Hendra

2014 release, the first solo album in 30 years from one-half of Everything But the Girl. Recorded in London and Berlin, the music is a meeting of worlds: languid Folk, distorted Rock and fizzing Electronics; in part a result of the album's two central collaborators, ex-Suede guitarist, Bernard Butler, and Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson. 'I turned instinctively to Bernard very early on,' says Ben. 'I knew his overdriven, string-bent intensity would be the perfect foil to my own warm open-tuned style. It adds tension to the songs. Ewan has a foot in both my recent worlds. He can do thrumming Berlin techno, but also things of great delicacy and grace. I also wanted his vintage '70s poly-synths as a contrasting color, and a burnished 3-D sound, which of course both play to his strengths.' the album also includes one other unexpected stellar cameo - Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, who adds plangent slide guitar and backing vocals on 'The Levels'.