BNJMN

BNJMN pops up with another splendid and relevant EP.. featuring a remix from Legowelt/Xosar combo, Xamiga. “Hummingbird”, the title track of an impressive four-track EP that’s noticeably cleaner, crisper and sharper than his most recent outing for Rush Hour, 2012’s Unknown 2, captures this idea perfectly. Propelled forwards by a lone, 140 BPM kick drum, its waves of crystalline synthesizers and picturesque melodies seem to gracefully hover above the stripped-back rhythm. It’s intoxicating, exciting and calming in equal measure, whilst retaining BNJMN’s usual dancefloor punch. He took the same approach with the EP’s other original tracks. “Slow Wave”, with its relentless sequenced arpeggio, tumbling melodies and sludgy groove, performs the same trick of the ear, thanks in no small part to clever combinations of fast and slow elements. The melancholic “CRVD”, with its mournful chords and darting, techno-influenced grooves, is similarly schizophrenic. The EP concludes with its most straightforward dancefloor moment, an inspired remix from Xamiga (AKA Xosar and Legowelt). Decidedly cosmic – like layered, melody-driven analogue techno beamed down from a distant galaxy – it delivers a deeper, hazier alternative to BNJMN’s pin-sharp original.