- about me -
Name:
Ben Hayes. I used to try and keep an air of mystery about it all, but since someone put it on Wikipedia there's not a lot of point.
Age:
Old enough to be cynical. Young enough to still give a shit.
Location:
North-East Wales. Nice to look at but culturally pretty barren. Also a bit of a problem when you're miles away from anything 'happening', even in this internet age.
Describe what you do...
I make music. I play music. I got swept up on a wave of "bootlegs" (or "mash-ups" if you're reading this in America) in the early part of this century, and made a reasonable name for myself in that field. A blessing and a curse at the same time.
I've a couple of official and several unofficial remixes under my trousers, a noisy electronic rock 12" single which a few people bought (those few who actually knew it existed...), several hours worth of radio session work for the BBC, XFM and other stations around the world, as well as the aforementioned mash-up/bootleg tracks which I'll probably never shake off... especially the one involving "Bombscare".
The "Radio Soundhog" mixes are where my love really lies. They're hard work, not just a load of records slapped together, but they're the only place all the "skills" I "learned" making bastard pop, my love of diverse music and my ear for detail can come together.
Recently I've made everything from experimental noise to pop remixes, and they're all rewarding. This isn't sounding too wanky, is it? I could babble on about 'pushing back frontiers' and '21st century rockfloor dancetronic uber-mash blah blah blah' but that'd be a load of old cobblers, wouldn't it? I just like to please people's ears and feet.
You're trying to distance yourself from the 'scene' that gave you your break?
I don't need to try. It's full of talentless arseholes, most of which couldn't pick out a musical note if it was hanging from their nose. Actually, it always was... and I suppose it's no different to any "movement". Just don't call me a "mashup DJ" or I'll probably start shouting obscenities at you. Unless it's on a poster advertising a night at a large club where I'm getting loads of cash and free drinks, in which case I'll possibly turn a blind eye.
I can't be too rude about the old days at least, because without them I wouldn't even be where I am today (wherever that actually is) even though the novelty soon wore off. It's just all so really horrible now, beyond a joke. Sadly there are enough stupid listeners out there who keep egging the bastards on. Demand more from your music, people.
So you're a DJ as well?
Yes, and a bloody good one at that. Recorded evidence is available for non-believers on request. I only do CDs these days, I'm long past the point where it was worth getting my record collection trashed and a hernia into the bargain - it's the music that's important. None of that pre-mixing shite, or just playing loads of tracks at the same tempo with 16 bars of open beats at either end though... You get out what you put in.
So why aren't you called 'DJ Soundhog' then?
No idea. The thought never crossed my mind.
Any musical education?
I watched "Play Guitar with Ulf Goran" on TV once. I got up to get a drink during end of part one, stepped on the neck of the spanish guitar I was trying to play and broke the headstock off. A few years later I learned the riff from The Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" and took it from there, really.
Did you have anything to do with that thing that featured Eminem and an old ragtime style piano tune? Or the one with all the old TV theme tunes? The ones that that Ch*is Moy**s bloke played a hell of a lot on his afternoon R1 show a couple of years back...
Yes. That's my alter-alter ego "The Freelance Hairdresser". Nobody knew that I'd done it at the time, as old Chris isn't known for crediting people much (ask the folks at TV Cream). Still, I'm sure it did his show the power of good for a while. His show did fuck all for me, like... unfortunately it launched a torrent of copycat mixes. I'm truly sorry for that.
Lots of people like to include quotes about them that famous and/or influential people have said about them. Got any for us?
No, sorry. I keep forgetting them. I should write them down in a notebook or something. They were all pretty gushing, though.
What made you want to be in the music business?
Watching 'Bad News' and 'More Bad News' on video, over and over again, when I was 16.
What does the future hold?
Good question. I'm hoping that I'll one day be recognised for the individual talent I am. It probably won't happen until I'm dead though. Rock 'n' roll, eh?