CMJ 2010 Artist Spotlight: Gold Panda

U.K. producer Gold Panda makes songs, not beats. He made a name for himself remixing songs from the likes of Bloc Party, The Field, and others. And now, he’s released a debut album, the stunningly beautiful Lucky Shiner.

Lucky Shiner is an emotional record, and its sounds are organic. Gold Panda says he wrote it after “touring, mixing, moving houses and splitting with a girlfriend.” A flurry of bells kicks off “Same Dream China,” one of the album’s standout tracks. And “You,” a versatile song that can both force a smile or a welling of tears, masterfully samples sped-up vocals. If you detect Asian influences, you’d be correct. Gold Panda is a lover of Japanese culture and studied at School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS) in London.

Gold Panda’s Lucky Shiner has already nabbed itself a spot as one of my favorite records of the year. If given a chance, I bet it’ll find its way to some of your year end lists, too.

You can listen to “You” — and the rest of Lucky Shiner — below, or you can buy it at The Ghostly Store.

Gold Panda will be playing several shows as part of his 2010 CMJ Music Marathon circuit, so New Yorkers, take notice.

10/18 AOL Spinner show (streamed live at 8:30PM EST) – invite only
10/21 Pitchfork Showcase, 9:00pm, 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn
10/ 22 Webster Hall w/Fourtet show 7.00pm, Webster Hall, 156 Ludlow St
10/23 Fixed party , TBC (evening show) 70 N 6th Street, Brklyn
10/23 Urban Outfitters (daytime event, TBC 12-6) Soho Store, 575 Broadway, NYC

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Jess G.

Jess is a writer/producer with a knack for audio and online production. She grew up in California and now lives in Washington, DC, where she recently graduated from Georgetown University. Jess' jacket collection is obscenely large, and so is her music library. In her spare time, Jess enjoys riding her bike in the city, blogging, writing songs, and eating good food.

Jess has written 44 articles for us.

5 Comments

  1. bravo! what a wonderful artist to spotlight. i’m surprised to see that my all time favorite track ‘quitter’s raga’ is not on this album. that track is transcendental, & sends shivers throughout my body every time i hear it. highly recommended!

Comments are closed.