Digging for Kanky drops new single

Hailing from Manchester, Digging for Kanky is the latest act to carry that torch with a sound as shadowy as the myth that inspired their name. Formed in 2019 by childhood friends Ben and Smithy, the collective pairs melodic vocals with rap cadences and the dark, rumbling textures of trip hop production. The project’s moniker comes from a piece of local lore in North Manchester, referencing a 19th-century grave robber known as “Old Kanky,” a haunting tale that perfectly mirrors the act’s ominous aesthetic.

For both Ben and Smithy, music has been a constant presence in their lives; growing up on North Manchester estates, their surroundings naturally filtered into their sonic identity. Ben walked a path within the events industry, while Smithy has remained deeply involved in grassroots music, working with underprivileged youth in the community, experiences that form the backbone of Digging for Kanky’s music.

After years of bedroom production and casual stints in other bands, the pair reconnected with renewed focus, launching Digging for Kanky with their debut single “Dead in the Water” in 2019, followed up the next year with their sophomore outing “Gone Tomorrow” and their first EP, Alice. Since then, they’ve dropped multiple well-received singles while linking up with artists such as Jade Parker, D’Lyfa Reilly, Kaiden Nolan and Gnasha on collaborative releases along the way.

Now they bring us their latest release with their brand new single titled “Send Me Away,” released via the Black Pollen Records imprint. Constructed with brooding sub-bass and sparse half-step drums, the track captures what Digging for Kanky does best, bringing together intimacy with unease to craft music that’s engrossing and thoroughly original. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Massive Attack, James Blake and The Streets, “Send Me Away” frames the idea of wanting to escape, whether through the transportive power of music or the chaos of nightlife.

Its atmosphere is heavy with melancholy, but it carries a strange liberation, mirroring the contradictory pull of despair and freedom. Opened by the flutter of bright piano notes, delicate plinks hang in a hazy sonic atmosphere before smooth rapped flows glide in to cut through the smokey musical fabric, forming an intricate contrast between dreamy instrumentation and commanding vocal element. Dashed with pitched vocal samples, soft percussive taps and pulsing bass textures, the track builds with the roll of punching drums and misty female vocal layers.

Taking on a slick groove of steady rhythms and flecked with soulful vocal leads, flashes of blissful melodies ring out as the roll of shuffling drums and subtly theatrical instrumental tones swirl to cast a gripping and wholly absorbing listening experience. It’s a spectacular slice of Digging for Kanky’s fiercely original sonic output, delivering an enveloping sound that’s engaging, transportive and memorable from start to finish.

Commenting on the track, Digging for Kanky’s Ben shares, “The lyrics in Send Me Away are a narration of escaping the chaos of the day to day grind on a sweaty dancefloor, in a smashed up old warehouse, when you’re totally in love with the room and just dying for a chewie.”

Listen to Send Me Away below

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