FRESH NEW KICKS: 1000 EP- Ben Khan

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. 

FRESH NEW KICKS: Zenith- Ben Khan

I’m running out of superlatives to shower Ben Khan in and might have to resort to shit puns instead. I was already overwhelmingly excited for the May release of 1000, the follow up to 2014’s ode to aching youth, 1992. Now my tastebuds are wetted further still with Zenith, a swarming, pulsing slice of electronic R&B on which Khan begs to be reconciled with an unseen paramour before darkly crooning a supposed reassurance: ‘I won’t incinerate your heart’ he promises menacingly. Ben Khan’s genius lies in the sinister quality he instills in all his music; even on jaunty EP title track 1000 you’re left with the disturbing impression that he could very plausibly be standing motionlessly on your drive in the inky night, simply staring up at your window. Zenith carries a similarly threatening, yet seductive vein. Ben Khan has crafted the musical persona and sonic stylings of a bad boy and we’re more than willing to be led into trouble- he khan do no wrong. (In fairness, I gave plenty of advance warning for that shit pun, don’t @ me).

Follow @Ben__Khan on Twitter now and pre-order 1000 here.