By Daniel Warren Hill
Having been born and growing up in North Manchester, England, trip-hop duo Ben and Smithy developed the concept for Digging for Kanky based on an urban myth about local grave robber “Old Kanky.” These childhood friends have always had music in their lives, but came together in 2019 releasing their own dark, gritty contributions to the genre with their debut single, “Dead in the Water,” leading toward their debut EP, Alice, released early the following year.
Their latest EP, Crashing, was just made available in February 2022 and is available now on all major platforms. Listeners are in for a treat with Digging for Kanky’s haunting vocals and hard-hitting rhymes presented with minimal orchestration as they delve into struggling with personal demons in “Love & Coke” and “Save Me From Fire.”
We can guess as to how this struggle ends, at least according to the narrative presented as the title track. “Crashing” is also the final track of this three song EP whose poignant piano lends the song its almost dirge-like outcome.
Equally as impressive is how the three song EP contributes to the soundtrack of a short film, produced in collaboration with Digging for Kanky and talented Lithuanian director Klemensas Kozlovas. Each song has its own unique supporting visual element that when combined together form a powerful narrative about a couple’s battle with addiction and all the costs that come with it.
Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
