Giant Panda – Electric Laser
Giant Panda embody everything I love about hip-hop: thumping beats that make you want to dance, humour and wit, and that bounding energy that permeates every fibre of your body once exposed to it. It’s golden age hip-hop with a modern twist. Straight up party ish. I’d probably say their first LP ‘Fly School Reunion’ is one of my favourite albums of all time. I haven’t actually thought about compiling that all time top 10 list, but I’m pretty sure it would be up there. That’s for another time.
Anyway, GP have a new album out entitled ‘Electric Laser’ and it’s fly.
Conventional. Uninspiring. Dull. Forget all that, because after 3 years away spent exploring, the Giant Panda has returned to its native forests in the mountains of feel-good, smile-inducing hip-hop. In its soft, sizable paw it calmly and slowly reveals ‘Electric Laser’, the follow up album to 2005’s mighty ‘Fly School Reunion’.
And you can tell it’s been travelling. ‘Electric Laser’ shows a new, reinvented panda. A panda that has stepped aboard a gleaming spaceship, glimpsed the future and embraced it wholeheartedly. The record vibrantly bursts with vignettes of synth-heavy electro, giving it that this-is-the-kind-of-fresh-shit-I-can-electric-boogaloo-to vibe.
Lead single ‘Speakers Pop’ for example features a militant, single note that diligently pounds away at the song while thick, syncopated slabs of synthesised chords dart nimbly in and out, encouraging you to hear the multitude of colours they provide. ‘Do The Robot In Cyberspace’ on the other hand is a laid back track that comes from straight out of distant galaxies. Futuristic blips lace themselves over jazzy keys and a floating, minimal bass line while emcees Newman and Maanumental croon slick, soothing multi-syllabic rhymes above it all.
If this sounds like a panda gone loco, don’t be discouraged. The 3-man group’s DJ and beatsmith Chikaramanga hasn’t forgotten what first endeared the panda to its audiences: body-shaking kicks and whip-crack snares coupled with guitar licks that bring the funk. ‘Laser Ray’ is a prime example of the old panda shining through and with its contrasting, raw sound effectively demonstrates how accomplished Chikaramanga is at crafting eclectic soundscapes. To further emphasise how much the Japanese beat conductor has evolved, ‘CinemaX’ is a sultry, sensual beast of a song that without warning morphs into let’s-get-freaky Luther Vandross smooth soul. Saucy panda.
Along with the stellar beats, the great thing about our Giant Panda is its rare vocal ability on the microphone device. ‘Fly School Reunion’ proved that childhood friends Newman and Maanumental possess that killer old school, over-pronounced emphatic verbal delivery that only the likes of Edan and Cise Star from Cyne can rival. While there are traces of that powerful flow evident in ‘Electric Laser’, it is on the whole more relaxed, and this affects the album somewhat. The panda is without a doubt at its best when it’s spitting sharp, wit loaded rhymes over banging beats, and unfortunately ‘Electric Laser’ lacks that raw, edgy sound that its predecessor proudly boasted.
Regardless, the long player is a well-crafted, multifarious record that demonstrates the Giant Panda’s many different skills. Sit back, enjoy it, and ponder where the next stop on this talented bear’s travels will be.
Pr3mise
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