Gold Panda
Gold Panda is the alias of Essex, UK musician and producer Derwin Panda (seriously, actual last name Panda?), who records for esteemed Ann Arbor-based electronic label Ghostly International and got an early, hype-solidifying shout-out from blog-famous rapper Curren$y. The Pandas productions are a kind of effervescent almost hip hop instrumentals in which tinkling acoustic melodies and smeared vocal samples seem to melt up off the beats--imagine an icicle melting upside down, droplets of water floating into the air. At other times, like on Quitters Raga, he slices up snatches of Eastern-flavored strings over heavier lugging rhythms. Gold Pandas set opening for Pantha Du Prince at Neumos for last years Decibel Festival was an unexpected highlight, a little choppy maybe, but full of sweet, immersive sounds and head-nodding beats the ably moved the crowd. With Dam Mantle, IG88. ERIC GRANDY
Wed., March 23, 8 p.m., 2011
