Chaotic and serene. Two words used by the brilliant mastermind himself Benji Robot to describe his latest artwork. The Kutz EP welcomes us further inside the mind of Benji Robot. His downtempo portraits are illustrated to magnificent proportions giving us listeners the elaborate vision he has set out to create. Join him through the Kutz museum of overflowing soundscapes.
Lets first give an appropriate introduction to Benji Roman, the imaginative producer hailing from Michigan. He combines the effects of psychedelia with eccentric basslines to create immersive tracks that will leave you in a hallucinogenic state. Sometimes it gets deep, dark, and mysterious while other tracks will have you floating through the cosmos as the producer toys with your mind. His latest work continues to exemplify Benji’s production capabilities and further build out his niche space in the scene.
Kutz – rhymes with “foots”, was a summer camp for Jewish youth leadership in Warwick, NY my father taught at every summer growing up. It’s simply a place where my passion for art and music technology blossomed.
Benji is so brilliant at being able to keep the listener drawn in from the moment the music starts until the very last second it fades away.
The beat begins with a cautionary tale. Nerves begin to set but you still feel compelled and ready to be pulled in. Whisking around in the starry atmospheric beats Benji creates, we are soon greeted by a growling menace who appears to be startling at first. However, the soothing kick he provides ultimately harmonizes perfectly with the beats already in place. The saturating static builds up in the background serving us funky sensations. The kicks continue to tick off keeping the listener on high alert. It seems Benji wants to keep our minds awake.
“Imprint”, this track will without a doubt be cemented into your skull for the foreseeable future. There’s just something about it that makes us feel nostalgic. The laidback, luscious tempo helps to spark feelings of familiarity and comfort. The pixelated breakdowns wash over your mind like waves while the revved up bass ultimately comes crashing down. And when that bass hits, it feels sooo damn good. Like the title suggests, this track will undoubtedly leave an “Imprint” on your mind.
Benji Robot flexes his bass to epic portions on this one.
“In a Way” is the harvest of his insanely gifted mind (THE BIGGEST MF BRAIN). A crispyyyy, dense bass drop layering across a windy melody that is coated in the warmest and fuzziest feels. We couldn’t help but let out a big smile while this track played through. You’re going to need some thiccc speakers to do this tune justice. However, this isn’t a throwdown, I’m talking about curling up next to those subs with a pillow and getting realll cozy.
For those unfamiliar, a “Pagoda” is a tiered tower that is commonly built in Asia to be used for religious purposes. We feel like THIS picture was the basis for this title. Simplistic yet incredibly intricate. The song harps on this message as he effortlessly creates a remarkable vision out of nothing. The track constantly expands and grows into something more stunning as the track unravels. Join Benji Robot on this downtempo journey as beauty meets more than what the eye can see.
“Broken” is the outro track on this project. It feels void and empty as if you’ve been cast off into space. The glitchy breakdowns echo through your ears as if you are hearing interactions between extraterrestrials. As you continue to slowly drift away, you begin to question existence. It begins to feel more and more like slipping down a black hole. This track creates space allowing all the deeper hidden broken pieces of ourselves to surface. We are guided through the layers of our minds and confronted with all of its greater questions. This track will leave you searching for more.
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