Ben Khan – Ben Khan
Ben Khan's long-awaited eponymous debut album is finally here, drenched in fluorescent synths and bubbling electronics he continues where his 2014 and 2015 EPs left off
That we’re only now hearing Ben Khan’s debut album is kind of insane, given how long his name has been making the rounds online. Riding the Jai Paul wave with his first EP 1992 and its follow-up 1000 in 2014 and 2015 respectively, the easy thing to do would have been to cash in and rush out a full-length album. Instead, Khan pretty much disappeared, leaving the blogs and hypebeasts that had touted him as the next big thing scratching their heads – wondering if the loud silence was him gearing up for an imminent release. Turns out he just needed a break and wanted to release his debut on his own terms. Fair enough.
Whether you think the wait was worth it will depend entirely on how you responded to the Londoner’s early material. For the most part, the songs here are less immediately grabbing than those on his EPs, with greater emphasis on atmosphere than thumping beats, but they share the same glitchy DNA. Drenched in the fluorescent synths and bubbling electronics with which Khan has become synonymous, the album finds him going all-in with the Blade Runner aesthetic. There is pathos here too, hiding within Khan’s shimmering instrumentals like a dimly lit alley in a city of neon.
Listen to: Monsoon Daydream, 2000 Angels, Waterfall