Ben Khan

Hometown: London
Lineup: Ben Khan
For fans of: Jai Paul, Frank Ocean, Prince
Key track: ‘Drive (Part 1)’
See him live: Ben has yet to announce any live dates
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A friend of the site – stylist and retailer, Shola Branson – introduced us to Londoner, Ben Khan’s sparse, swirling demos a while back, before slipping out of our conscious and off the radar entirely.

A little further down the line and Khan has ironed out some of the mixing creases and unlocked his delicate croon on official debut, ‘Drive (Part 1)’.

Already garnering comparisons to fellow RnB enigma Jai Paul – the two sharing a love of warbling electronic bass and minimal programmed beats – as well as Prince, Frank Ocean and even Massive Attack; ’Drive (Part 1)’ is as concentrated an 80s pop broiler come sultry slow jam as you can ever hope to imagine. In fact, it’s a pastel suit and tinted aviators away from soundtracking Tommy Vercetti strutting underneath a lopsided neon sign into a seedy, smoke-filled nightclub.

Khan’s minimalist touches uphold a palpable sense of malaise; the compressed rhythm occasionally perforated by some delightfully gnarled guitar licks, pooling synth sounds spattered with skeletal handclaps, each part no more, or less than it needs to be. A midnight snack for lovers of deep, dark RnB. We simply can’t wait for Part 2.