Gold Panda

Gold Panda is the recording name of Derwin Schlecker, an English electronic producer and songwriter born in 1980. He is associated with Peckham in the United Kingdom, and the bio also places him in Berlin, Germany. His music is electronic, and he is linked in the input with chillwave, psychedelic, dubstep and glo-fi.

Career

Gold Panda starts by writing beats and building a large archive of electronic material while working various jobs. He first attracts attention through a run of remixes that draw interest from labels, blogs and tastemakers, leading to re-edits for Telepathe, Bloc Party, Simian Mobile Disco, Health and The Field.

He then begins releasing his own material in 2009 with a series of limited and low-key records: Miyamae on Various, Quitters Raga on Make Mine, and Before, issued digitally and on a limited CD run through Puregroove.

Lucky Shiner and recognition

His debut album, Lucky Shiner, appears in 2010. It is described as the result of several years spent refining his sound, and it brings him wide critical attention. The album also leads to a nomination in the BBC Sound of 2010 list and wins the Guardian's First Album Award for 2010.

Later releases and live work

After Lucky Shiner, Gold Panda tours internationally and releases a DJ-Kicks compilation in 2011. He also issues a number of singles, including Mountain / Financial District. The Trust EP follows in 2013 as his first full EP since the releases that predate Lucky Shiner, and it is set to be followed by a second album later that year.

He appears at a range of festivals, including Sonar, Primavera, Glastonbury, Melt Festival, Roskilde, Hove, Latitude and Sasquatch.