Since establishing Theory Recordings
towards the end of 1997, London-based DJ / producer Ben Sims
has undergone a swift rise to prominence within the global
dance music community. His globally extensive DJ'ing performances
have earned him a ranking amongst the world's top techno spinners,
many of whom have fully embraced his studio production work.
Ben's DJ'ing apprenticeship began with
hip hop at the tender age of ten. In the fifteen years since,
his multi-styled turntable skills have developed into a precise
compound of rhythm, texture and groove. Following on from
spinning at parties, his long-running involvement with pirate
radio began in 1991. A key figure in the establishment of
London's Atmosphere FM, Ben subsequently took his skills to
the clubs when the authorities began sanitising the airwaves
in 1995.
In the years that followed, he steadily
built up a reputation for ultra-tight techno mixing, infusing
elements into his sets from his earlier days of DJ'ing hip
hop and house. Snapped up in 1999 by esteemed Berlin-based
booking agency Dy-Na-Mix, his skills behind the decks have
been much in demand, touring worldwide from Australia to the
US calling at nearly every country in between. Regular high
profile gigs throughout Europe and at long-running UK nights
such as The Orbit, Voodoo and House of God have also help
further his reputation as one of London's most exciting DJ
exports.
A self-confessed vinyl addict, Ben's
own recordings clearly reflect his long-standing passion for
groove and funk based music. His production style - an amalgamation
of jackin' Chicago funk, driving filtered loops and dark tribal
house music provided popular despite the deluge of funk-deficient
minimal cuts dominating the techno scene during the late Nineties.
In magazine interviews Ben often describes his production
of music simply as the natural continuation to many years
spent behind the decks. Forging tracks in an energetic metallic
mould with a rich, hypnotic consistency, much akin to his
DJ'ing style, he admits that his penchant for producing is
secondary to his love of playing out. Hence, he views his
studio output very much as dancefloor music constructed for
manipulation by the DJ.
After waiting patiently for both his
music and confidence to develop, Ben's first release (Theory
001) paved the way for a whole new school of floor-friendly
funk-based rhythms, gaining instantaneous recognition and
prompting an influx of recording offers. During April 1998
he began to receive widespread recognition for his first Killabite
release - a slamming EP of cut-up warehouse classics hammered
by everyone from Jeff Mills to Carl Cox. Although the Killabite
EP's were never intended for release, the records quickly
gained cult status with DJ's on both sides of the techno /
house axis, and in many ways set a precedent for the string
of sample-based dancefloor tools that ensued. Since the launch
of Theory, Ben's material has enjoyed success on numerous
prestigious labels, such as Primate, Primevil, Code Red, Tresor,
Phont Music and Pure Plastic. Following the completion of
many reputable remix projects and the launch of four further
labels - Hardgroove, Native, Symbolism and Ingoma - his records
have found constant club application from many of the scene's
most respected players, thus remaining in-situ in record boxes
around the globe.
