BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - August 2016

ELECTRONICS DEPT.
GOLD PANDA
CLUBLAND
hardware based production for digital consumption by Vanessa Tam August 2016
A
career in electronic music wasn’t always part of the plan
for the UK based producer Gold Panda, who usually goes
by his given name Derwin Schlecker. What started as a
hobby—making house music in his bedroom—mixed with a little
luck, some good timing, and an inspiring trip to Japan eventually
morphed into what it is today.
Known to use self-recorded samples from his own collection
along with a selection of physical drum machines, keyboards,
and MPCs to create his music instead of solely using a computer
with some software, Schlecker is definitely more of a hardware
based electronic music producer. Using his considerably more
lofi method, his sound feels completely unique compared to
many producers who create music using the exact same folders of
sounds and instruments.
Since going to Japan for the first time at the age of 19 and falling
in love with the country, Schlecker aims to return at least a couple
times a year to maintain his fluency in Japanese. The last couple
trips he made, however, were with long time friend and photographer
Laura Lewis with the intention of making a photography
book paired with a CD of field recordings to go along with it. “The
idea originally was to do time delivered audio with like field recordings
on a CD,” Schlecker explains. “[I wanted] to do them raw
and unprocessed but because there were so many of them, I was
going to put them in one piece composed together so it would
become [one long] changing [piece]. Kind of like being on a train
whizzing past different scenery [where] you don’t really get to fix
you eye on one thing for too long.”
Returning to the UK with more content than he anticipated,
Schlecker was inspired to produce and release this third studio
album titled, Good Luck And Do Your Best. With an overall theme
that is as optimistic as it is Japanese, the new album is actually the
first bit of new music he has been able to release over the past
three years. “That’s just how long it takes to make records now
because you can’t make money from doing records; you have to
do shows.” He goes on to reference an interview he was recently
listening to with Joe from Metronomy talking about how, “Bands
have to tour, and they break up and members leave, [then] the
band has to find new people [in order to tour]. By the time they
get around to writing a record and then releasing it, [a few years
have passed]. The best you can ever hope for is one new album
every three years from your absolute favourite band.” He goes on
to say, “I’m lucky because it’s just me and, I don’t really have to pay
anyone. I mean, I have a tour manager and a guy that does visuals,
but I don’t really have to pay a band. I’m quite lucky, just I do
everything at home.”
As a surprise release, Schlecker recently dropped a new EP titled
Kingdom. Made in just a few months opposed to years, “Kingdom
was just recorded by me, just a live jam in my bedroom and given
to a friend to clean up a bit, you know, just to make a finished
track.” Featuring a looser song structure and a darker overall
theme compared to Good Luck And Do Your Best, Kingdom tells
the story of a guy who lives in Schlecker’s building from Afghanistan
who ordered a phone to call his family back home only to
have it stolen from him before even receiving it. “Kingdom [is
about] this kind of place that people have heard about and want
to get there thinking that it will solve all their problems, but when
they get here there’s more problems, although a different kind.”
Gold Panda performs at Fortune Sound Club on August 18th.
by Vanessa Tam
With August being the last carefree summer month before
life starts getting serious again, this is usually when
people start to panic and try to get as much fun out of the
seemingly good weather as humanly possible. Last ditch efforts to go
camping, hiking, and beaching will be ambitiously made and hopefully
achieved. Good thing we made this list of club shows to hit up in
August to round out your perfect summer 2016.
Snakehips
August 5 @ The Commodore Ballroom
Initially gaining buzz through their popular remixes of tracks by Banks,
The Weeknd, and Bondax, British production duo Snakehips really
started gaining steam after releasing their first original single in 2014,
“Days With You.” Since then, Oliver Lee and James Carter have gone
on to release two EPs and work with artists such as Tinashe, Chance
the Rapper, and Tory Lanez, maintaining their melodic 1990s hip hop
and R&B inspired sound.
Flume
August 7 @ PNE Amphitheatre
Flume, also known as Harley Edward Streten, is an Australian producer
and musician who recently released his second studio album, Skin,
to much critical acclaim. With an array of artists lending their vocal
talent to the record including Tove Lo, Vic Mensa, AlunaGeorge, Little
Dragon, Raekwon, and Beck, the album cultivates a sound that feels
both fresh and familiar at the same time.
Amir Obè
August 19 @ Fortune Sound Club
Affiliated with Drake’s OVO team, the mysterious Amir Obè is an up
and coming hip-hop artist who claims both Detroit and Brooklyn
as home. Having released just a handful of records over the past few
years, the young artist has already been compared to the likes of
Kanye West and shows a lot of promise for East Coast rap.
The White Panda
September 3 @ Imperial
Based in Chicago, The White Panda are dance music making machines
having released an impressive six albums since 2009. Well known for
their live performances, the duo goes all out by performing with C02
effects, projection design, and digitally mastered panda masks to
emphasis their unique blend of high-energy dance music.
photo: Laura Lewis
Practical magic and curated experience makes Gold Panda’s voice decidedly more tangible.
Flume
16 ELECTRONICS DEPT.
August 2016