AT HOME WITH: BEN SIMS

Mon 12th Apr
AT HOME WITH: BEN SIMS


Techno titan, Ben Sims, joins us for today’s installment of At Home With.

Renowned as one of techno’s most skilled exponents, on account of his unyielding energy and fierce yet intricately weaved sets, Ben Sims’ contributions to music have earned him a legendary status . Emerging as a highly in demand DJ in the 90s, his career has now spanned three decades and despite his now veteran status, the UK-born producer continues to push the confines of expectation through his labels such as Theory and Symbolism, the Machine club-nights which shine a spotlight on underappreciated talent and his NTS residency ‘Run it Red’. His passion for all things music has never wavered, showcased perfectly by the inspiringly insightful selections he has chosen for us.

Ben’s selections include Coldcut, James Ruskin, Fix and James Redfield.





A Recent Mix:

PoleGroup Radio - Ben Sims

This is my recent mix up for the ever-reliable Pole Group Radio series from Oscar Mulero. We've been friends since the late 90s, so it was a pleasure to drop a mix for his series finally. It's a typically frenetic session, with a healthy balance of styles, new and old, classic and unreleased. I just about got away with putting Aphex Twin over DJ Godfather, too - I always enjoy throwing a curveball in the mix. I've made it a point to do as many guest podcasts and streams over the past year as possible, partly for selfish reasons as I genuinely miss doing sets 5 to 10 times a month but also because I think it's important to give back. Everyone's affected by what's going on in the world, and if I can help someone forget, or offer some escapism, just for an hour or two, then that's a positive thing.





An All Time Favourite Mix:

Coldcut - Journeys By DJ

Simply the best commercial mix CD/Cassette ever released full stop. I don't think any others even come close to it, to be honest (well, aside from related mixes like DJ Food & DK's 'Now Listen' or 'Raiding The 20th Century'). The skill and patience involved in piecing it together, plus the years of musical knowledge necessary to pull out such a killer selection is insane, but on top of that, the fact that it flows so well and maintains a cohesiveness despite it’s expedition through so many genres is both magical and enviable. I've been a fan of Coldcut since the 80s, was an avid listener of their radio show on Kiss FM, and it's fair to say they're up there with my biggest influences. Being purely into Hip Hop at the time, it was mind-blowing to hear all the different styles they mixed up, and I'm eternally grateful for all the amazing music they introduced me to.