The future of Drum & Bass has arrived. The most anticipated album of 2015 is here…
Interview by Dan Prince
Peter a massive welcome to DMCWORLD…where on planet earth are you today?
“Thanks! I’m in class right now… geographically speaking, that’s in Toronto.”
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed
“Arkells – ‘Come To Light’. Heard it on the radio in the car. Currently one of the few songs that I can still enjoy while it gets played to death!”
Well a brilliant start for 2015 for you, you have come out of nowhere to suddenly be the talk of the town… indeed in your first ever interview with UKF the heading was ‘WHO THE HELL IS BENSLEY?’ So let’s get down to it. Looking back at the last 14 months it looks like a marvellous piece of marketing. December 2013 saw you start sending stuff to Ram Records which was immediately snapped up and you were told to keep all material offline. November 2013 saw Andy C announce “When his debut drops it’s going to blow peoples’ minds!” and then three months later Zane Lowe drops ‘Fandango’ on Radio 1 to millions. This is the stuff of dreams… how have you felt about the whole slowly, slowly approach to superstardom with Ram?
“Since the adjustment has been very gradual, I haven’t found myself being overwhelmed. In the amount of time I was given, RAM allowed me to explore my sound without the pressure of conforming to what the general audience wants to hear, and I think that really helped me keep a level perspective on things. A part of me is still waiting for a “defining moment” as a cue to flip my shit, but I’m not sure if it’ll ever properly hit me.”
How much of an influence has Andy C and the team been to you – what have you learnt over the past year?
“Regarding my music, I think that Andy and the rest of the RAM crew have actively restrained themselves from governing my choices. For an entire year, I was left to grow as a producer and develop my sound with only minor feedback from the office. For a label that thrives on a specific type of music, I was initially surprised with the creative freedoms I was being granted. There’s a positive and constructive vibe amongst the RAMily, and if anything, that outlook has influenced me above all else.”
The album ‘Next Generation’ drops in April. There has probably never been a more apt name for an album…you are literally being called the next generation of drum & bass – do you feel any pressure with comments like this?
“Yeah, there’s definitely some pressure. The new generation of drum and bass is already occupied by so much talent, (Joe Ford, Memtrix, etc), and now that I’m being held to that standard, I’m obligated to consistently deliver music of similar quality. So, having that hanging over my head while I’m producing can stifle the experimental process at times, but it’s also a huge motivator.”
“There has never been an instrumental like this” was one review. What can you tell us about the album…?
“I would suggest that listeners shouldn’t to go into this LP expecting more ‘Fandango’s. Developing an album enables a lot of imaginative freedom, and I took advantage of that. Having said this, I think the general vibe is deeper and more laid back than what people have heard so far.”
Okay let’s rewind for a moment. How much of an influence musically was your grandfather growing up?
“My grandfather was a self-taught jazz pianist, which I always found incredibly inspiring. He learned to play by ear, and couldn’t read a note of sheet music despite having an expert’s repertoire. He was definitely one of the figures in my life that kept me interested in music throughout the learning years.”
At what age did you come across the whole electronic dance music spectrum and how soon did you think…I quite fancy a career in all this?
“I went to my first festival, WEMF 2011, and was exposed to Drum and Bass for the first time via Andy C, Loadstar, Noisia and Friction. That’s when I started leaning in that direction, but it was never about making it a career as much as having fun with it. That changed when I sent out the demo, of course.”
How big is the Toronto Drum & Bass scene in Toronto?
“Toronto’s scene is definitely alive and well. Event organizers like Destiny are absolutely killing it in terms of quality production and bookings. There are also many well-established local DJ’s who ensure that on any given weekend, you’re likely to find some DnB going on downtown. It’s definitely a city that I’m proud to be representing.”
True or false: you still work in a grocery store?
“True. These plugins won’t pay for themselves!”
Let’s skip forward to February 2016. What is the main goal you want to have achieved in the next twelve months?
“By next February, I’d like to have collaborated with someone I admire and overcome my performance anxiety. Also, bonus points if I haven’t sold out by then!”
You love wakeboarding – what are the bucket list adventures you want to do in your lifetime?
“In terms of wakeboarding, I’d like to take it to interesting locations around the world. Europe is scattered with top notch cable parks that go above and beyond what I have access to in Ontario. I also started taking snowboarding more seriously this season, I’d love to get to a skill level at which a heliboarding trip wouldn’t be wasted on me!”
How has the whole DJ side of things progressed…was it an easy learning curve?
“It hasn’t been too difficult. Since signing, I’ve made some friends with whom I spin with on weekends, so I’ve been taking tips and getting used to CDJ’s that way. I’ve got a show coming up at the end of March, so I guess we’ll see how my skills hold up…”
Not many people know this, but Bensley is really good at…
“Puns. During any given conversation, part of my brain is frantically twisting your words into the perfect one-liner to make you groan. It’s my useless superpower.”
And finally, what do you family think of all this sudden attention?
“They’re all good and proud, but I’m not sure they fully understand the scope of this. Maybe it’s for the best!”
{http://soundcloud.com/bensley/rammlp22d-bensley-fandango-ten-eight-seven-mastered}
https://www.facebook.com/bensleyofficial
