to mix these tracks straight on the software. And then I thought, okay, why not perform my music for people to dance to? So I bought my first controller in early 2022, started learning the techniques, the mixing. With a controller it’s completely different compared with mixing on the software. And I really fell in love with DJing, like straight away. Especially the energy when you play music in front of people is something very, very special. I wouldn't change it with anything. It's so unique.
PS: Has your taste in music evolved at all, if you compare the tracks you started producing versus the music that you play when you have gigs now?
PD: Oh man. It's like being in a circus where I'm juggling different roles – a day job that demands a lot of my time, and then music, either from production, mixing, preparation for the gigs, performances. It's already really time consuming. And then being a dad of two kids, you know, you have the recipe for some intense moments. Balancing all of them can be super challenging.
So definitely there are times that it feels like a lot. But the key for me is finding harmony – like what we say also in music. And for me it's all worth it. It's part of my life.
In general I find that pursuing your passion and dream and doing what you like, this gives you a lot of energy. It fulfills you. Even if you play for six hours and you know you're gonna be super tired, you don't feel it at that moment because you're doing something that you like. And this fills you with a lot of energy.
PS: How do you think about the importance of developing yourself personally while also living your double papa life?
PD: I think it's all about finding this middle ground where you can do the things that you like. Being a parent is a big part of my life. It's incredibly rewarding. But doing my music is also my passion. It’s important for me, and I want to set an example for my kids, you know, to see that doing the things you like to do, pursuing your passions, and treating personal growth as a lifelong journey is a good thing. So I want to give this example also to my kids, and that's why I jumped into music quite late in life. It was something I was interested in but it was also to give an example to my kids. So yeah, balancing is hard work but I think if you follow your dreams and do what you like, you will find the middle ground where you can do both.
PS: Have you noticed your kids also getting interested? What is their reaction when you're producing at home or when they see you DJing?
They're definitely interested in this. It's funny because at home they're excited and fascinated about all these buttons and pads, and they want to push and click on everything. So sometimes they're coming when I'm producing or practicing some gigs and they just want to play with that. But they’re also starting to like this kind of music. I have a couple of videos with them at home dancing when I'm playing – it is really fun.
It's also funny for me that especially my older one is starting to recognize my tracks. So when we are in the car and having a road trip for many hours and we have like a playlist with a lot of songs, he's really recognizing my music. Like “Hey Papa, this is your track, right?”
So, you know, we have these nice family moments. It's nice because we create these new memories through this musical journey.
PS: Last question - what advice can you give to other parents who are pursuing their own creative passions or even just looking to do something to keep themselves engaged on the side?
Being a parent brings this mix of emotions and experiences – the joy, the challenges, the love. And all of these can give you inspiration for something creative, whether it’s music or something else that you're going to jump into. So I think that parental life can be a very good boost to your creativity.
You're definitely doing more things when you have kids. But that means you’re more skilled in handling more things. So in the end that’s what gave me the opportunity to start having new hobbies and find my passion into music.
It definitely takes a lot of my energy, but it also gives me a lot, and that’s something that I love.
To hear our full conversation with Panos, listen to the podcast episode here:
If you want to support Panos, you can follow him on his SoundCloud and Instagram handles, and find links to all of his tracks and mixes on his website:
Before we close, I wanted to highlight one other interesting, thought-provoking link which I enjoyed recently:
Why Kids Don’t Follow Directions (Is My Kid the Asshole?). This one is from fellow Substack writer Melissa Wenner Moyer’s brilliantly named publication, Is My Kid the Asshole? To sum it up, my 3 year-old takes 20 minutes to put her shoes on when it’s time to go because neuroscience. Whereas our adult brains are better at completing tasks but have a harder time learning new things for the first time, kid brains are the exact opposite. Basically, the same sponge-like quality that makes it easy for them to copy you when you curse and rapidly take in new information from their surroundings also means that little kids find it very difficult to focus on getting one thing done. So where does that leave us? Melissa shares a few suggestions for how to get little kid brains to do what you ask. They’re mostly intuitive. Giving one direction at a time is definitely something we’ve been trying in our house lately.
That's all for this time. Let’s continue with the DJ theme and wrap it up with some scenes from our most recent Kinder Rave:
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to keep the music going.