Self Portrait by Gold Panda for IM//UR
The previously verbose Gold Panda answered a bunch of questions for us. Sadly, he was uncharacteristically reticent in comparison to prior interviews that I've read. Never mind though, the heartbreaking intimacy that you can feel from his music makes up for this. From all the tracks I've heard from Gold Panda, this strong silent type that answered my questions matches my image of the man behind the incredibly lush and atmospheric electronica that with it carries the grace of someone with a little more to say than whatever his press release says (which incidentally, is quite a lot in itself).
Originally an Essex boy, but having been a denizen of East London for quite a while, Gold Panda has spent some time behind the counters of both records stores and adult stores (which he found no less seedier than the other). The rest of his time he chose to create archives of electronic music into volumes of material. Choosing to then dip into remixing (cop a couple of mp3s at the end of the interview), he turned his attention to the likes of Little Boots, Telepathe, Bloc Party, Marina and the Diamonds and Simian Mobile Disco (who he's about to go on tour around the UK with) - not to even mention the beauty of Gold Panda's own tracks, which are just as, if not more, startling (grab 'Quitter's Raga' after the jump).
Full of glowing hope and a comforting static, Gold Panda tracks skip and jump on their musical journeys; reflecting a calm that belies an almost anxious frolic through a gorgeously rich landscape of sound. Very evident is Gold Panda's Japanese obsession; having spent two years studying at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies learning how to read and write Japanese. This comes through in the gentle precision in collating his extensive influences - from hip hop to minimal techno. Honestly, this is seriously glorious stuff.
Interview after the jump >>
