‘PNDA’

After the release of his last album, "Spread Love and Be Yourself," Jose the Panda took a different approach. Instead of dropping another album the following year, he spent time learning a new software to produce music. At the end of 2022, he parted ways with his previous team, "Why Not Rave," and began working on music solo.

In 2023, Jose helped multiple artists with their projects, including El Santo de Valley and Daniel Molina. At the same time, he started playing at local clubs, building friendships with various people in the industry. By the end of summer 2023, Jose the Panda was offered his own radio show by Hector Perez-Roman at KROJ 101.5 FM "The Panda Hour."

As 2023 came to a close and 2024 began, Jose the Panda faced a significant challenge: he became homeless and started living in his car. Despite these difficulties, he continued to produce music and began organizing his own events again. Throughout 2024, he focused intensely on his album, choosing to step back from heavy DJing to concentrate on his craft. Whenever times got tough, he poured his emotions into his songs. The album took two years to produce.

PNDA opens with "Joey's Message." One night after DJing at a local club in 2023, Jose the Panda called his downstairs neighbor, who didn't answer due to the late hour. However, she left a voicemail that left Jose speechless, and he knew he had to use the sample in his album. The song "I'll Take Care of the Rest" was the first instrumental produced in Jose the Panda's car and the last song to be recorded. Over time, different artists worked on it, including Daniel Molina and Hennessy Hamilton, but the instrumental eventually found its way to Lita, who sang on it while Jose was sick. The song had only two days to be mixed, or else the album wouldn't have made its release date.

"I Just Wanna Dance" was the last instrumental produced for the album. The song features vocals from Elektra La Gata and Jose the Panda and carries a good vibe from beginning to end. "Insert Her Name Here" is a love song with vocals from Jose the Panda, dedicated to his girlfriend Emely. "Mirror Mirror" is the last major project Jose the Panda worked on in his apartment before becoming homeless. Produced in the summer of 2023, it remains his favorite song to date.

"A Bone" is a tech house banger made to rock the dance floors, with the sole purpose of being dumb fun. "Juicy" is a radio-friendly track made for both radio and dance floors, featuring vocals from Daniel Molina. "Issa Vibe" was the second-to-last song Jose produced in his apartment. While working on "Mirror Mirror," he would relax by working on this track to give his ears a break.

The album concludes with "Take a Ride," featuring Lita and Melancholy. This song showcases Jose the Panda's production skills and marks the long-awaited first collaboration between him and Melancholy. The album took two years to put together and barely made it out on time. Despite the hardship, Jose the Panda’s perseverance to complete the album never faltered. Jose the Panda wants to thank everyone who helped him create the album and everyone who enjoys it.