After exercising stringent but rewarding quality control over the last ten years by releasing only a dozen EPs, Ben finally drops his debut album. The wait was worth it as, crucially, he sets out to stretch out with no obvious commercial or floor-required stylistic concessions. As electronic dance music albums go it’s up there with the gems which push the form into new territories and make for a complete listening experience. ‘OK’ plants Elif Bicer’s soulful vocal over a lush rhythmic carpet, he tones also appearing as a multi-layered pop symphony on the atmospheric ‘Goodly Sin’. Elsewhere, Ben veers from ambient resonance [‘Init One’] and deep, loping space-techno [‘Underneath’], setting up dense loop-barrages splattered with avant shadows [the organ on ‘Cargo’ recalls Moondog] or simply turning aural floatation into a fine art. He should do this more often.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs