DJ'ing has not been the usual gig of
Derwin Panda (aka
Gold Panda) -- by day, he's a producer. But he responded to the opportunity to put together a DJ mix for the !K7 label's venerable
DJ-Kicks series, and in the process, he says, gained "more respect for people that do DJ now." But although he may technically be an amateur on the decks, his rich experience in electronic music is fully on display here on a set that is clearly designed at least as much for the ears and brain as the feet. Consider, for example, the subtle textures brought to the table by
L.V. and
Untold on "Beacon," a track that nods politely to the dubstep massive (
Untold's usual constituency) while piling layer upon delicate layer of gossamer glitches atop an almost elegant underwater drumbeat. Or the weirdly abstract but undeniably fun groove of
Panda's own "An Iceberg Hurtled Northward Through Clouds," which complements a chord progression that falls repeatedly southward. Or the hesitant stagger-step beat of
SND's "Palo Alto," or the shuffling glitch-house of
Nao Tokui's "Monolith." There are clunkers (the silly Casiotone sound of "Godzilla" by
Zomby being chief among them) but they're very few, and they don't detract much. This is one of those very rare electronica albums that actually rewards deep and repeated listening. ~ Rick Anderson