DJ-Kicks (Gold Panda) [Mixed Tracks]

DJ'ing has not been the usual gig of Derwin Panda (aka Gold Panda) — by day, he's a producer. But he responded to the opportunity to put together a DJ mix for the !K7 label's venerable DJ-Kicks series, and in the process, he says, gained "more respect for people that do DJ now." But although he may technically be an amateur on the decks, his rich experience in electronic music is fully on display here on a set that is clearly designed at least as much for the ears and brain as the feet. Consider, for example, the subtle textures brought to the table by L.V. and Untold on "Beacon," a track that nods politely to the dubstep massive (Untold's usual constituency) while piling layer upon delicate layer of gossamer glitches atop an almost elegant underwater drumbeat. Or the weirdly abstract but undeniably fun groove of Panda's own "An Iceberg Hurtled Northward Through Clouds," which complements a chord progression that falls repeatedly southward. Or the hesitant stagger-step beat of SND's "Palo Alto," or the shuffling glitch-house of Nao Tokui's "Monolith." There are clunkers (the silly Casiotone sound of "Godzilla" by Zomby being chief among them) but they're very few, and they don't detract much. This is one of those very rare electronica albums that actually rewards deep and repeated listening.