Auteur, maverick, thinking mans musician...
Ben Wilkinson gives us the low down on his career...
Ben Wilkinson is an electronic music producer based in the UK. He is also a fervent music lover and can often be seen supporting and promoting fellow artists on Twitter (X) and the like. His music is fascinating, beguiling and enchanting. He can take the listener to another world with the drop of a few bars and can be equal parts reflective composer and avant garde maestro, often, in the same track. But where did it all begin?
When did you first become interested in electronic dance music and what drew you in?
My earliest experiences of dance music would be back in the mid 1990’s. For me this was when electronic dance music was becoming my favoured style to listen to. I enjoyed some of the dance tunes on the radio and these seemed to have a completely different soundscape to anything I listened before. It reminded me of the sound I enjoyed in computer games. So I think looking back perhaps it could have been even earlier when I noticed electronic music. However what drew me into Dance Music was the melodies were incredible and the vocals kept going around my head in a loop. It may sound greedy – I just wanted more of it. The fact with electronic music is that you could hear so many different sounds at the same time. It just made me feel so many contrasting emotions.
You describe yourself as a trance music producer, but tracks like ‘ID’ show a more sophisticated approach, what are your external influences?
This is an interesting question, sometimes it’s not a case of what has influenced but who. In the case of Reading Your Soul; this was influenced by a person I know called Rebecca Snow Hare (author name Rebecca Mickley.) I read some of their books and I was making this pattern on a track. I could imagine myself sat next to Rebecca whilst they were writing their stories, imagination running, artistry flowing, words being written. It felt surreal. So that’s why I turned the pattern into a complete alien, space, universe inspired production. Which is predominantly the setting for Rebecca’s books. With some cute automation making some interesting extraterrestrial moments in the track. Both the two part EP are dedicated to Rebecca too. As it was Rebecca who inspired the music.
Was there one significant song or artist that made you realize that you simply ‘had to create music?’
There are two producers who given inspiration, in fact I’d actually go to say two producers and a Classical composer too inspired me. First the composer, Ludvig Van Beethoven is my favourite music composer of all time, his music which I play on the piano is probably why I lean to Trance, in the case of Moonlight Sonata it has repetition in it. Which repetition Trance music has in abundance. It was Beethoven who inspired me wanting to be a pianist. However developing a love for electronic music; it was Sascha Lappessen who originally gave me the bug to want to make electronic music. His music seemed to be the right fit with me. The person who completed the transition from a piano player (could have become a composer) to a producer is Ferry Corsten, his works stood out and made me pursue a hobby which lead to what I do now. I don’t want to produce like him, I want to produce my own way.
The ‘Hardest Yard’ is a bit of a banger, but does the Anfield Edit allude to your love of a certain football club?
This answer is a bit of a yes and no, the no is because the track Hardest Yard is my musical interpretation of losing a loved one. I have tried to explain this before publicly. Not sure if it was made clear to people what the message behind Hardest Yard is. However I lost my Mother to a terminal illness. In a cathartic way I was playing on my piano. I was playing particular melody with tears rolling down my face as I found the notes that could tell others about the pain I was going through. The main piano break you hear in the Anfield Edit is that moment of losing someone, hence the title Hardest Yard. The yes to this question is I had a dream to play a black grand piano in the centre circle of Anfield the home of Liverpool FC. It still is a dream to this day, however the dream modified to having my music being played. It did get played through a sheer force of lots of people on social media including people who were in a Music group on Twitter called El3ctroFaM as well as artists, Liverpool fans, social media friends and the community who all gained the attention of George Sephton the Voice of Anfield who is the DJ / Announcer on match days. George was kind in playing Hardest Yard in the Merseyside Derby. It’s still one of my key highlights hence the Anfield Edit tag. As it was played at Anfield.
When you’re in the studio, what is your creative process like? Drum breaks first or melody?
It is usually play around on the piano find a melody first. I’m repeating it until I’m happy with it. I get on to my DAW ‘Digital Audio Workstation’ and place the notes down and create the first pattern. Which then starts the production off. I usually tend to listen to the melody over and over (sometimes hundreds of times) to get a sence of where I need to develop the story, how it needs to begin and how it may end. I tend to do it in sections. So I work on the melodies and counter melody work. Following that I go to the baselines, string work. Up risers if I want to add them follow. All the percussion comes after. I add any sound effects last. If they are to be used. Following after I’m happy with the overall production comes the automation and mixing.
You’ve built up a quite a mystique on social media with use of emoji’s for profile pics and the like. What’s the ‘real’ Wilkinson like?
Pretty much what you see is what you get. I’m obsessed in music and probably bore people with it both off and on social media. Currently laughing whilst I write that. I’m down to earth, I work a full time job, married and have two children. I enjoy walking my dog as it gives me time to think about things. I’m as crazy as how I appear on social media. If you spoke to someone I know they’d say the same. I am a big dreamer too.
What artists have you been influenced by in the past and who inspires you today?
I’d say my earlier influences were Queen especially with Farrohk Bulsara who’s voice accompanied by Brian, Roger and John galvanised my interest in music. I’ve also enjoyed Evanescence, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson. I’d also go as far to cite computer games music as an influence too. As I’ve been fond of some games music which I seemed to enjoy sometimes more than the game. I’ve also listened to Sash, Ferry Corsten and a vocalist he worked with Denise Rivera who’s vocals are exquisite. These are pretty much the more mainstream acts that have interested me. The independent artists who inspire me are Gary Humber, Jill Winter, Leifendeth, Cain MacWhitish, Juan Alamina Obando, Scottish Force, bYNUM, Lyght, Nicky Roland and theres many more whos music I listen to often.
When was the last time you went to a club?
Back in the late 1990’s yes that’s a long time ago. In the English Riviera of Torbay, I used to hop on a bus from Brixham to Torquay on a Saturday night. It was when the big boom of Trance happened. It was scintillating and the clubs had so much energy.
If you could choose one artist in the world to work with (living or dead), who would it be and why?
Denise Rivera, a vocalist. Her voice is incredible. I can not put into words how her voice has wowed me. If Denise born in La Paz, Bolivia were to be on one of my tracks it would he a dream come true.
Where do you stand on the Spotify debate? Catnip for artists or the road to riches?
All I’m going I say is that Spotify is a business and it’s going to do anything ns everything to make it’s business the most profitable company possible. So once you understand that, you can understand why they make their decisions. I’d want to pass on a message to every artist thinking Spotify is the holy grail. You would get a lot more from your fans if they can download your music from reputable download stores. From understanding what Russell James Vitale said about Labels and streaming platforms it really doesn’t matter the volume of streams an artist gets. As we won’t know whether they are genuine or now. I’m pretty sure and being optimistic Independent artists wouldn’t want to pursue this kind of behaviour.
What’s in the pipeline?
The second and third parts to Transcendental Fortitude. I have a track that I’m trying to get a supporter on. That hopefully will come to fruition. Plus the Story That Lasts Beyond Time release later this year. A remix I’ve made coming very soon. And working on a remix at the moment. Lots going on!
