Five Keys

LINER NOTES
Video Home System is Michael Panik and Andrew Panik.

All tracks written and recorded between January 2012 and March 2013, at Vice City Sound Labs in Alabama, using an Emu Systems Emax; Roland D50 & Alpha Juno 1; Yamaha DX7, RX11, and TG33; a Korg DDD-1; and an Apple Macintosh system. Album artwork by Michael Panik.

Special thanks to Paul, Beth, William, and the Panik family, Tom, Gail, and the Roper Family, Tom and Deanie Purkey, Jan Hammer, Crockett, Tubbs, John Hughes, John Williams, Steven Spielberg, Vincent Clarke, Billy Joel, Michael Crichton, Jeff Goldblum, Dr. Ian Malcom, Mr. Blackwell’s Petty Thieves, Danny Moon, Melinda (Dad), Ossian Everett Mills, and everyone who’s ever felt the joy of clanking plastic, the whirring motors, and the electric glow of the VHS era.

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BAND BIOGRAPHY
Inspired by a time of greater wealth, cheesier action films, and bigger hair, Video Home System pays homage to the sounds (and equally as important, the sights) of the mid- to late 1980s, with modern twists in production. Sporting a wardrobe as akin to “Miami Vice” as their musical stylings, VHS takes the stage like they own the place - and with the Ray Ban sunglasses and stark- white suits, you may very well think they do.
As the synth-driven pop instrumentals take you on a journey through your past, the matching visuals leave little for the viewer’s imagination. A barrage of 80s films and vintage newscasts, muted to the sounds of the entrancing music, heighten the retro-transported sensation.
The two derive influence from both their own pasts, as well as from film. “We’re both huge movie buffs, and having the name ‘VHS’ drawing a lot of inspiration from film just seemed like a no- brainer,” says Andrew Panik, “Plus half of our songs are directly based off of Jurassic Park and John Hughes films.”
“It’s all about what inspires us,” says Michael Panik, one of two brothers that make up the synth- pop duo from Northern Alabama. “To me it’s just a time and a place filled with only good memories. It’s childhood, it’s new beginnings, it’s just...freedom. And that’s what I want people to get from the music: freedom. Well that, and cocaine-crazy Miami back in the day.”
Video Home System provides a show in the truest sense - a sensory overload of sound, sight, and a hint of hairspray-ed magic.

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MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES

MICHAEL PANIK
Born in the heyday of the VHS, Michael Panik got his first synthesizer keyboard at age 3 and, as he says, “It’s been a crazed journey ever since.” He began taking piano lessons at the age of 9, and played classically until High School. Then, he joined a rock band, and first gained interest in synthesizers. Panik’s obsession with synthesizers grew, along with it a large vintage collection. Having a love for the retro, and the music of Jan Hammer, Panik formed VHS in late 2011. Having been in several groups before, and initially wanted to start something new, all to himself, he soon realized the full potential of having a partner in his endeavors, he asked his younger brother to join, and the results have only been positive since. When he’s not playing with or writing all the music for VHS, he generally finds himself manipulating sound, or being a graphic/ web designer as a day gig.

ANDREW PANIK
The younger half of synth pop duo Video Home System, Andrew Panik, has had an avid interest in music from a very early age; however, being brothers with other member, Michael Panik,

Andrew has been drug along the nostalgia trips from the beginning. He began playing piano some years after his older brother, but competition quickly led him to branch out and master an incredible amount of instruments in a very short span of time. From keyboards to guitar to percussion and horns, Andrew Panik is quite the multi-instrumentalist. Though seemingly supplementary, the duo agrees that Andrew’s role within the group cannot be overstated. Providing complimenting keyboard parts and heavy guitar riffs to the cold, machine drum beats and chilling leads, Andrew’s part is that of the human element that really drives Video Home System.