Panther God’s specialty is a kind of generic and blunted beat making that their peers back in 2011 have long since washed off.
Back in 2008, it seemed like everything was going to change. Flying Lotus released his (first) masterpiece, Los Angeles, to great acclaim; the L.A. beat scene was booming and many people around the world were making quite amazing beat-based music. Indeed, following Ellison’s first release, frontiers were left aside. J. Dilla became one of the greatest influences in recent times, being cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Kanye West and Flying Lotus. Artists like Nosaj Thing released their first albums the following year and many, such as Daedelus, became the cult heroes they deserved to be.
Copycats quickly emerged. Ellison’s was a sound too rich and layered to remain unnoticed. Drawing from Dilla as well as the glitch scene that preceded him—artists like Prefuse 73 and Dabrye, to name a few—Flying Lotus became the signifier of a moment. Artists with similar ideas came up with similar sounds and scenes started to form. As is to be expected, quality varies and many artists have jumped the hip-hop-influenced beat-scene bandwagon quite a few times.
So it is a compliment to Panther God to say that they sound just like to the artists that emerged from that era. Indeed, second track “Dreamatone” employs a lazy glitchy beat that could be part of a Free The Robots LP. That is not to say it is without merit, but Panther God’s usage of samples is less than creative. The beats lack the hyperkinetic rhythm of contemporary beat artists and have little to no personality.
Panther God’s specialty is a kind of generic and blunted beat making that their peers back in 2011 have long since washed off. Many of the glitchy artists that came to prominence after Lotus—acts like Hudson Mohawke or Rustie—have specialized in bangers and synth-heavy trap tracks. Ellison himself has drifted from his early efforts to become the modern equivalent of a one man jazz band. His personality, and the personality of many similar acts, is what ended up blossoming. As the sixteen tracks that comprise Golden Changes show, personality is what Panther God lacks.
Golden Changes is available on Outside.
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