Gold Panda – Half Of Where You Live

Gold Panda's second album picks up where Lucky Shiner left off, offering a leftfield, inventive take on various electronic forms. Junk City takes its time to kick in, starting with sampled static and washed-out synth tones before coalescing into bubbling, Chi-house keys and 808 drums. An English House nods to classic electro and early house in its rhythmic structure, with a gentle sampled vocal looping in the distance.

Brazil's stuttering electro percussion and pitch-bent synth melodies are summery and euphoric, while Community's jacking house beat and delicate keys are warm and blissful, restrained rather than intense. It is this gentility, this feeling of euphoric pleasure, which defines Half Of Where You Live – along with a creative and refreshing take on the rhythms and sounds of early house, techno and acid. Artists like Phuture and Ron Hardy are subtly referenced, creating a retro rhythmic framework that fits perfectly with the summery vibe of Gold Panda's exquisite melodies. [Bram E. Gieben]