Benji Boko – Beats, Treats and All Things Unique (2011)

So, this is the new dancefloor/DJ sensation from U.K. featuring Maxi Jazz, Deuce Eclipse, Ricky Rankin and Mr. Louis (Boko’s seven year old cousin 😀 ) as contributing artist. Benji delivering a mixture of Electronic Funk and Trip-Hop, it’s smooth as it’s danceable, retro perfumed, but sounds kind of fresh. Take Jamiroquai and throw it in a blender with the Gorillaz and you will get something pretty close to this. The skits are kind of funny, the “music” is a minimalist, meticulously calculated series of samplers, sequencers and switches, classic beats and turns coloured with few smooth jazz piano and guitar cuts. It takes only a MIDI sequencing, multitrack recording and mixing software – for instance the excessively user-friendly ACID Pro 7 – and using the proper loop library, even my 4 years old son can deliver a few catchy dancefloor firestarters. And this lead me back to something else: not the bloody “music” matters, but who you know and who stands behind you – how many asses you kissed and most importantly, who’s ass. Read more Benji Boko – Beats, Treats and All Things Unique (2011)