Gold Panda

The You EP, Gold Panda’s debut release on Ghostly International, is the stuff dreams are made of. Walking on the sunny side of the instrumental hip-hop street, the UK producer drapes the title track’s deep, crunching beat with slyly sliced-up vocal samples, a hint of nostalgia, and just a touch of shoegaze ambience—the results are both head-pleasing and emotionally stirring. What really sets “You” apart, though, is its musicality—Gold Panda knows well enough to situate his rhythms adrift in a pool of honest-to-god melody, making the track’s anthemic chord changes sound positively world-changing. And if not world-changing, then certainly summer-defining.

The digital version of the You EP includes three Gold Panda originals—the aforementioned “You”, the static-y dancefloor minimalism of “Killing Yourself on a Beach”, and the crisp, frothy micro-funk of “Peaky Caps”—as well as a whopping four remixes of “You”, including versions by Osborne, Seams, Dam Mantle, and Bristol, UK producer Minotaur Shock, who sends the track’s high-pitched vocal sample twirling into the club to mingle with marimbas, clattering hi-hats, and a crowd of warm synthesized strings.