Gold Panda, Electric Brixton, London

Photo: Sarah Doone
The setting as Gold Panda takes to the stage, flanked by projector screens, face hidden by a threatening deep, black hood, is much more sinister than one might expect from his music. Both ‘Lucky Shiner’ and new album ‘Half of Where You Live’ allow an air of lightness and delicacy to pervade his electronic workings – the music is layered, varied and constantly surprising. After each four bar a new synth, cymbal or sound is introduced, making the albums fascinating listening. It’s perfect music for actively enjoying, armchair accompaniment for cataloguing each soothing change in tone and texture. Tonight, it seems it’s going to be a bit more balls to the wall, so to speak.

Electric Brixton is tense, dark and hot - very hot. Within minutes of appearing on stage, Panda is bouncing about behind some decks while the video screens show vaguely mystifying images of the sky and his hands, maybe. It was always going to be a slightly bizarre gig, in that Gold Panda is one man and a whole lot of electronic music and not your regular four-piece guitars-drums-and-bass sort, but it was not anticipated he would step it up to club level quite so aggressively. Opening with ‘We Work Nights’, though it’s almost hard to tell since he transforms each track live beyond recognition with what looks like remote control head jerks.

The music is driving and aggressive, yet manages to retain the technical wonder of the originals, plus watching him duck and weave throwing switches and knobs left, right and centre is an absolute joy. Music aside, it is almost pleasure enough to see GP so excited by his own tracks and how he innovates at every turn – if you’re not enjoying your own gig, why should anyone else?

The only downside to a one-man gig is there is little engagement with the audience, though Mr Panda does stop every few tracks or so to take applause. It is also quite an assault on the senses and an hour in it’s easy to feel a little jaded, but it’s important to stay focused and appreciate what is happening before you, because it really is quite marvellous. Gold Panda’s ability to deliver punch and beauty within a complex, undulating set is something few DJs can do, let alone producers.