Smelly Feet Records Is A Music Platform Which Showcases Both Established And Up & Coming Artists.
No Specific Genre, Just Real Underground Music.
Smelly Feet Records Is A Music Platform Which Showcases Both Established And Up & Coming Artists.
No Specific Genre, Just Real Underground Music.
Exclusive Mix & Interview
January 21st, 2018
Ben
Dragon
City: Los Angeles
Country: United States
Genre: House / Techno / Urban
Label: Fire To My Ears
Release Type: Digital
Ben, introduce yourself to our audience. Anything special you would like them to know?
Hey! So happy to share my art with you all. Music has been a special part of my life since I was young. I've been writing and creating for many years but just began producing house music about 3 years ago. I spent a lot of my childhood in Chicago and London and was really influenced by house music growing up. I finally decided to go all in on my passion and it's been a crazy but exciting journey up to this point. L.A. has been my home since 2000 and it's also had a huge impact on my music.
If you were to describe your music in a number of sounds, colors, or objects - what would they be?
Interesting question! Hmm, I'd have to say it would be a family of multi-colored unicorns dancing in the clouds. I've always tried to cross boundaries of many genres especially finding ways to make underground music appeal to more people but still be respected. I love so many different types of music and it's hard for me to stick to one sound all the time. My music ranges from very melodic vocal songs to dark and groovy underground club tracks.
"My music ranges from very melodic vocal songs to dark and groovy underground club tracks"
Take us through your production process. Are there any strategies you use which help in achieving your unique sound?
Most of the time I start with the drums and bass - crafting a groove until I think it's hitting nice and feels good. I rely heavily on my Ableton Push 2 for programming drums and starting up ideas. After I have a solid foundation I like to get a decent mix/master from there to start with as I tend to mix as I go. I used to use a ton of VST plugins but recently I've been using more analog synths and commit to writing it to disk so that I can work faster and force myself to make decisions.
Sometimes I have a vocal idea or concept to start with. This definitely makes everything move a lot faster. If the song has a lot of vocals (which many of my songs do) then I like to start with a basic idea of the track but leave it open so that it's easy to write to. From there I'll either record my own vocals or bring in artists that I like to work with and finish writing/recording before completing the track.
What is your favorite piece of equipment - hardware/software/other?
Currently my favorite piece of gear is the Moog Subsequent 37. It just sounds incredible and I've been using it on all my productions recently.
If you were to incorporate other artistic elements other than sound into your creation, what would they be? What would be the end result?
My second love after music is dancing. I'd have to say dance would be the perfect element to incorporate as the two absolutely go hand in hand. The way a person dances to the music is a direct manifestation of how powerful music is and how it affects us to our core.
"L.A. has been my home since 2000 and it's also had a huge impact on my music"
How do you feel the new technology being released today affects the community of professional producers? Is it positive? Negative? Both?
With the technology available today, anyone can make music and not have to spend much money at all. It's amazing. In many ways the playing field has been leveled. On the other hand, there are so many people making music now that it gets much harder to get noticed.
Overall it's a great thing. Music has always been directly influenced by the available technology. A lot of the classic house foundation was born out of the limitations of the samplers and synths available at the time and music is constantly evolving into uncharted territory with all the new technology available today.
Los Angeles. 5 things you live with. 5 things you can’t live without.
Live with
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Perfect weather year-round
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A lot of trap music
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The Kardashians
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Hollyweird
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The worst traffic in the world
Can't live without
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The best Mexican food
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In-N-Out
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Korean BBQ
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Amazing sunsets
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Bomb Tequila
Ben, in a few sentences. Tell us about this mix you made for us. Where did you get your inspiration? Is there anything special you want the audience to know?
It was really fun making this mix because it's one of the few times that I've only used all my own productions. I make a wide range of music but when I play in the club it's definitely geared towards harder, dirty, sexy grooves and I like to mix in some other artists that I vibe with.
In this mix I wanted to show a lot of my different sides and my journey in music so far. I included songs from my first release ever (Here and Now) to my first EP (SEXXX TAPE) all the way up to my last EP (Supernatural Selection) and various singles and unreleased records. I'm very influenced by urban music - especially Hip-Hop and RnB - and you can hear it in this mix. It's a fun journey that goes from deep to dirty tech and has some other surprises in between. I hope you guys enjoy!
