“I was terrified of doing a second album. I got over it by working out whether it would sound the same as Lucky Shiner. It sounds slightly different, I mean, it wasn’t a huge shift, but they are distinct from one another. I spent less time on arrangement [with Half of Where You Live], there was a lot more spontaneity, like I would do at a live gig. I listened to it the first time a few days ago and there were like seven out of ten tracks I listened to without cringing or thinking I could have done that better. The next album I’m aiming for ten out of ten.”
When Half of Where You Live was released to the world in 2013, Derwin had been travelling extensively, and the worldview he gained from this experience took a firm hold on both Derwin and the music of Gold Panda.
“I think the biggest thing I learnt was the difference between reality and how things are reported. The best example comes from when I was touring in São Paulo. People were all saying, ‘Ohh, I’ve heard São Paulo is dangerous. Be careful, you’ve really gotta watch out when you’re there!’ But I walked around the city in between gigs and it was fine. People were laughing, having a good time and I never felt like I was in any danger. What I have seen is that the world is good and, against what the news will say, people are friendly and not the evil monsters they’re made out to be. I wanted to capture that in the album. Exploration is the only real way to find out about a place.”
To be in the incredibly privileged position of travelling the world and playing music to thousands of people isn’t something that is lost on Derwin, and his success is something he speaks of with modesty. “I’ve managed to sustain a career by putting Soundclouds together, and for some reason people seem to like it. I don’t know how long that can last. People are encouraging, which is a nice thing, but I feel guilty about what I’m doing sometimes. I make music for myself and then I put it out there to see if people also like it. But then I’ll do a show, meet some people who’ll tell me that they get a lot of enjoyment from what I’m doing, and that makes me feel really good.
“I do want Gold Panda to evolve and grow, though. I want to release music in new ways and explore what Gold Panda can be. I’m happy to do something new, and for people not to get it, and then do the opposite right after. I want to be selfish, and I feel that I’ve found the perfect way to do it.”
But Derwin doesn’t just put his success down to luck. He puts it down to failing and making mistakes. “I hate a lot of electronic music. Most of the time it’s because people are using the same technology in the exact same way as everyone else. The ease of creation has made people lazy and you lose the reality in your music, and then it doesn’t sound like anything worth hearing. I like to hear the imperfections and mistakes in music. It shows that it’s real and I can associate with that. I’ve made mistakes with my music, but it means that there is something to improve about it. I suppose the lesson is to find something organic in your music, something that makes it alive and imperfect, like we all are.”
BY DANIEL PRIOR
