Everybody loves Benny ill! Selector par excellence and well known veteran and favourite of the underground music scene Benny remains on the forefront of dance music with a recent LP release on Tempa and plenty of new material and collaborations in production for future release. As a DJ Benny comes with an upfront and unreleased selection of his current choices and HP dubplates. Faithful to popularity Benny also continues to push the various sounds for which he is known such as “old skool” garage, vintage dub, dubstep new and old, disco and underground dance classics.
Benny ill has also been producing music for the past 20 years under many aliases including Horsepower Productions, High Plains Drifter, Dub War, Kid Deli, Mack One and Bill & Ben. He has worked on collaborations with some of the finest artists in London’s club music scene including Loefah, Mala, NType, DJ Hatcha, and Benton (BBS).
Benny is a key member of the celebrated Horsepower Productions collective and his ongoing work as part of this continues to date, with new projects currently in progress. The latest Horsepower album, entitled “Crooks, Crime and Corruption” was released to critical acclaim by Tempa Recordings, who also released the previous 3 albums “Quest for the Sonic Bounty”, “To The Rescue” and “In Fine Style” – and many previous 12″ releases dating back to 2001.
One of the first DJ’s to appear at the long running FWD>> night in London, and many times since at all the different venues since it’s foundation in 2001, Benny was also found on the line up of the legendary DMZ nights for which he has also played since the outset.
Having performed as a DJ in various guises since 1993, Benny has played in many countries of the world for both underground and commercial promotions at clubs, festivals and on the radio. Over the years he has performed hundreds of DJ and live sets, achieving a high record of critical acclaim and a trusted reputation for his unique approach to music and genre selection. At one time or another he has played at most of London’s famous and iconic venues, including Ministry of Sound, Heaven, Fabric and Plastic People to name but a few..
Recently he has been playing at Broken Dub House, SWAMP81 in London and Berlin, Deep Medi, and festivals including Glastonbury, Found (Heritage and Born&Bred), and Sonica Festival. Radio wise, Benny is currently a regular guest DJ at Rinse FM.
Horsepower Productions are known for their originality and unique style, and have inspired many with their groundbreaking approach to music creation. Many credit them along side El-B, Zed Bias and others for the creation of the genre known as Dubstep and were an important element in the establishment of the seminal Tempa Recordings imprint. Their debut LP/CD ‘In Fine Style’ was released in November 02 and is still available, noted as a classic by many scene commentators and other influential artists. Many of their early 12” releases (now mainly out of press) are highly sought after, and have been included on compilations representing the origins of the dubstep scene.
They have consistently delighted and surprised critics with their constantly innovative approach to production. What is most apparent when you hear their music is a diversity of influence, their inspiration drawn from a cross section of music culture including UK Garage, Techno, House, Reggae, Hip Hop, Jungle, Funk and Soul as well as a particular interest in films and cinema.
