What do you get when you cross tropical, tribal vibes with surf rock and drum and bass? The DnB world is about to find out with Bensley’s new single “Kilauea,” out today April 19 on RAM. While essentially a teaser single for his upcoming Muskoka LP due out in July, “Kilauea” brings heavy vibes on its own.
A lot of DnB fans would never thought they’d hear a track opening with ukulele but in this genre, never say never. That indeed is what much of the intro is comprised of on “Kilauea,” along with a sort of ethereal and tribal-sounding vocal. When the main synth comes in, it’s sort of bubbly and sounds as if it’s comprised of keyboard tones from surf rock tracks. There’s some major sound design work going on here, and that bouncy synth actually ends up carrying the beat and turning the track into a bit of a roller. 
While “Kilauea” seems like it might be a little light to start, it will also definitely stand up on the dancefloor as it has a heavy yet steppy beat and some surprising phrase transitions: there’s a rolling foghorn sinewave, a punchy amen break and yet another surf rock sample, a descending guitar fret slide. With all this going on, one might think the track would feel busy or muddled but it doesn’t; it’s extremely balanced, interesting and completely novel.
It’s exciting that Bensley’s getting ready to put out a new LP. While he’s released tracks since his epic debut album Next Generation, the DnB world has definitely been missing that block of Bensley style that no other producer can replicate. Stay tuned for more singles and more nature-inspired vibes leading up to the release of Muskoka.
“Kilauea” is out now on RAM and is available to stream or buy on multiple platforms by clicking here.
