Ben Khan has been quietly collecting praise from tastemakers across the music scene. The highly talented, multi-instrumentalist has just released the visuals for ‘Ruby’, his favourite track of the recent self-entitled album, out now via Dirty Hit.
Directed and produced entirely by Khan himself, the visuals perfectly marry the track’s synthetic and futuristic themes with his undemanding vocals, silently driven by anger and sadness.
A year ago, he travelled to Kashmir, the home of his father (who works in textiles, and whose floral art inspired some of the album’s artwork), “and I just walked around and took sounds on my daily rituals, and tried to put that in there somehow, so it felt like a journey through places.” The result, he hopes, is a work of “magical realism.”
Sounds like: Leo Kalyan, Twin Shadow, Jai Paul, JUNGLE, Disclosure, Prince, Blood Orange, Harts, Oyinda, Shy Girls
Big news. Ben Khan returns with the announcement of his debut album (hurrah!) and a self-directed dystopian video for spine-tingling new single ‘2000 Angels’.
The album – set for release in the summer – was produced alongside Flood (PJHarvey, DepecheMode, Nine Inch Nails) and mixed by Spike Stent (Björk, Frank Ocean), with Ben playing every instrument on the record.
Always with a creative hands-on approach, Ben also plans to launch his new interactive website, The Foundation, which offers an insight into the richness and depth of the album’s story.
Sounds like: Leo Kalyan, Twin Shadow, Jai Paul, JUNGLE, Disclosure, Prince, Blood Orange, Harts, Oyinda, Shy Girls
OTR manages to get the chilled but tense vibe just right with his latest single, ‘Close’, which includes the soulful vocals by Kai Straw.
The 25-year old aerospace engineer-turned-producer uses his mathematical mind as a key component when it comes to his music, producing off-kilter melodies and electronic sounds.
Sounds like: Hotel Garuda, Gryffin, ODESZA, Petit Biscuit, Porter Robinson
NAVA is the highly energetic project of Persian songwriter Nava Golchini and three other Italian musicians. Visually, NAVA is a mix of horror and fashion inspired by the works of visionary designer Gareth Pugh.
The debut single ‘Ritual’ gives us a glimpse into the NAVA world – full of electro arrangements, tribal instruments and dark metropolitan landscapes.
It could be 2014 again, and boy it feels good! During your visit, expect luscious vocals, addictive synth drops and and nu-disco undertone. All this, courtesy of Betablock3r and the new single ‘Make You Happy’.
It is the first single off their debut EP Monolith, out now.
It wouldn’t be a decent weekly gems feature without some pop in there. This week Tanners is the chosen one.
Tanners is the moniker of New York City-based songwriter and producer Tanner Peterson. Leading the way for women in creative music tech, Tanners has also spoken at TEDxTeen.
Inspired by her childhood love for the beach, ‘Holy Water’ celebrates the beauty and electricity born from allowing yourself to be completely vulnerable and enveloped by the ocean. “It’s a thank you song to the ocean for teaching me to embrace vulnerability,” Tanners says of the track.
Meet emerging alt-pop trio Young Sierra, who were born from a school friendship, and bonded “over a shared love of low bit-rate Drake mp3s, eighties pop and hot-sauce”.
They have the kind of frantic energy of ArcadeFire and the cheeky nature of The1975. Naughty.
Sounds like: Arcade Fire, Electric Youth, The 1975, Night Panther, Bad Sounds
There is a new kid joining the electro-soul world, and he’s one that we are particularly excited about.
Xan Young, with similarities to Ben Khan, releases his debut track ‘Passion’. It is built on quivering synths and obscure percussion…and the simplicity is beautiful.
We expect his debut record, ‘The Flood’, to be released in August via Astro Nautico.
Sounds like: Ben Khan, Years & Years, Leo Kalyan, Twin Shadow, Jai Paul, JUNGLE, Disclosure, Prince, Blood Orange, Harts, Oyinda, Shy Girls, Harriet
ATON (aka Eitan Akman) is a singer/songwriter in the experimental/alternative pop sub-genre based in Brooklyn, NY.
He cites his inspiration from all genres, including Paul Simon, James Blake and Frank Ocean, which may explain why ‘Falling Apart’ is so complex. Think folk and R&B fused electronica.
After completing a degree in Guitar Performance at Berklee College of Music in May 2012, Eitan moved to New York to pursue a career in music.
The project is the combined musical ideas of Eitan and producer Wahono (Oyinda).
‘Falling Apart’ will be released on 10 April.
Sounds like: Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Bon Iver, Oyinda, James Blake
A year a go today, we wrote about rising Brit, Ben Khan.
Flash forward one year and hot on the footsteps of Ben’s recent release of ‘1000’, is his latest victory, ‘Zenith’.
A powerful three minute track full of claustrophobic sci-fi blues, wounded guitar squiggles, crunchy synths and a soulful cascading chorus hook.
Ben recently announced his first headline live dates in the UK and Europe with most of the shows quickly selling out. This is one artist in demand.
His new EP follows last years successful and acclaimed debut ‘1992 EP’ which introduced Ben’s inventive brand of swampy electronic R&B and funk, mangled blues soul, and icy hip-hop beats.
Sounds like: Leo Kalyan, Twin Shadow, Jai Paul, JUNGLE, Disclosure, Prince, Blood Orange, Harts, Oyinda, Shy Girls
Oyinda is a Nigeria born but NYC based songwriter/producer/singer. She crafts every aspect of her music from scratch, which is shown in the intricate production of each one of her tracks.
Latest track, ‘Restless’ is the fourth and final track taken from her self-released debut EP, ‘Before The Fall’. ‘Restless’ is the perfect combination of Oyinda’s truly soulful voice with consistent electro beats.
