French artist P-Ben’s latest EP on Molecular Recordings is a solid release showcasing his deft blend of old-school sounds influenced by Detroit’s rich heritage. With an impressive catalog spanning quality labels like Ovum, KMS, Elevate and Motech, P-Ben’s latest offering is no exception. The EP features relentless, powerful beats that are sure to elevate dance floors. However, there is also a deeper, more subtle matter in the form of deep, punchy chords with a hypnotic flow and softer sonic textures that create a more introspective listening experience.
The songs that are recorded on this album show the particular way of understanding the sound of P-Ben, located at the opposite end of the commercial, the generic, what works: what he does is, on the contrary, a kind of magma unstable with pulsations and glows, with melodic lines and diffuse textures, pursuing a serene, spiritual, almost ascetic expression. All those languages and influences from which they drew dialogue on this record, creating new, different and highly evolved sound organisms.
The idea that drives this album refers us to one of the crucial attributes of music, and it is its inexhaustible capacity to generate moods that protect us at all times. Its meaning remains in the hands of lovers of electronic music, beyond the dance floor and all hedonism.