Review:
Ben Thomas aka BNJMN released an impressive debut album on Rush Hour earlier this year, and it's fair to say that 141 is a worthy follow-up. Mixing up warm Detroit-style textures and melodies with broken beats, BNJMN comes across like bass music's answer to Convextion or John Roberts. "One Sea" is a beautifully dreamy, mournful soundtrack that is every ounce as melancholic as John Roberts's recent album, while "We Are The Weather" nudges BNJMN towards the dance floor, with a rippling bassline underpinning the atmospheric textures. Thomas's willingness to flirt with different tempos and rhythm structures is audible on the drum and bass pace of "Inout" and on the aptly named "Hybridisation", where a shuffling groove calls to mind the middle ground between Berlin techno and dubstep. However, throughout this journey the one constant remains his love of atmospheric moods and tones. Essential.