Not too long ago, we had the privilege of catching UK beatsmith Gold Panda at the Fonda Theater. Known for his lush, electronic instrumentation, Gold Panda’s music is a textural treat to the ears.
Playing material from all three of his albums, Gold Panda moved seamlessly from track to track, demonstrating the ability to get the crowd moving to music one would not traditionally deem “dance music.” Though with an undeniably electronic heart, Gold Panda’s music toes the line between ambient, experimental and psychedelic, with a smattering of eclectic influences thrown in. It was only fitting that the accompanying visuals for his show held their own eery-trippy quality, as macro shots of aquatic life swayed and jerked in sync with the chops and drops of the beats.
We were particularly happy to hear tracks like “Marriage” and “You,” though it seemed that night that the audience of dedicated fans all had their own favorites, with each new track spun eliciting its own cheers of recognition. Reflecting on past shows attended, while Gold Panda’s night at the Fonda may not have been the most packed we’ve seen, it was surely the most crowd-involved show we’d seen in a while. Clearly those gathered there that night were genuine fans, and we left that night with a strange gratefulness for the special kind of camaraderie that exists between genuine, unabashed lovers of music.