Exciting new EP from the superlatively-named My Panda Shall Fly, representing the third release from Dam Mantle’s Wichita Recordings offshoot, Growing Records. The Sri Lanka-born, London-based producer (whose real name is Suren Seneviratne) boasts an incredible skill set as both a producer and a visual artist. While he’s a member of the forward-thinking London artist collective Lucky.PDF, he claims that My Panda Shall Fly is now his primary creative pursuit. As well it should be, because Sorry I Took So Long is a meticulously crafted, supremely enjoyable demonstration of genre transcendence and technical mastery backed by five top-shelf remixes from a veritable who’s who of electronic music. MPSF has also been getting some huge support from XLR8R, Pitchfork, and Sonic Router (among others), so you know this release is going to be big!

“Injury” kicks off the EP with woozy, airy synth pads that set a euphoric tone reminiscent of Flying Lotus’s  space-opera soundscapes on Cosmogramma. The track swells and bursts with an expansive stereo field full of jangly percussive elements, eventually breathing life into a warm analog arpeggio pattern that continues through the outro. “Xerox,” an introspective synth workout perfect for insomnia-induced headphone listens, takes things in an edgier direction with dense atmospherics and tight bass pulses. The restrained garage-tinged shuffle and deluge of cascading synth melodies give the track a perfect amount of driving energy without being explicitly dancefloor-oriented – much like Koreless’s  melancholy, intimate productions of late (see “Up Down Up Down” at XLR8R). On closing track “Yoyo”  – probably the highlight of the release – MPSF creates a beautiful harmony between haunting organ stabs and squiggly, rattling synths gone awry. The beat, drawing from juke’s intricate syncopations as well as dub’s crashing snares and spectral reverb, strikes a uniquely satisfying balance between half- and double-time rhythms.

These three tracks have more than enough wow-factor to stand on their own, but the five remixes make it a downright essential release. While each remixer brings something different to the proverbial table, the best offerings come courtesy of young London producer Throwing Snow and Growing Records boss Dam Mantle. Throwing Snow, responsible for an impressive string of releases lately, guides “Injury” through a dancefloor transformation, starting out as a tight housey affair and eventually settling into a deep and moody 2 step. Dam Mantle, meanwhile, performs a jaw-dropping chop n screw operation on “Xerox” that boasts skittering, scissor stepping percussion and some seriously good layering of the original track’s bleeps and glitches. This is a huge, huge release, so pick it up at Boomkat or your favorite retailer. And also check out the very cool video for “Injury” to get a glimpse of Suren’s visual mind.

EDIT: MPSF just sent us a link to the newly-released video for “Xerox,” a stunning collaboration between Daniel Swan and Soju Tanaka. Check it!!!

My Panda Shall Fly – Sorry I Took So Long EP (Growing Records) by My Panda Shall Fly ♥