In an albeit shameful play on words, 18-year old producer Owen Darby, otherwise known as latest Keysound protege Wen, has been causing quite the commotion over the last six months. Championed to the hilt by label-heads Dusk & Blackdown, Wen is currently spearheading a new brand of dark, gritty and in essence, quite revelatory music in and around the 130 bpm mark.
Drawing on influences from grime in particular, Wen's forte lies in his ability to muddy the waters, curating a distinctly unique, emotive sound that captures a murky, bordering on sinister aesthetic. This is certainly true of 'Commotion', a track forthcoming on an EP of the same name and one that has earmarked the youngster as one of 2013's brightest new talents.
Atmospheric and certainly packing a punch, the track explodes into life, marrying guttural bass kicks with sporadic eski-tinged synth work that exudes a realness often found lacking in contemporary electronic music of the same ilk; it's moody, it's grimy, it's fucking brilliant.
Backed up by 3 other heavyweight cuts, including the much-fancied 'Spark It', Commotion should find itself into many an end of year list come December.
Words by Tomas Fraser
