This week’s parent profile is of Panos Divanis, who is responsible for the music you’ve been hearing during the beginning and end of the ParentSounds podcast. Panos is a DJ and producer based here in Berlin. And that’s only his side job. He also works in marketing CRM and is the papa of two little boys.
What I found the most interesting about Panos’ journey as a musician is how recently it all began. When I met Panos and heard him play for the first time, I would’ve had no idea that he only began DJing a little over a year-and-a-half ago, and that he started producing tracks only a couple of years before that, when he already had a 3 year-old at home.
One of the goals of this newsletter is to show how busy parents can find creative joy in a variety of different ways. It’s always cool to see how parents with small kids, who had creative lives before, find a way to continue doing what they love after this seismic shift in identity, roles, and responsibilities. But I’m also fascinated by stories of parents like Panos who pick up a side passion, like producing music or making other kinds of art, after having kids. As if there’s not already enough stuff to do!
In addition to the usual discussions about balancing and integrating creative life with family life, Panos and I talked a lot in our interview about music in general, from producing it to curating it as a DJ. Panos also discussed the interest that his kids have begun to show in his electronic music identity, which culminated in the revelation that Panos' 6 year-old son now recognizes his dad’s tracks when they play in the car.
It’s one of the special things about having kids: those moments where you realize that actually, these little protohumans have been paying attention all along. Press play to hear Panos talk more about what it’s like to start producing techno tracks when you’ve already got a kid at home, and how he finds the time and energy to balance everything that he loves.
Support Panos by following him on SoundCloud and Instagram:
ParentSounds Podcast 03: Becoming a Producer