Love for music, of course. When I applied for the Underton project, the first person I met was our editor Paulina Makles. After a short exchange of emails, I was asked to write a short, trial review.
Without a moment's thought, I proposed a new MGMT album, which I was listening to at that moment. In response, I got: "And something less youthful and more… Independent?Baths?Gold Panda? Anyone from the last edition of New Music? What do you say?" -Independent…? Okay, why not. Gold Panda, sounds cool, let's see what it is. -I thought. Moments later I drifted away…
It was something I had never experienced before. Yes, I listened to electronic music more than once but not so… original and innovative.Apart from the long-playing debut and a series of singles and EPs, I went straight to the second LP released at the beginning of the year in the achievements of the British producer "Half of Where You Live".Dominated by samples rooted in Asian climates intertwined with deep, sometimes broken rhythms of synthetic drums, from the first moments it took over my mind for good. I listened to him literally everywhere. I quickly noticed that the individual songs fit into the environment, creating the perfect background, soundtrack of everyday life, complementing life at a given moment. They carry separate stories that require concentration and immersion in the detail of each sound. Hence, the opening "Junk City II" perfectly suited for Saturday walks around crowded Warsaw, full of always hurrying people. On the other hand, "Community" makes my train journeys more pleasant, and the short piece "S950" calms me down and helps me calm down. This harmony with the surrounding world in Gold Panda's songs probably comes from his great interest in the culture of the Far East, from where he also draws inspiration. All this makes "Half of Where You Live" definitely not suitable for playing on club stages, on the contrary, as I pointed out earlier, it is best listened to alone.
This is more or less what my first, trial review looked like. Maybe slightly changed and more developed, but it still reflects what I felt at the first contact with this original plate. Fortunately for me, I'm open to different genres of music and I think, nay..! I am even sure that this is just the beginning of a really long and beautiful love for the sounds served in various forms. Give me more!
Thanks Paulina!
By the way, I greet the entire Underton team 🙂
[thanks Matthew, also greetings;) – editor's note]
