Member Since: 17/07/2007
Band Members:
Influences: The debut album ‘Cigarettes & Cinnamon’ is out now!
Jacobus Johannes van Heerden was born in 1983, the year of SH-101 synthesizers. He lived out an uneventful childhood in the Pleasantville-ish neighborhood of Bellville, just outside of Cape Town (South Africa), where he took up gymnastics and learned the trombone. Jax joined his first band in high school and went on to play in various groups throughout varsity - regularly switching from vocalist, to guitarist, to keyboardist. In 2006, after completing a degree in Visual Communication, Jax bought some cheap software and started writing, recording, and producing tracks all by himself. Jax Panik was born!
Jax Panik is a Cape Town-based songwriter & producer. His music is a mash up of over the top commercial pop fused with off-centre electro & rock. In his home country, South Africa, he’s become somewhat of a legend, enjoying a very strong presence on local radio, TV, and various web-based media.
At the end of 2006 Jax completed ‘Backtracks are better than sex’. This bedroom project EP featured 5 original songs. The first single off this release, Cigarettes & Cinnamon, became a huge hit in South Africa at the end of 2007, topping many local charts. The debut album that followed, appropriately called Cigarettes & Cinnamon, was released on CD in South Africa in 2008. It included all the tracks off the first EP, 3 brand new songs, and two cool remixes. This first release is now available worldwide as digital download on iTunes.
Apart from his annoyingly catchy music, Jax is known for performing, distributing, packaging, and promoting his music in weird and wonderful ways. For ongoing news, behind the scenes info, videos, pix, new music, and much more, keep an eye on www.jaxpanik.com or keep an eye on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and Youtube etc.
Record Label: Unknown Indie
Type of Label: Indie