Panic Bomber, aka Richard Haig, is a rapidly emerging electronic artist from the Miami scene. His shows include live vocals, keyboards, and frequently a 3-piece horn section. He has found success touring the U.K. and North America, and won praise for his 2009 LP, Getting On My Mind, and the 2010 follow-up, Discipline EP. Music-News.com caught up with Richard after his packed show at Uncorked in Austin on March 19th.
Music-News.com: This is your second straight year at SXSW. How does this year compare to last? And how would you compare SXSW to other festivals you have played like Ultra Music Festival?
Richard Haig: This year I have seven total shows, compared to the one I had last year, so it’s a much more break-neck pace, but very worth the stress. SXSW is unlike anything else in the world that I know of. The whole city seems to shut down for a week to the point where you can’t even drive, all for the sake of music. It is a pretty beautiful, unique situation. Ultra is 24 hour parties. There are a lot less artists playing, and the partying is more of the emphasis over artist exposure and music industry activity. Also, the diversity of acts at SXSW is unparalleled. Tonight I played in-between a rapper and a stand-up comedian, with most other acts on the bill being indie bands.
MN: Have the crowds here been responsive to your music?
RH: Well, as my repertoire gets deeper, it gives me a lot of flexibility. At SXSW especially, you don’t know what kind of crowd you are going to get. You have to be up for anything. I can show up to a gig and see it’s a techno party, and I can play a set with less vocals, and keep it minimal. If it’s indie rock bands on the bill, I can do a set with more vocals that’s song based, and less groove based. Actually, my next EP coming out, called Domestic Violins, is a dance, groove based EP, instead of song based, which is an interesting concept for me. In my music, it’s a constant push and pull between indie singer-songwriter, in electronic form, and put your head down, take drugs and dance form.
MN: How does your style of dance music, and the flamboyant, provocative air it carries, work in Austin and the rest of the South as compared to Miami and Europe?
RH: Obviously Miami has a very high threshold for bold, provocative music. I mean, hell, it’s the “City of Heat.” Booty Bass came out of there. Luther Campbell (of Miami based rap group 2 Live Crew) is running for mayor, and he had a song with the chorus, “Dance too much booty in your pants.” (laughs) That’s just the culture we come from. However, as I was talking about earlier, I can adapt to preferences of the crowd and try to find a set that will work best.
MN: Which artists are you particularly enjoying at the moment? And how do you go about discovering new music?
RH: As I take DJing more seriously, I realize it’s part of my job (to discover new artists), so I head to the web, and I listen to podcasts, British primarily. I’m originally from Glasgow, and all my family is back there, so I’m very British at the core. I enjoy these U.K. podcasts because, ya, there’s the trends, like “witch house,” that will be here today and gone tomorrow, but there is more room to be arty over there, and take risks. In Miami, it’s a lot more about the big name DJ, and the bottle service, and less about the art. Through these podcasts, I’ve discovered acts like Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaur, whose music I can relate to. Another is Total Fucking Pizza Party, who make some really beautiful, weird electronic music out of the Bay Area.(MUSIC-NEWS)
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