Set to be released within his Ataxia EP in late 2013 on Nicolas Jaar‘s Clown & Sunset, Benjha‘s “Palpitations” is a journey in itself. Catapulting us unpredictably yet moodily, we are exposed to an array of carefully structured notes. Benjha (Nikos Vezanis) originally hails from Athens, Greece but currently surrounds himself in London, UK‘s landscape.
The song title itself denotes a feeling of anxiety, and the track itself stresses the uneasiness an unsteady percussive pace can create. As Vezanis describes, “I wrote this while settling in London, after leaving SF due to my visa expiration… Could be the frustration of having to start over in a new city for the second time in two years… or just the shitty London weather.”
Whether it was the frustration due to travel or the dreary London weather, Benjha was able to explore the depths our emotions can so easily provide. Citing fLacko as inspiration for the track, Vezanis notes how his classical instrumentation “allows the track to breathe” and that “there is no rush to keep the pace continuously elevating.” “Palpitations'” layers are lush and pure, as Benjha utilizes musique concrete by integrating field recordings of finger snaps, bubble wrap and the sound of cutlery.