The new kid on the Dubstep block starts off on Various Production’s house label and is already causing a stir. Gold Panda has won over mainstream artists and radio even before his debut hits the stores.
There is a good buzz building around Gold Panda. In demand as a remixer for pop acts Little Boots and Bloc Party, his tracks have been played by radio DJs Rob Da Bank, Zane Lowe and Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1 as well as Jon Hilcock and John Kennedy on xfm. That’s a notable crossover success for an underground artist who is just about to release his debut EP on 29th June.
‘Miyamae’ does not compromose to fulfil the crossover promise, instead you get arcade noises, 8-bit digital Dancehall and the wonkiest keyboard themes this side of Joker’s underground hit ‘Do It’. Call it ‘Crunk’ or ‘Purple Wow’or whatever term you prefer to use for the new style that has been coming out of Dubstep in the past few months, Gold Panda certainly has his ears tuned to it.
Gold Panda largely wrote and recorded the tracks after returning to his native Chelmsford after spending a year in Japan. The A-side ‘Back Home’ is a melancholic loop with a touch of minimalist composers Wim Mertens and Steve Reich. ‘Long Vacation’ is very ‘now’ with its arcade bleeps and sound effects recalling hours Gold Panda spent playing Street Fighter in Japanese game arcades.
‘Mayuri’ is the cut here that’s destined for the dance floor. Named after Gold Panda’s Japanese Techno DJ flatmate, it combines marching Techno drums a la Claro Intelecto with an elastic Dubstep approach.
Various is the house label of Dubstep Various Production. Gold Panda’s ‘Miyamae’ is the first release by another artist on the label. Watch out for more signings as Various Production have announced their aim to grow their artist roster.
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