Manchester’s Digging for Kanky emerge from the shadows with ‘Send Me Away’, a haunting trip-hop reverie that’s designed to replicate that feeling of near-collapse. Comprised of Ben Powell, Adam Smith and Kat Brown, this talented trio step forward as experts in crafting a moody atmosphere through the framework of lunar sub-bass and minimalistic half-step drums. Although it’s a more melancholic turn, you don’t feel weighed down while listening; instead, the eerie certainty is strangely cathartic.
With shades of trip-hop legend Massive Attack and more recent forerunner James Blake hovering just beneath the surface, you can’t help but be impressed by the cinematic intensity that’s present throughout ‘Send Me Away’. It summons up images of city streets glossed over by fresh rain, the ever-present glow of lamp posts, and nothing but your own thoughts for company as you wander around late into the night. The meticulous production breathes life into these scenes, where an introspective ambience is cut through by the trio’s determined precision.
An unwavering sense of tension slowly builds up through ‘Send Me Away’, propelled by each floating note and intentional beat. Over this entrancing soundscape, Brown’s vocals drift between cool detachment and bracing vulnerability as she imagines an escape from daily mundanity, even if it’s just a night lost on the dance-floor.
With an unmatched blend of trip-hop, alt-pop and UK hip-hop, Digging for Kanky capture the grit and beauty of their city, as well as the reminder that any metropolis is nothing without its inhabitants.
You can also find ‘Send Me Away’ in our Electro Feels playlist.
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