Every individual likes to imagine they are unknowable, but Ben Khan pulls off the conceit more convincingly than most. Since first materializing on the music scene in 2013, he’s proved as slippery as an eel to attempts to pin him down and it’s clear he likes it that way. A recent V Magazine interview proved less than enlightening; so far, the best insight into the mercurial workings of Khan’s mind seems to have come from Red Bull: he’s fascinated by Salvador Dali, they report, and one of his influences is the indomitable Pat Benatar.
Now Khan’s just made the full version of his 1000 EP available on Soundcloud for public consumption and it’s an intriguing listen. We’ve already heard the most instantly appealing tracks, the jaunty bouncing 1000 and menacing, pulsing Zenith, but the two remaining songs offer plenty to chew on. Red is a squelching, stuttering cut, ostensibly celebrating a relationship but somehow still leaving the listener with an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach. All Khan’s output feels somewhat off kilter; he’s the handsome killer in The Fall waiting to pounce, the psychopath hiding in plain sight. EP closer 2022 Zodiac appears to sample 1975 mystery film Picnic at Hanging Rock– Khan will surely be sick to death of comparisons to he-who-shall-not-be-named by now, but it’s very hard to avoid drawing them when two musicians produce such similar soundscapes and share a penchant for offbeat cinematic influences. Even Soundcloud automatically cues up Jasmine to follow the end of 1000.
1000 is an engaging project, if not as immediately memorable as 1992. It was bound to be the case- Khan’s made it clear that he’s still very much in the process of figuring out what interests him and how to convey that through his music. For now, Ben the Obscure shall remain partially concealed by shadows, despite some signs that he’s slowly warming to the spotlight. After all, he took centre stage in the visuals for 1000, although Lynchian pastiches reveal less than an original Khan concept for a video would. But in the man’s own words: ‘as long as you get your own satisfaction, who cares?‘. 1000 will keep us satiated for now.
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Orpheus Speaks 