Vibe Control

DJ Panda has been emerging as a powerful force on the Houston music scene for over a decade. And his consistency and ear for music have catapulted him to stages across the country, merging the Houston flair with his international taste in music. A consummate professional and a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ community, he exemplifies music being a form of healing in spaces that the queer community observes as safe. Whether twerking, fist-bumping, rocking, or swaying, you can look over to the DJ booth and see Panda paying scrupulous attention to the crowd’s vibe and curating his set to ensure everyone feels included. 

Panda was, and still is, a simple guy. He works in healthcare full-time and loves gaming and rollercoasters. He loves being there for his friends’ major events. In fact, being introduced to a new circle of friends was how he got his start in creating DJ Panda. 

His story dates back to high school when he was the kid who would burn CDs to make money. Before long, he had a catalog of music that ranged across all genres and sounds. Then he was introduced to the scene in 2010 by a group of Black gay men called The (He)Motions. The HeMos, for short, was a mentorship and community-building group of men with a dual purpose of supporting the collective and guiding younger gay men along their path. At their gatherings, he would bring his speaker and his computer and simply hit shuffle. After a while, everyone agreed that with his extensive and eclectic music taste, he should start DJing. Panda fondly remembers that moment his DJ career began, saying, “You know, I enjoy watching people dance and have fun, so why not dive into it and see what happens.”

DJ Panda has been innovating for almost 15 years, with no end in sight. Focused on the people and the music, he continues to bring new sounds and feel-good moments to the crowds. He knows the importance of music as a path to healing and wholeness. “It really does fulfill my spirit to bring happiness to other people, so to see so many people now truly appreciating what I can bring to the table and requesting me to do events keeps me in the lab working on new ways to wow them when I’m on stage.”

Those stages range from Los Angeles to New Orleans to Atlanta for World Pride. He has even DJed alongside his mentor, the legendary DJ Sedrick, in Washington, DC at the largest Black Pride in the country. Often, we don’t consider the work it takes to build a brand as a music curator and build the skills to ensure the audience is receptive to your music choices. DC was both a test of his skill and a pivotal moment that solidified Panda across the country as a leading DJ who wasn’t just “emerging.”

Still, one of his favorite stages was here in Houston, when he was the DJ for Pride Houston. Being a native Houstonian, he had attended the Pride celebration for several years. Noticing the lack of urban influence in the music, he set a goal to make his name and perfect his craft. It paid off in a major way in 2022 when he stood on the stage in front of City Hall and broke down at the sound check a few hours before the Pride Festival and his DJ set. “The moment literally was like a Disney movie in real life. Being on stage with my gay son, MC, and my photographer, throwing out DJ Panda shirts, jumping into the crowd with water while jamming some of my favorite hits, seeing some of my closest friends come out dead in front of me with DJ Panda signs—I can’t even put it all into words. It was just special,” he recalls fondly.

DJ Panda has become one of our Texas gems as he continues to be in ‘vibe control’ mode across the country while all of his labor is just beginning to bear fruit. “It’s truly been amazing!” he says. “It’s crazy this year. I dubbed it ‘The Summer of Panda’ tour because I’ve literally been going from city to city! I have to start with this, though: These past two years I have truly called my ‘renaissance years.’ A renaissance is a rebirth. My mantra to even begin DJing was to bring happiness to people through music, and seeing me traveling to accomplish this goal is such a humbling experience.” 

It is heartwarming to see a DJ so passionate about bringing joy and new music to the crowd as he delivers his set. Still, some things don’t change: certain anthems have to be a part of the mix. As we prepared to end the interview, Panda shared his top three songs that have to be included in each set. “My top three vibes—that’s tough. With a plethora of songs out there to listen to and experience on a dance floor. I would say:

• ‘Moment For Life’ by Nicki Minaj is such a huge crossover smash, and one of my go-to’s! It’s a feel-good rap song that gets the crowd engaged, especially once I cut the music and the crowd is still rapping along.
• ‘Before I Let Go’ by Beyoncé, but I would mix in Frankie Beverly’s portion all the way through the bridge and then slide into the remake from Beyoncé. That song, no matter where you are, will have a crowd on their feet dancing and singing. I’m the type of DJ who enjoys crowd interaction, so I’m known for cutting my music and just enjoying the people singing at the top of their lungs.
• ‘Swag Surf’ by F.L.Y. is my party go-to. Nine out of ten times, if I’m DJing an event, at some point you will be shoulder-to-shoulder with a stranger next to you, and for that little two to three minutes, they will become best friends and sway away to this classic. Most of my friends know this is probably my favorite song to drop in the club.”

All of these top picks are classics here in Houston and beyond. We are thankful that DJ Panda has taken Texas all over the country and kept us in the center of his vibe-control. 

For more info, visit tinyurl.com/djpandamusic.