Gold Panda – The Work review

Sometimes everybody needs a little motivation, especially when there are other things going on in their lives. Since the release of 2016’s Good Luck And Do Your Best Darwin Dicker, AKA Gold Panda, has started a family and spent much of his time in Japan, life changing events which have he’s admitted been the backdrop to a personal struggle with addiction and mental health problems.

The Work is to an extent if not a symbol of the restorative powers of parenthood and change then an acknowledgement that making peace with yourself is a necessary first step. On it Dicker continues to swing from mood to mood, chiefly using samples as the kernel of each track before overlaying them with melodic swatches, early marker The Dream bubbling with myriad loops and gently uplifting interplay.

One of the hardest skills to master in this field is the ability to take snatches of other songs and completely repurpose them: it sounds easy, but the reality is different. As an example, The Corner lifts a segment from Dean Freiedman’s overwrought 1978 hit Lydia, but thankfully you can put that double denim back in the cupboard, whilst I’ve Felt Better (Than I Do Now) artfully reverses chopped up phrases lifted from who knows where. At it’s best – Plastic Future’s insistent Detroit/Shinjuku mash up and the gorgeous IDM of Arima – The Work is a richly enjoyable feast for the ears that honours the strength of people coming out on the other side.

You can read a full review here.