How would you define Hardgroove? Some claim it comes straight from the mind & heart; others believe its source can be found in the dancing and energetically bumping feet on the dancefloor. Theories might be numerous, but we decided to ask this question to one of this genre’s brightest stars, Ben Sims himself.
This Friday, 24th October, The UK Hardgroove pioneer is coming back to Warsaw’s Jasna 1 to serve the best selection of tracks that won’t let you leave the dancefloor for a single minute. “I’m happiest when I can experiment a little, throw in different styles and change up the groove throughout the set and feel like the crowd is with me”, says Ben to Agata Omelańska, the U. journalist. And if you haven’t had the occasion to feel your grooving heart at the fullest, we’re more than sure that Ben will awaken it with its masterpiece selection!
Agata Omelańska: Hi Ben, welcome back to Jasna! It’s a pleasure to have you here in Warsaw again – last year you had the honour to play and celebrate the venue’s 7th birthday – and I would like to start from the little throwback and bring some memories from that night. I hope you had as much fun as the dancers and the whole club had!
Ben Sims: Yeah, it was a great night, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and got some positive feedback from the crowd too. I always do my best to bring my A-game to special occasions; I try to for every gig, obviously, but even more so for unique parties. It’s a landmark event and I want to deliver more than just a DJ set.
Can you recall the best, the craziest or the most surprising memory of Jasna’s birthday party? Actually, all of the mentioned options are welcome!
The craziest or most surprising memory is probably that even in Warsaw, I still get some shouts of ‘Benito’ from the crowd (my nickname in Spain). It automatically makes me feel at home and relax knowing the crowd are familiar with what I do, I just wasn’t expecting it in Poland, to be honest.
The best was the warm response to the music I played,
I’m happiest when I can experiment a little, throw in different styles and change up the groove throughout the set and feel like the crowd is with me.
It certainly felt like they were on that night.
What’s the best thing about “the Jasna experience”? I know the raver’s perspective, but I’m curious how you perceive it as a performing artist.
It’s an intimate venue, reminiscent of legendary London club, Corsica Studios, and I’d say is pretty much the perfect size, plus from the booth I could see everyone in the room. I’m not a huge fan of only being able to see the first row of people in front of me, as it’s often the dancers going crazy in their own little world at the back that are the most inspiring to play for.
It’s great to see a crowd that isn’t all automatically just facing the DJ too. I’m not one of those guys who thinks you shouldn’t see the DJ at all (when I’m on the dancefloor I definitely want the option of seeing what they’re doing technically or I might as well be dancing to a prerecording… pretty sure I have a few times) – iit just feels better and creates more exciting vibe when the crowd is feeling the music in their own unique way and Jasna definitely has that.
What’s the definition of a proper techno club, according to Ben Sims? Could you please name 3 most important elements of a good venue – both to play and have fun in?
When I’m on the floor, it’s all about space to move, great sound that you can feel in your body, as well as hear and a clear view of the DJ. If I’m playing – great sound again, a slightly elevated booth (so I can see everyone), and space to do my thing without tripping over cables or people (laughs).
Okay, let’s leave the spaces and bring the music as the main topic! You’re considered an icon, a pioneer, a very prominent icon of electronic dance music – not only in techno, but also groove, disco, house and many other genres. You’re also touring, running 2 labels (Hardgroove and Symbolism), hosting a NTS Radio showcase “Run It Red”, as well as 2 club night series. Which of these projects do you spend most time on? And can you imagine your life without any music-oriented activity?
Music has been my passion since I was old enough to think for myself, so I’ll always be doing something. It’s my first true love and will continue to be a huge part of my life, regardless of whether it’s my ‘job’ or not.
The touring takes up the most time, obviously, but it’s rare that I’m not multitasking on the road, editing tracks, gluing together my radio or podcasts, etc. There aren’t enough hours in the day for all the music related things I’d like to do, sadly, but I try to fit in as much as I can.
It’s my hobby, escapism and work all rolled into one, so I wouldn’t know how to have a day off from it, even if I tried.
And speaking about upcoming releases on Hardgroove and Symbolism: I heard that there is some new music coming, still this year. Can you please tell us something more about them?
Of course, there’s always something in the pipeline. Next up are killer EPs from returning artists, Ritzi Lee and Amorphic on Symbolism, plus debuting on Hardgroove are Fixon and Jen Cruz.
There’s also the long awaited follow up to our ASSAILANTS EP on Obscurity is Infinite (the sporadic label I run with Truncate), ANNĒ drops 3 remixes of my ‘Snapshot 99’ cut on Hardgroove and Surgeon, Ø [Phase], Deniro and Troy step up with reworks of album cuts from Mike Storm and Ritzi Lee on Symbolism, too.
“..If you’re going to call it Hardgroove, know what Hardgroove is…”. I remember when I heard these words for the first time, I was very confused, because I was unable to describe this sound or genre. I simply enjoyed dancing to the melodic, rhythmic and absolutely-no-breaks tracks that made me feel really happy from the inside. What is the real and proper definition of Hardgroove, according to Ben Sims?
Initially, I just used the term to define my style of DJ-ing and the kind of tracks I’d play. It was a catch all / umbrella definition for the variety of styles I included in my mixes or occasional DJ sets in the mid 90s prior to being on the circuit.
Techno with funk & groove, raw edged house and jacking tracks, plus the odd rave flavoured cut – and once I started releasing my own music in the late 90s, it was essentially all of those things, but in one track or on one EP.
My first love was hip hop, so that’s in there too, extending disco breaks or manipulating vocals from my favourite records and creating something else from it. The house guys like Todd Terry, Masters at Work, etc., who brought that hip hop approach into house music were hugely influential – as were Jeff Mills and Steve Bicknell in the techno world, drawing from their own musical history and bringing that into their music via sampling loops and riffs from old records.
It’s quite difficult to define exactly what I’d class as Hardgroove or a Hardgroove track because it can be many things. But groove based, funk drenched, raw edged tools for real DJs is close.
And when you’re listening to demos that were sent: what kind of tracks are you searching for? What draws your attention and makes you wanna hear more?
I’m mostly just looking for ammunition for my DJ sets, in the same way I would if I was going through records in a shop or files online. If I don’t play it, I won’t release it, probably not the best business model and I’m sure I’ve turned down loads of ‘hits’ over the years, but it needs to connect with me personally first. If other people love it too – great, that’s just not the priority, to be honest.
I’m mainly wanting to hear some identity in the music, a freshness or something unique to the artist.
It’s the easiest it’s ever been to copy whatever’s popular, so I’m far more likely to connect with something surprising or a bit of a curveball. Obviously, it’s practically impossible to be truly original in a genre that has been so prolific since the 80s, but having your own angle on it or a new twist is hugely important, especially now.
You’re performing both as Ben Sims – the techno icon, as I’ve already mentioned – and Ron Bacardi, the disco/house alias. You’re also known for your passion for other genres, such as dub / roots, funk, soul or hip hop. Your music horizons are limitless, and so inspiring at the same time!
Ha! I wouldn’t say limitless, there’s plenty of music that I simply can’t bear at all. My thing has always been music of black origin, initially hip hop and breakdance era; electro, that lead to soul, funk & disco from seeking out the sample sources in my favourite tracks and when I was old enough to go to clubs/raves etc. House music and the early techno that was played alongside it.
For me, they’re all connected and all have crossover moments. When I was a kid I obsessively tuned into pirate radio shows and things weren’t so defined into different genres then. You had specialist shows and I might have initially looked for a hip hop show, but end up listening to reggae, rare groove or jazz after it, and loving that too. I’m primarily a techno DJ, obviously, but for me,
it’s all part of the same love affair and I couldn’t imagine having to just choose one genre to listen to for the rest of my life.
In terms of techno or groove I would surely check the “Run It Red” showcase, but can you please recommend some music from dub or soul? These two genres are my current top 1 interests and I would love to hear some inspiration from you.
Sure, here’s a few I highly recommend checking out that dropped in the past few years;
Soul/Boogie/Disco:
Shiva – Never Gonna Give You Up. Isle of Jura
Dave Lee ZR & Maurissa Rose – No Question About it. Z Records
Leisure Dub (feat Armanious) – Weekend Waiting (Jeep Beat Mix). Lexx Music
Soul II Soul – A Dream’s a Dream (Ron Trent Remix). Funki Dreds
North End – Can’t Put No Price On Love. Z Records
Roots/Dub:
Prince Philip – Dubplates & Raw Rhythm from King Tubby’s Studio 1973-1976. Prince Philip
Jah Shaka, Mad Professor & Norman Twinkle – African Message Dub 1 + 2. Ariwa
Indica Dubs (feat Danman) – When Jah Come. Indica Dubs
Nat Birchall – Drums in Dub. Ancient Archive of Sound
Chazbo – Shaka The Great. Dubshop NL
Actually, I’m doing a 2 hour Roots & Dub show on Totally Wired Radio at the end of the month, check that out for a selection of gems from the 70s til present day!
Last but not least – so many years in the industry, so many great gigs and back-to-backs in your career. Is there something that you’re dreaming of or some wish you’d like to come true? Or maybe you have some other, non music-related dream?
My ambitions within the industry were all relatively humble when I started out. To be honest, I just wanted to play at the same party as some of my heroes or for them to play some of my music in their sets – and, luckily, that happened pretty early on. If anything, my desire is just to continue what I’m doing, play great gigs, put out mixes, release music I’m excited about and host some cool parties.
I don’t really have specific goals I’m aiming for, and I’ve never really been in it for the glory or fame. Success in the industry often now means how popular you’re perceived to be or how fast your star rises – but for me,
doing the thing I love, on my own terms, to the best of my ability, for as long as possible, is my idea of success.
I hugely admire the people in the scene who’ve done their time and continue to innovate and inspire without losing their identity or soul along the way, that’s more important to me. At the end of the day, if it all stopped tomorrow, I’ve already have achieved far more than I ever could have dreamed of.
Thank you so much for the interview and inspiration! Good luck tonight at Jasna and may your techno star shine brighter and brighter!