Albums
GOLD PANDA
DJ KICKS
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The Berlin-based !K7 label round off what’s been an exceptional 16th year of DJ Kicks releases with the first official mix from the much-lauded Derwin Panda. Building on the crossover success of his widely acclaimed debut artist album, the Peckham-born, now Essex-residing producer delivers a 22-track selection of leftfield electronics. With no shortage of textural contrast along the way, off-kilter bass music from the likes of Untold, Sigha, Bok Bok, Zomby and 2562 seamlessly blends with deep house intermissions from Christopher Rau and Raster-Noton’s SND.
Among the bigger names, there are notable inclusions from lesser-known producers such as Pawel, Opiate and Nao Tokui, but it’s the timeless electro of the late, great Drexciya that provides the real standout moment. Other high points include a purpose-made Gold Panda exclusive entitled ‘An Iceberg Hurtled Northward Through Clouds’, and the previously released ‘Back Home’. A mix from a musician whose own productions pursue such an experimental path was always going to have its more challenging moments, with tracks from the aptly named Braniac and the Milanese composer Giuseppe Ielasi likely to prove arduous for some. Assigned with the task of capping a year of highly memorable DJ Kicks releases from Motor City Drum Ensemble, the Wolf + Lamb camp and Scuba could have easily been a largely thankless task.
Playing it far from safe, Gold Panda has not only risen to the challenge, but he’s arguably pushed the bar further. No mean feat for someone known for making, not mixing records.
File under Low end theory
Download Drexciya ‘Andrean Sand Dunes’, SND ‘Palto Alto’
Like this? Try Apparat ‘DJ Kicks’
