P-BEN – INFLUENCE

Following a succession of well-received EPs on Motech over the last year P-Ben now releases his debut long-player. ‘Influence’ is set for release 02 March.

P-Ben is a DJ and producer from the south of France who first honed his DJing skills playing raves and underground clubs some 15 years ago alongside some of the greats in the techno scene like Mark Broom, Oxia, The Advent, Deetron and Jack de Marseille. Later on he caught the production bug and began releasing on labels like Soulman Music, Deep Disco and Naked Lunch as well as his own label PBR Music launched in 2010, Pulsar in 2011 and Groove Factory in 2013 before taking up residence with DJ 3000’s Motech imprint in 2014.

Preceded by the anthemic single ‘This Song Is The Way’ (complete with its euphoric preacher sample), P-Ben delivers an album which straddles both house and techno camps, reminiscent in parts of the tough Chicago grooves of days gone by, introspective Detroit motifs and European dancefloor know how.

Following a gorgeously shimmering intro P-Ben slips into the electro-tinged ‘Fifteen Years There Was Bones’ before ‘From A South Place’ delves into the deep end of techno, only to emerge via the swinging stabs and chords of ‘Old Soul Music’. ‘Analog Trip’ buffets the listener with rolling chi-town pads and claps whilst ‘Another Way’ continues the no nonsense dancefloor pummeling with Millsesque funk. The likes of ‘Good News’, ‘Bang’ and ‘Ultimate’ provide more dancefloor thunder before P-Ben finally rides out on the more restrained refrains of ‘July’.

He may wear his dancefloor ‘Influences’ on his sleeve but P-Ben twists them through his own techno prism into a new French Fried Funk.