IT’S HARD to think about the summer at this stage. We’re barely into spring and the summer seems so far away.
However the announcement that Gold Panda (aka Derwin Panda ) will play Strange Brew at the Róisín Dubh on Thursday June 9 is a nice reminder that summer is not a million miles away and that there is yet another potentially great gig to look forward to.
The Chelmsford, Essex born, Hamburg, Germany based DJ and producer started writing beats and collaborating a few years ago, working with Infinite Livez and Shuttle, as well as creating his own material.
Then, last October, he released his debut album Lucky Shiner. The album was recorded in the home of Gold Panda’s aunt and uncle and mixed by Simian Mobile Disco’s James Shaw. The album mixed dissected hip hop beats, pulsating flourishes of minimal techno and has been showered with critical acclaim.
Pitchfork called it “top-shelf pieces of spliced-together beat science”, MOJO praised its “wonky beats and shimmering twisted tech melodies”, while The Guardian said “it’s an album that sits on a pleasant fence between invention and homeliness. Armed with an ear for a skilful beat and an array of weird samples”.
The album’s title is inspired by his grandmother. “Lucky Shiner is my grandmother’s name,” says Derwin. “Sometimes I think she knows exactly how I feel without me even mentioning anything to her.”
Tickets are available from the Róisín Dubh and www.roisindubh.net
