Gold Panda

Schlecker first began his endeavor in music when he was a teenager experimenting with chopping up songs on his uncle’s sampler. He later enrolled in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and still continued experimenting with music while he was there. His studies in Oriental and African studies can be conveyed through the style of his music that incorporates African rhythmic beats and Oriental sounding melodies.

Gold Panda stated to gain recognition when he started releasing remixes for bands like Bloc Party and Little Boots. In 2009 he released his first single “Quitters Raga”, which was praised by several music publications such as Pitchfork who labeled the song “Best New Track”. The song contained glitchy guitars and vocals that follow closely to an IDM style of making music. The song was also notable for its interesting use of sitars and its Indian vocal chants. Gold Panda continued to release 7 inches and EPs in 2009 and 2010 while he was increasingly becoming more recognized. In 2009 he released the EPs “Before” and “Miyamae” and in 2010 he released the EPs “You” and “Snow & Taxis”.

In 2010 Gold Panda was signed to the record label Ghostly International, who released his debut album “Lucky Shiner”. Although the album was not an immediate commercial success, it was lauded by critics and was awarded the Mercury Prize. The album contained the single “You” and featured many interesting samples that were meshed together to make the album highly intriguing. “Lucky Shiner” clearly conveyed God Panda’s accomplishments as a talented songwriter and also displayed sounds that were similar to artists like Four Tet and DJ Shadow.

After the release of “Lucky Shiner” Gold Panda consistently continued releasing music. In 2011 he released the EPs “DJ-Kicks: An Iceberg Hurled Northward Through Clouds” and “Marriage”. In 2013 he released the EP “Trust” as well as his second studio album “Half of Where You Live”. His second album showed him incorporating techno music into his work. The album contained a slightly darker tone than his previous album and featured the single “Brazil”, which is probably one of the more poppy, dance oriented songs on the album.

Gold Panda puts on highly energetic shows where he can be seen performing music by manipulating a slew of electronic devices such as his Akai MPC. He has been known to headline popular clubs around the world and perform at festivals like Sonic City as well as playing on the same bill as artists like Bonobo.