Picks Of The Week (15.01.22

1. Bensley - Leaving / Debonair [mau5trap]

Recommended if you like: Justin Hawkes, Camo & Krooked, Royalston

I might have a (not necessarily inaccurate) reputation to favour the danceable, heavier side of DnB here, but one thing that is at least just as high on my favourability scale are releases that manage to convey emotion effectively or are really creative in some way. This one managed to do both.

Little bit of backstory first. At my first Let It Roll, in 2017, I went to watch the DnB step championship tournament during the day and in one of the final rounds they used a track that was just so cool and so weird I just had to record it. That track was Slither by Bensley. Since I was still very much at the beginning of my neverending DnB journey, I had no idea who he was or what his story is, but what I did know was that this tune slapped. Still does, of course. However, his story begins much earlier.

Bensley, real name Peter Bennett, fake name Captain Canada, is a producer from Toronto, yes the one in Ontario, yes the one in Canada. With great inspirations like Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond from the Dave Brubeck Quartet and Grandpa Bennett himself, he played the big ol' saxophone not just a lot, but also so well that he apparently toured across Ontario and won a few awards for it. He was already dipping his feet into Dubstep production at one point, but when he attended his first music festival in 2011, the likes of Noisia and Pendulum caused him to pivot to the drums and the basses. He started studying software development, but the music was still a huge passion for him. At 19, in 2013, he thought "why not send out a few of my tracks to a few labels", after all, what's the harm in that?

One of the labels he sent this 2-track demo (which included a first version of Next Generation, by the way) to was the one and only RAM Records. Ray Rampage, former label marketing manager at RAM (heh, RAMpage), was instantly hooked and sent the music on its merry way to the one they call Andy C. Even though Bensley had no previous releases or DJ experience even, Andy knew he had something special on his hands here and convinced him to join the RAMily. He then quit his computer science studies to concentrate full-time on music, trading one type of RAM for another. His debut was at first supposed to come out via RAM sister label ProgRAM, which has basically been the standard platform for giving newcomers a spotlight. However after Bensley sent even more amazing tunes, they knew that this is no ordinary newcomer, this one deserved a prime-time spot on the big label. Bensley is sworn to full-on musical secrecy for a bit to allow the marketing machinery to do its thing. A few months later, his exclusive signing is announced, alongside Audio and Stealth. Another few months of teasing his music in interviews later, the time has finally come for his debut in 2015: Fandango!

Thus also began the buildup to his debut album, aptly-titled Next Generation. Yep, he ended up sending the label so many tunes that they decided to expand their initial EP plans with him into a full-blown album. Judging from the amazingly unique listening experience that this debut ended up being, it's safe to say it was a great decision. The following years Bensley tried his hand at the single release game, which is actually where Slither comes back in, before starting the ramp-up to album número dos in 2019. Named after the Ontarian region he grew up in, Muskoka showed that he isn't a one-album (and several singles) pony. Not only did this one have a much broader soundscape with more experimentations across genres, it was also a more coherent piece of work than ever before. Relatively shortly after this, however, he decided that 5 years at RAM was long enough and started exploring what other labels had to offer.

The first one being Canadian electronic music behemoth Monstercat! After a splendid string of DnB 2020 singles that would make any feline become beastly, he flew back to UKF's Pilot for the genre-bending That Feeling, followed by his most multi-genre project yet: The Cascade EP on Deadbeats. He ended the tumultous year that was 2021 with another two great non-DnB offerings, one on NIGHTMODE and one on Monstercat again. Even with all these different genres and experimentations, there's always one constant here: The signature Bensley sound. To quote his 2015 UKF interview: "A sound that could submit you deep into another headphone zone just as well as it could electrify stadiums in the same way deadmau5 can". Seems like the mau5 himself actually agrees with that, because the Bensley double single I'm talking about today is actually Bensley's debut release on Joel's very own label mau5trap!

Let's start with Leaving. Even if you go into this blindly, those mysteriously beautiful synthy bleeps and bloops will let you know which artist is responsible for this right off the bat. Paired with this moody backdrop is a sadly uncredited vocal performance that isn't just incredibly emotional, it also sets the tone perfectly. The buildup tape is switched out and we are thrown into some of the most minimal yet warmest, most all-consuming yet relaxing drops I've heard in quite some time. The tape switches one more time, giving way for the return of the synths and vocals. All of this is already quite vibey, but what makes this track for me is what's about to follow. Yet another tape switch marks the start of what I consider one of the most beautiful pieces of music in this genre. As the increasingly vocals plead more and more for you not to leave, a lullaby music box starts marching forward at incredible speeds, further emphasizing that our time together is sadly running out. This is highlighted even more by the fast-paced nature of the whirlwind that is the second drop. I'm going to be honest here: In this second half Bensley cranks up the emotion-o-meter of the song so much that I couldn't help but shed a tear or twenty.

A strong start to a double single that is followed by a strong finish, in the form of Debonair. Another aptly-named track title, because if there's one word that would describe this track it's that (it means confident, stylish, and charming, by the way). Confident? It's 6 and a half minutes long, so check! Stylish and charming? Those 6+ minutes are spent venturing through the suave moody soundscapes that only someone like Bensley could produce, so, check! Saying it's a vibe and a half wouldn't do it justice. The sounds used, the progression, the vocal sample, the pure atmosphere, everything is just perfectly chosen and the arrangement of it all masterfully executed. While literally all of it is just awesome, I just have to specifically mention that first little bit of 4x4 of the first drop. It's truly excellent, definitely my favourite 2 seconds of 2021 so far. Incredible tune.

Unique, incredibly produced, beautiful, all of the things. Bensley? More like Ben-slay!

Other beautiful dancy things from this week:

Rameses B - Sonder EP
Delta Heavy, DJ Rae - Heartbeat
Wilkinson, iiola - Close Your Eyes
Mage - Supposed To Be