Dont Party Interviews :: Boom Monk Ben [exclusive]

Boom Monk Ben is one of the most dynamic and audience capturing DJ’s that I have come across in my years of music. His style is so diverse that you could put him on at any slot and at any gig and he’ll do it justice.

Unique due to the fact that he is one of the very few people who have been able to survive and reach an international level of acclaim through purely DJ’ing.

so without further ado I give you our session with the man himself:

Dont Party presents :: The Boom Monk Ben interview

Benny Boom! You have DJ’ed in South Africa 4 times now! How does each experience compare to the last?

Yes indeed, I’m becoming a bit of a regular these days! Each time I come and play South Africa, Cape Town in particular, it gets better and better. Having played Fiction twice and now Assembly twice as well I feel like I am starting to get a real feel for the city and what sets the party off. The gig I just did with you guys [click] was definitely the best of all my Cape Town shows. In fact, it was the best gig of 2010 so far for me. I loved it and am already gagging to come back. As well as the gigs, it’s great to travel to somewhere knowing I have a lot of good friends to catch up with and geek out about music. It’s even better to know that every time I return I make new friends. It just means I’m so busy socializing that I rarely get to explore the city as much I’d like. Still, I would not have it any other way.

I have read a lot about you as well as spoken to you face to face on many occasions but I don’t think I have heard (or read) anyone ask: Where does the name Boom Monk Ben originate?

Ha! It’s really not that exciting a story but it is an odd name so I’ll satisfy your curiosity…when I was at university in 2000 my friends and I had a jostling rivalry with another flat of our mates. They christened their flat The Cathedral of Prog and themselves the Nights of the Prog Table. They were big into prog rock and being students had too much time on their hands. To counter that and cement our rivalry, our hip hop obsessed flat named ourselves The Temple Of Boom. As such we became known as The Boom Monks. This was early days in our DJing exploits, so much so I had never even played out with of our living room. One day I was asked to DJ at a party and they needed a name for the flyer. I scratched my head and thought about it for a bit before replying ‘Hmmm, I dunno…just use Boom Monk Ben. That’ll do until I think of something different.’ Which I never did.

What got you into dj’ing in the first place and how did you progress from the bedroom to the world?

I just kind of fell into it really. I arrived at university and then turned 18. All of a sudden I had access to student loans and an overdraft as well as a dwindling inclination to actually do any academic work. All that money and free time as well  an obsession with classic hip hop (Main Source, DITC, Organized Konfusion, KMD…all the good stuff!) led to me making an impulse buy and getting some turntables. My real inspiration came when I first heard the DJ Food & DK ‘Now…Listen!’ mix CD for Solid Steel & Ninja Tune as well as the DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist ‘Brainfreeze’ mix. I was unsure what was going on but I knew that what ever these guys were doing but I knew I wanted in on the action. I spent the first few years learning how to scratch and playing about with hop hop records before my style started to develop in unison with my ever broadening musical palette. Over the years it’s developed into a free flowing, bass frenzy that knows no bounds. Funnily enough, these days I play very little hip hop, let alone classic stuff. That’s life for you I suppose. I still love it though and enjoy geeking out and digging through my masses of golden era wax.

My progress from bedroom DJ to touring DJ has been a slow burning process that can’t really be attributed to any one incident. I have always had a lot of confidence in what I do and like to think I have a unique style that people seem to enjoy. I am also a tireless and savvy self promoter which has definitely served me well. Over the years of playing in Glasgow I started to get gigs in other Scottish cities, then some in England before being booked to play in some European cities. At first these more exotic gigs were few but over time they started to become more frequent. In todays hyper connected world, positive reputations can travel far and quickly and as I supported more and more big names and recorded plenty mix tapes, my rep grew bigger.

I suppose the real turning points were when Ninja Tune’s Solid Steel radio started to request mixes for the show and introduced me and my style to a wider audience. There was a definite upturn in gigs once that was a regular thing. This went into overdrive when they asked me to join the Solid Steel DJ team in an official capacity as part of Ninja Tune’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Having cited them as a massive influence and inspiration it was amazing when they asked me to join the ranks. That was a real watershed moment in both my career and love of DJing and music.

So you are still actively involved with Ninja Tune’s and the Ninja Tune XX?

Yep, very much so. I am one of the Solid Steel DJ team and record mixes for radio show on a (supposed to be) monthly basis. Realistically it’s more like every 6 weeks though. I get to DJ at some of their events and  get lots of gigs of the back of that association. We’re looking at doing a Ninja XX show to Glasgow later this year or early 2010  so will hopefully see that come to fruition. It’s a big year for the label and hopefully I’ll get the chance to get in the mix and help the celebrations.

You’ve made quite a solid career out of solely DJ’ing, I don’t think that there are many people out there who have achieved this level of DJing prowess. What inspires or motivates you (besides paying the bills) to keep on making people dance?

I know, it’s something I am very proud of. I often wonder what I could achieve if I made my own music! My main motivation is a love for music in all it’s forms and my unique opportunity to share with you all. Music is always changing and morphing in new and exciting ways and that really keeps me interested. The thrill of hearing a new track that you know will drop massively in your next DJ set and then seeing and hearing it actually happen is fantastic. The anticipation of sharing my favourite music and having a full club react positively to my selections is fantastic and makes me want to run to the club and bum-rush the decks. If you’re on before me then you’ll have me hovering over your shoulder, readying myself for action. Having a room full of people move and respond in unison on the dance floor is a unique thrill that I’ll never tire of.

Also, I don’t really know how to do anything else! As such I stick with it…

What kind of sound is popping out of the UK nowadays and how does that sound differ from a lot of the South African stuff that you’ve been privy to?

The UK is such an exciting place for music, electronic music in particular, and rarely leaves me wanting for anything. I am in to so much different stuff that it would be impossible for me summarise without writing an essay. Normally I would be happy to do just that but I think I ought to keep it short and sweet for you. Right now the UK funky and dubstep scenes are blowing up more and more. Artists like DJ Zinc, Roska, Ill Blu, Joy Orbison, Lil Silva are making great house music with a broken garage vibe to it. Also, dubstep acts like Joker, G31, Kavsrave, Guido, Taz Buckfaster and RSD are making great stuff as well. I’m lucky to be surrounded by fantastic artists who I also call my friends and colleagues with the likes of Parker, Hint, A La Fu, Leisure Allstars, Mr Benn, The Revenge. Mungo’s Hi-Fi and Clouds all making some amazing music in various forms.

The South African artists I really dig are Playdoe, Sedge Warbler, Mix n Blend, Sibot, Liver, Dank, 7ft Soundsystem, Krushed & Sorted, Mujava, PH Fat, Bakaman and SFR. Those guys all share a unique South African style that I’ll forever associate with the scene over where you are. They share a clean and crisp sound, with nuff bass to get your party started, much the same as the UK acts that I really dig.

The main difference is that the UK acts have a platform and adequate exposure to be heard by the rest of the world that is yet to develop in South Africa. The way you guys are going though, I think Cape Town will be a big scene with international attention in the coming years in the same way London, Berlin and San Francisco have established themselves as a cohesive electronic musical movement in recent years. Your time will come, of that I am certain.

You are also and active event promoter, running regular nights up in Scotland. Who are some of the acts that you have had play at your Glasgow events?

Phew, we’ve had so many amazing acts come up to play it’s hard to know where to tstart. Let’s see…Fake Blood, Rusko, Caspa, Ghostface Killah, A-Trak, Edan, Peanut Butter Wolf, C2C, Sinden, Switch, Kid Koala, Chromeo, Cool Kids, DJ Zinc, Hudson Mohawke, Playdoe, Fingathing, Bass Clef, Cadence Weapon, Annie Mac, Mary Anne Hobbs, DJ Mehdi, Drop The Lime. DJ Craze, A-Skillz, Jack Beats, Plastic Little, Spektrum, Starkey, L-Vis 1990, Sharon Jones & the Dapkings, Duke Dumont, Kentaro, Quantic Soul Orchestra, Greenskeepers and loads more have all played at Mixed Bizness events. That’s just the tip of the iceberg really. I can’t keep track any more!

Between now and the new year we have Benga, Caspa, Emalkay, Foamo, Hostage, Hint, Parker, Magnetic Man, Carte Blanche (DJ Mehdi & Riton), Fake Blood, Jack Beats, Malente, Toddla T, Hot City and more all stopping by. It’s busy round our way!

Now to a bit of the tech side of things: What is your ideal DJ setup?

It’s pretty simple really…2 Technics turntables, a Rane TTM57sl mixer with Serato Scratch Live built in, Shure White Label carts and stylus and my trusty Sennheiser HD25 headphones. Then comes the BASS!

Do you have an opinion about the new age of synchronized DJing whereby the concept of beat-matching has become null and void?

I could go on about this for days and offer many conflicting views depending on my mood. I myself will always mix records, either real or Serato, and really enjoy and value the craft that comes with that. It’s what I consider fun and it keeps me occupied during my preferred 3 – 4 hour sets. However, ultimately the most important thing in DJing is the choice of music and the order you play it in. As long as the music is good and put together in an interesting and considerate fashion then I am happy. For me, Ableton and synched Traktor DJing is not as much fun as mixing records but is no less worthwhile or creative. It’s just not the way I like to do things. Not that I have ever tried mind you. I don’t even know how to use a CDJ! I have always used vinyl and then Serato Scratch Live and will continue to do so.

Both approaches have their drawbacks and merits but as long as the music makes me want to dance and is put together in the right the way then it’s all good.

If you could throw one  serious banger of an event, who would be your top 5 DJ’s for it: the best gig night ever?

Hmmm, my dream line up would consist of JD Twitch, resident at long running Glasgow institution Optimo Espacio. He’s the man and I owe so much of my musical education to Sunday nights spent in Sub Club dancing like a maniac to his music. Next up would be Tayo, resident at Fabric and label head for Cool & Deadly in London. His sets are a smash up of dubstep, garage, house and global bass. his mixing is deadly and his tune selection is so fresh and upfront it makes me rage with jealousy and whoop with delight at the same time. Joining them would be DJ Food & DK, a massive influence on me and two DJs I’ll always credit with inspiring me to start DJing in the first place. Throw into the mix fellow Mixed Bizness resident Point To C and my man Parker from Jalapeno Records and you’ll have quite the party on your hands!

And finally… When are you coming back to SA?

I don’t know. I think you can probably answer that better than I can. Just let me know and I’ll be there!

… and we’ll gladly have you back homie… ANYTIME!

MORE BENNY BOOM?

• mixed bizness website
• boom monk ben myspace
• boom monk ben soundcloud
• boom monk ben’s dont party mid week mix