As a longtime producer of ambient-tinged IDM, Gold Panda isn’t necessarily known as a DJ, which is precisely why his contribution to the DJ-Kicks series is such a revelation. Whereas you might expect to find him dealing principally in downbeat tempos and silky textures, he dives right in with a pulsing beat of his own creation, followed by deep house from Melchior & Pronsato, throbbing club rhythms from Bok Bok and even the slinky-yet-forceful electro of Detroit icons Drexciya. A surprise lurks around every corner: A breakbeat cut from legendary dark-ambient musician Muslimgauze gives way to slinky dubstep from Ramadanman; trim minimalism from SND spills into Zomby’s 8-bit fantasias and on into a melancholy synth classic from Closer Musik. And on it goes like that, switchbacking from style to style while retaining a remarkably consistent mood of bright-eyed curiosity.