News: Ben Khan To Return With 1000 EP
2 min read
(UK) Ben Khan will return with the 1000 EP. Featuring four brand-new tracks, the EP will be released 11th May via Ben’s imprint Blessed Vice. First single and EP title track ‘1000’ was premiered last night as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1.
The barely 22-year-old musician, vocalist, visual artist and producer made a substantial mark in 2014 with the 1992 EP, which introduced his idiosyncratic blend of inventive electronic soul and blues, bruised nocturnal funk and reimagined, angular pop. Arriving seemingly out of nowhere, it won praise from Pitchfork (‘Best New Music’) to NPR (‘Favourite Songs of 2014’), iTunes (‘Artist for 2015’) to BBC Radio 1 (Zane Lowe’s ‘Next Hype’) and The Fader among others, earmarking Ben as one of 2014’s most critically regarded and hotly tipped artists. All the while, the songs clocked up millions of plays across Spotify, Soundcloud and on YouTube with visually striking videos, and topped the charts of blog aggregator Hype Machine several times, demonstrating a wide and unmediated appeal.
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The 1000 EP (click here for pre-order) is both a continuation and evolution from that mercurial introduction. It sketches a quintessential artist in the traditional sense of the word – committed equally to patiently honing his craft as well as adventurously pushing it forward.
Opener ‘1000’ is the perfect meeting point between underground origins and a keen pop sensibility, sonically reinventing itself throughout its heart racing three minutes via majestic synths, gnarled bass and breathless, declamatory vocals. ‘Red’ sizzles with stuttering hip hop drums, slinky vocals and smoky wah-wah funk, swaying to and fro as if on the brink of exhilarating collapse. On side two, ‘Zenith’ melds claustrophobic sci-fi blues with wounded guitar squiggles and a soulfully cascading chorus hook, while futuristic highway coda ‘2022’ Zodiac’ packs more mood in under two minutes than some albums do throughout their running length.
The new release comes alongside Ben Khan’s first foray into the live circuit, playing much anticipated inaugural headline shows in the UK and Europe through April and May. Tickets for the London date Cargo on April 15th were snapped up in a head spinning four minutes.
Ben Khan Live Dates:
30.03 – Zurich – Kinski Klub
01.04 – Milan – Circolo Magnolia
03.04 – Vienna – Fluc
04.04 – Berlin – Bang Bang Club
06.04 – Amsterdam – Bitterzoet
07.04 – Brussels – Rotonde
08.04 – Paris – Badaboum
12.04 – Glasgow – King Tut’s
14.04 – Manchester – Soup Kitchen
15.04 – London – Cargo
Click here for more tour info.
