Gold Panda

Anyone disappointed by the exclusion of Gold Panda's space-invading single, "Quitter's Raga," from his 2010 debut, Lucky Shiner, should relish Companion, a collection of the UK producer's first three hard-to-find EPs. Interestingly, when complied into a 50-minute long-player, Companion feels much like Lucky Shiner in both mood and mode. Book-ended by the static cling-y beats and nostalgia-fuelled samples of the aforementioned "Quitter's Raga" and non-EP bonus track "Police," much of Companion plays like Boards of Canada placed on top of a cutting board ("Mayuri"), under a rolling pin ("Triangle Cloud") and then plopped into a '60s era Easy Bake Oven ("Lonely Owl"). Many "prequel" compilations often present the artist in a state of flux, working their way through their musical identity. On Companion, it's clear that Gold Panda has always had a good grip on how he wants the listener to digest his art. Three cheers for young inspiration.