Pioneering DJ/producer, Benga, hails from Croydon, East London, US, who rose out of pirate radio to become a major proponent in developing the breakout success of the dubstep genre.
Born Beni Uthman, Benga grew up in the London suburb of Croydon, spending much of his youth obsessively listening to the many pirate radio stations that transmitted out of the capital, becoming absorbed by the eclectic underground sounds. After messing around making music on his games console, Benga soon moved to digital software to make his own productions, using programs like Fruity Loops.
Finding inspiration from 2-step producers like Wookie and Horsepower Productions, as well as the burgeoning grime scene, Benga started to develop his own dubstep sounds. Spending time at Big Apple Records brought Benga into contact with Skream, another young dubstep producer on the rise. On the store’s own label, Benga released his debut track, “Skank,” in 2002. Collaborating with Skream, the pair released “The Judgement” in 2003, offering some of the most exciting sounds of the time.
Setting up his own label, Benga Beats, Benga released the three-track “Benga Beats Vol. 1” in 2004. A couple of releases on Planet Mu helped build anticipation for Benga’s debut full-length “Newstep,” in 2006 The release found praise from BBC Radio1 DJ, Mary Anne Hobbs, with dubstep increasingly becoming the music of choice for the younger generations.
Moving to the Tempa label, Benga released “Crunked Up” and “Night,” which was his first collaboration with Coki, of Digital Mystiks fame. These tracks offered a taster for his next album, “Diary of an Afro Warrior” in 2008. Whilst still offering new tracks on a regular basis, as well as being a regular on the international dance scene, it was not until 2013 that a new full-length arrived, aptly titled “Chapter II.”
Lou Terry
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