THE KINGS OF BROOKLYN

“My background is sort of all over the map,” says New York-based artist Kuhn, aka Bennett Kuhn, whose sophomore 'Kings EP' is out now on Civil Music.

“I got into hip-hop and Warp Records in high school, then got into forms of electronic dance music like jungle, garage and dubstep. When my friends and I first heard footwork through the Planet Mu compilations, we were slain. The rhythmic complexity and overall intensity just got us. That kind of music tends to go off in New York.”

Harnessing the power of Chicago's latest and rawest offering, his EP goes off too, with the epic fast-slow vibes of 'I Quit', featuring compadre Obey City from Astro Nautico, the vintage horns of 'NWYRK', the Golden Era '90s hip-hop vox of 'Boombox' and the frenetic choral harmonies of 'Never Forget', all boosted by remixes from Time Wharp and Pixel Lord.

Partly fuelled by his absorption of Brooklyn's current seething musical energy, Bennett is also backed by a tight-knit crew.

“Astro Nautico is a net label/blog/party I co-founded along with two high school friends who are also multi-talented individuals and ace producers, Obey City and Paul Jones (aka Paolo Xz),” he explains. “We've released a wide range of electronic music and beat tapes over the past few years from young artists on both the East and West Coasts of the US, as well as compilation albums that feature a cast of like-minded producers.”

If you're already up-to-speed with their output then don't sweat, you won't have long to wait for more. “The objective is to have my first full-length album finished before the end of spring, but sometimes it takes longer than you expect, you just have to roll with the punches.”

In the meantime, catch Kuhn at the Astro Nautico parties on the first Friday of every month at FREECANDY in Brooklyn.