Considering it's a cold Tuesday night in east London, the turnout to see the winner of this year's Guardian First album award for the best debut of 2010 is impressive, even if it is mostly cooler-than-thou types waiting to see what all the fuss is about. Not that Derwin Panda, Gold to his fans, stands on ceremony. He just comes on with his hoodie up, hunches over his laptop at the front of the stage, presses a few keys, and the music starts.

The first 30 minutes comprises a mix of tracks from that debut, Lucky Shiner. I'm With You But I'm Lonely uses static and crackle as a rhythmic device, creating a sense of warm, fuzzy nostalgia appropriate for an album that Panda has stated is about family and friendship. A series of forlorn synth notes tells you that this is far from the euphoria of trance – there is one solitary pair of audience hands in the air.

The music, equal parts melody and cacophony, betrays Panda's playful streak: he plays with rhythm and tempo, silence and noise. Sometimes he produces a pretty passage that could pass for a pop tune, only to deface it with a burst of bass powerful enough to burst your ear drums. The range of timbres and textures is delightful, especially on Same Dream China, whose Oriental tones briefly make this seem like a rave in a Tibetan monastery.

There is no denying Gold Panda's dexterity as he morphs from glitchy techno to cyber-dub, though, unlike last year's Guardian First Album winners the xx – who, despite their reticence, have about them a certain aloof charm – there is something less than engaging about him as a performer. Nobody came here expecting showmanship and rock theatrics, but ultimately this felt less like a gig, more like a playback of an album - albeit a very fine one.