Ben Khan - Ben Khan

The Guardian 80

Dirty Hit

There’s an appealingly raw, bedroom-recorded quality to this debut album from London producer-singer Ben Khan – if his bedroom had a Narnia-like portal at the back of his wardrobe. Producer Flood (U2, the Killers, PJ Harvey) brings little big-budget gloss, but there’s a singular and rather fantastical vision nonetheless. Sinister John Carpenter synth sounds emerge like neon beams through a hail of dust, but are put to the service of often extremely funky pop.

The magnificent Monsoon Daydream gets so caught up in its own groove it shudders and trips over itself – the dense arrangement, full to the brim with raunchily screwball licks and a flutter of glockenspiel, is reminiscent of early Jamie Lidell, as is Khan’s voice. There’s also a touch of Twin Shadow’s dramatic timbre, while Jai Paul’s still-classic Jasmine heavily scents Ruby. ATW (Against the Wall) has the taut funk and guitar strums of Justin Timberlake’s first tracks with the Neptunes, done lo-fi, and shares their same coiled lust. Indeed, Khan sounds perpetually on the verge of getting laid, with lots of loaded lyrics about honey and tempestuous weather, but he powerfully matches them with the production, which feels as humid as the air before a thunderstorm.