10.27 (Fri)
It's not clear yet whether Ben Ash, who operates as Two Inch Punch, is going to step forward as a bona fide solo artist, or whether he intends to retain the anonymity he enjoys as a producer and put out music fronted by other acts. Maybe he's nervous following the mixed response to James Blake's move into the spotlight last year – Blake got plenty of critical plaudits at first, but there was a sense of anti-climax after he failed to deliver commercially on all the promise. The music Ash makes – not far in places from Blake's crushed, keening, late-night/early-hours dubstep known variously as lovestep and blubstep – is certainly good enough to merit consideration on its own terms rather than as backing tracks for the people he's been working with.
If anything, he has more ideas than Blake, and is more of a mad maximalist a la Rustie/Bobby Tank, although he's also capable of reining in his crazier tendencies. He's remixed everyone from Metronomy to Lianne La Havas but he's most closely allied with the new Brit queen of electronic soul, Jessie Ware. And he has provided for her coolly emotional vocals, on tracks such as Strangest Feeling and Running, a sparse and spacious context, mak... More Biography
If anything, he has more ideas than Blake, and is more of a mad maximalist a la Rustie/Bobby Tank, although he's also capable of reining in his crazier tendencies. He's remixed everyone from Metronomy to Lianne La Havas but he's most closely allied with the new Brit queen of electronic soul, Jessie Ware. And he has provided for her coolly emotional vocals, on tracks such as Strangest Feeling and Running, a sparse and spacious context, mak... More Biography