It's not all too often you come across a record or artist so inherently inspired by something, something so omnipresent throughout everything, that the whole project veers away from the perils of insipidness. Electric Six would probably testify to such secluded truth, were they not still lodged in 2003. But Lucky Shiner, the debut long player from aloof Orient obsessive Derwin, aka
Gold Panda is just such a wonder. Having once flogged off his entire collection of timeless, treasured vinyl in order to flee for Japan, Lucky Shiner couldn't possibly be more infused with wafts of distant Asian culture were it cloaked overhead in some Studio Ghibli getup inhaling green tea vapour, and it's all the more magical for it. For Lucky Shiner is where the eerie isolation of Hiroshima meets Logic for MacBook, one fanatic rubbing up two fascinations in all the right ways. Opener You could soundtrack slow-mo sumo, were it squeezed into Sky Sports' frantic scheduling, whilst Snow & Taxis is The Chemical Brothers' Star Guitar gazing out over a fogged Mount Fuji from the condensation-stained windows of the bullet train. I'm With You But I'm Lonely is Scarlett Johansson trudging across Foals' Spanish Sahara in search of Bill Murray amidst cherry blossom, and Same Dream China is Damon Albarn's Hong Kong on a diet of dim sum and kalimba. India Lately, equipped with twitching beats and Amman harmonies is ideal for gazing from infinity pools in the early hours, before a jerky call to prayer weaves itself gracefully within already-established rhythms, and Marriage weds the ephemeral minimalism of Richie Hawtin's Plastikman guise to sumptuous ebbing, undulating bass frequencies.
Although Asiatic references aside, Gold Panda isn't entirely bereft of more rational influence, as Before We Talked scrapes the tinny surface of post-dubstep in search of strained melancholic harmony, before eventually delving deep into the sound of a Micro Korg experiencing its final seizure, and the climaxing You refrain is stuffed 'til bloated with operatic Ian Brown tinges, lined with extraterrestrial synth fringes. In an era rife with thriving British dance eccentricity in which Joy Orbison is booked for Barcelona's Sónar before a single headliner jots down the festival's dates, and Mount Kimbie can produce a work as staggeringly claustrophobic yet beautiful as Crooks & Lovers, so too Gold Panda stakes out his expansive territory, a bamboo forest of unique flavours and textures both alien and inviting.
Stream Lucky Shiner in its entirety
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