The Year In Bass: Ben UFO

Perhaps now more than ever, electronic dance music is in a state of flux.

The behemoth that dubstep became is continuing to splinter in a myriad of beautiful shapes, with house enjoying a much required renaissance. The lack of any clear path through the chaos is what makes the scene so exciting - the lack of a blueprint is simply allowing more and more imagination to seep in.

Through his profoundly eclectic DJ sets and his tenure at the head of Hessle Audio, Ben UFO has skipped across the currents of what has become known as UK bass. Asked to DJ at FWD>>'s anniversary party, the turntablist has come - for many - to signify the eclectic, broad based environment which the sound system scene has become.

Sitting down with the DJ and label owner, ClashMusic fired a few important questions...

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It seems 2011's bass music went up a gear by dropping down the hype and losing the wobble, would you agree and what led to this?

The more time passes, the less of a connection I see between the two strands of music you're talking about. The more aggressive, impact-driven stuff you mention has grown enormously over the last few years, all over the world, and is now something completely distinct, removed from anything around it or anything it may have evolved from. From my perspective, the music I'm involved with, whatever people choose to call it, feels a lot more connected to the history of London dance music, and whereas even a year ago I may have clung to the idea of dubstep as a name to unify all the different styles of music being made at the moment, I now don't see much value in that.

You've forged a rep as the DJs' DJ. How close have you come to releasing a tune?

I haven't tried at all. When I was very young I looked into production software, and I'm obviously surrounded by producers now, so I have some idea of the process, but I've never actually made a concerted effort to produce music. It's something that I'd like to do at some stage, but I'm in no rush. There are clear connections between DJing and producing, but I'm keen to emphasize the idea of DJing as an art form in itself.

You were honoured as FWD>>'s DJ of the year, quite the honour - but what were you initial thoughts when you heard this was happening?

I was obviously very pleased. It felt slightly overwhelming given the huge part that FWD>> played in my musical development. When I was first exposed to the music, FWD>> and DMZ were really the only places you could go to hear dubstep on a soundsystem. The experiences I had there, and the friends I made there, will stay with me forever.

What can we expect from Hessle as far as minute shifts in sound over the next 12 months ahead?

We released our compilation '116 & Rising' a few months ago, and that project really dominated our lives for a long time. Putting it together was a great experience, and I think it achieved what we wanted it to, but it won't change the way we approach releasing music. We will continue to release dancefloor oriented singles on vinyl, and we'll continue to seek out new producers and new music.

Your mixes are washed in the spirit of house, but why wont this spirit ever fade out?

House music is something that's been around so long, and is such a broad genre description, that its 'spirit' can mean radically different things to different people. One of the things that's interested me most recently has been witnessing the amount of music that's being written with house as a template, but without vast knowledge or reverence for its history. It allows a certain level of experimentation that would be difficult with a greater awareness of the generally recognised limitations and boundaries of the genre. The fact that a lot of the music coming out of London at the moment is being embraced wholeheartedly by established house music communities speaks volumes as to their openness and generosity. I hope it continues.

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Interview by Matthew Bennett

Keep up to date with Hessle Audio HERE.