Gold Panda

On the surface, the music of Derwin Panda falls into the same category as heady knob-twiddlers Caribou and Four Tet. But once the listener ventures into his debut, Lucky Shiner, it's apparent that Gold Panda shares his technique more with cut-and-pasters like J Dilla and DJ Shadow. Easing through 11 instrumentals, the Essex, UK wunderkind rides the wave between naïve exploration and drunken poise, resulting in the crash/dash of "I'm With You But I'm Lonely" and the throbbing rhythms of "You." "India Lately" revisits the Eastern-influence that made 2009's "Quitters Raga" sound so removed. But it's the buxom beats of "Same Dream China" and "Marriage" that define Gold Panda's sound: dreamy and dreary, intricate and ingenuous. Lucky Shiner prefers moods over modes, giving the impression that Gold Panda has a good handle on how he wants his music to be delivered, received and digested, something that's much harder for a young musician to do than many realize.