In 2012 Ben Pearce released what can be considered one of the biggest club tracks of that year. ‘What I might Do’ received over 28 Million plays across all social media platforms and made the reserved Englishman a regular on the the global circuit. As his talent for crafting delectable house tracks shined bright, the music media sat up and noticed too, with DJ Mag awarded him ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ in 2013. Remix offers lead to him working with artists like Le Youth, Kwabs, Tender Games, Hayden James and Honne, alongside his other job as label manager for the Purp & Soul Label.
Seeing Pearce live is where the magic really happens, and the way he can ignite a dance floor has seen him play at the world’s best clubs, with even Disco master Giorgio Moroder inviting him to play at his Déjà Vu album launch party. A high accolade indeed.
Last year the global dance community were shocked to learn of his intention to take a break from DJ-ing due to a battle with depression and anxiety. Fast forward to now and the producer has a new lease on life and his career – and ready to get back into it. His latest EP Acension was just released on Different Recordings and there’s still plenty more to come. We cannot be more excited to have Ben on board, and he has delivered a classic Balance podcast mix which features stunning tracks from artists like Deetron, Eagles & Butterflies, Lee van Dowski and, of course, Ben himself….
Balance Selections Q+A
Name:
Ben Pearce
Location:
London
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/benpearcemusic/
Soundcloud:
https://www.soundcloud.com/ben-pearce-productions
Alias/Producer name:
Ben Pearce
Labels affiliated with:
Different / Pias / MTA / Houndstooth / Sony
My last 3 releases:
What music did you listen to as a child?
Mostly classical in my family from my dad. I got into rock and metal pretty quickly, but also hip hop from the skater scene. Then as I grew older I got into electronic, house, techno and disco.
When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?
It was more when I started going to house and techno parties I realised what the music was about, obviously I had heard it on the radio before but it really made sense in a club. I think seeing Danny Tenaglia in Manchester was one of the first times I can remember being properly taken with it.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
I’m inspired in so many ways, I listen to such a wide range of music when I’m at home or travelling – from soul to jazz to metal/punk. I don’t often listen to electronic music except when preparing for DJ sets or actually being in clubs. I think that’s helped me to find my own sound a little more than when I was listening to it. Producer wise there’s so many, Floating Points, Four Tet, Midland, Dark Sky, Robert Hood, Jeremy Greenspan… I could go on.
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
I use Spotify for listening and discovering music, the last new album I saved on there was Of Mice & Men – Cold World.
What is your current production and DJ set up like?
In my studio I run everything through a UAD Apollo Quad for processing, drum wise I have a 707, Tr8 and a Vermona DRM1. Synths: Roland Jupiter 50, Dave Smith Prophet 16, Dave Smith Mopho, Roland System-1, Roland TB3 and Korg Volca Sample. I use everything regularly, I don’t think I’d ever buy something I wouldn’t use on a regular basis. DJ sets I use USBs and vinyl occasionally. Currently starting to experiment with the Pioneer sampler which is amazing and that’ll probably change the way I perform live.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
I’ve got Rag’n’Bone Man and Souls that I’ve just remixed which are coming up soon. Release wise for me it’s a series of EPs on Different Recordings, the first is out very soon and the vocal version on that release is in this mix. The EPs follow a narrative with visuals so it’s really interesting to be making music with direction.
Where can we hear you perform?
I’m playing Fabric (London) and Razmatazz (Barcelona) this coming weekend, after that Junk in Southampton and Snowbombing are announced so far. Also going back down to the Southern Hemisphere pretty soon ;).
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
I mixed this live in the Pioneer Studios in London on their fantastic setup. It was pre-planned to an extent but once I got going I changed quite a lot of it. My new track Crescent (Running) is in there about half way and my new remix of Soul‘s a bit earlier. I always try to progress my mixes and play a range of music as I think that accurately sums up how I play when I DJ live.
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
Kink – Chorus, can’t get enough of playing that record
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
Ben Pearce – Cresent (Running)
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
Brand New – At The Bottom, pretty much anything by this band I recommend as they’re my favourite. This song I’ve just had my back tattoo started which is based on the lyric “some men die under the mountain just looking for gold, some die looking for a hand to hold”.
My favourite Balance compilation is:
Patrice Bäumel
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Aladdin (for about the hundredth time).
My favourite TV show:
At the moment, The Daily Show.
If I could choose anyone to compile a Balance comp it would be:
Donald Trump
Tracklisting
1. Romare – Who To Love
2. Enzo Elia – Retracing MY Steps (DJ Kaos Remix)
3. A1B – Broken
4. Eagles & Butterflies – Experiment A
5. Souls – I Wait For You (Ben Pearce Remix)
6. Eliphino – Isabella Road
7. Ben Pearce – Crescent (Running)
8. Kink – Chorus
9. Deetron – The Believer (Dub)
10. Ben Pearce – Pomelo
11. Lee Van Dowski – 050504
12. Roberto Bardini – Hate Me (Muteoscillator Fairy Tail Remix)
13. ROD – Catch
14. Phon O – Tw33tz
