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Biography
Schlecker first began his endeavor in music when he was a teenager experimenting with chopping up songs on his uncle’s sampler. He later enrolled in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and still continued experimenting with music while he was there. His studies in Oriental and African studies can be conveyed through the style of his music that incorporates African rhythmic beats and Oriental sounding melodies.
Gold Panda stated to gain recognition when he started releasing remixes for bands like Bloc Party and Little Boots. In 2009 he released his first single “Quitters Raga”, which was praised by several music publications such as Pitchfork who labeled the song “Best New Track”. The song contained glitchy guitars and vocals that follow closely to an IDM style of making music. The song was also notable for its interesting use of sitars and its Indian vocal chants. Gold Panda continued to release 7 inches and EPs in 2009 and 2010 while he was increasingly becoming more recognized. In 2009 he released the EPs “Before” and “Miyamae” and in 2010 he released the EPs “You” and “Snow & Taxis”.
In 2010 Gold Panda was signed to the record label Ghostly International, who released his debut album “Lucky Shiner”. Although the album was not an immediate commercial success, it was lauded by critics and was awarded the Mercury Prize. The album contained the single “You” and featured many interesting samples that were meshed together to make the album highly intriguing. “Lucky Shiner” clearly conveyed God Panda’s accomplishments as a talented songwriter and also displayed sounds that were similar to artists like Four Tet and DJ Shadow.
After the release of “Lucky Shiner” Gold Panda consistently continued releasing music. In 2011 he released the EPs “DJ-Kicks: An Iceberg Hurled Northward Through Clouds” and “Marriage”. In 2013 he released the EP “Trust” as well as his second studio album “Half of Where You Live”. His second album showed him incorporating techno music into his work. The album contained a slightly darker tone than his previous album and featured the single “Brazil”, which is probably one of the more poppy, dance oriented songs on the album.
Gold Panda puts on highly energetic shows where he can be seen performing music by manipulating a slew of electronic devices such as his Akai MPC. He has been known to headline popular clubs around the world and perform at festivals like Sonic City as well as playing on the same bill as artists like Bonobo.
Live reviews
Derwin Schlecker, aka Gold Panda, is a mysterious electronic music artist who makes a progressive fusion of melodic techno and witch-house. Musically, he is not a million miles away from a producer like Four Tet, especially his latest album Half of Where You Live, which featured more of a techno vibe than his more garage-orientated debut Lucky Shiner. Where Gold Panda differs from Four Tet, however, is with his energetic live performances. Instead of the standard DJ setup, Schlecker uses manipulation and programming equipment to create and sequence his music live. I’ve seen him a few times and have observed the evolution in his sound. When I first saw him at Bestival he was still very much geared towards gltichy, bass-driven post-dubstep and garage, more comparable to artists like XXYYXX or Giraffage. When I saw him at Electric Brixton in 2013 he had just released Half of Where You Live and his live show featured a harder techno vibe, more along the lines of Modeselektor. He was full of energy as he jumped around his electronic equipment, pushing buttons and toying with laptops, and unlike a lot of similar bedroom-type producers, he was smiling non-stop as he performed. ‘Junky City II’ and ‘Brazil’ were the best tracks from his latest album, but it was the glitch-hop of oldie ‘You’ that was the highlight.
cliverozario
Derwin Schlecker better known as Gold Panda has been setting the electro and garage scene alight since he first made himself known in 2009. The Peckham born, Essex raised musician and producer had been raised on the London club scenes and this directly influenced the style of music he creates as well as his attitudes towards his live show. His time spent living in Japan has definitely influenced his music also as he brings numerous oriental influences into his post-dubstep style. This is what originally helped him stand out from the over-saturated market and won him critical acclaim for his debut LP 'Lucky Shiner'.
With this acclaim he fast began to rise up the lineups of some of London's most prestigious venues including Heaven and Koko and now he entertains hundreds at a time with his trippy and eclectic music. The mixes are well put together and expertly recreated onstage for the bouncing masses. His DJ Kicks mix gets an airing tonight and makes the whole room go off in a huge way as Derwin begins to bounce along with his crowd getting totally carried away with the music. The Mercury nominated artist is going places so get your tickets fast.
sean-ward
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