Interview: Bristol Native Ben Westbeech Breaks LP-Less Dry Spell with a Lively and Collaborative New Record

Ibiza-based multi-hyphenate Ben Westbeech is back with his first LP in over ten years, and he’s determined to prove he’s got plenty of talent within himself on ‘Everything Is Within You.’

Stream: ‘Everything Is Within You’ – Ben Westbeech

“Honesty is the best policy,” as we know from one famous Ben.

And also, “Honesty is the best ingredient for some funky new jams,” as another notable Ben might say. The latter, of course, being Ben Westbeech, who has spent many years touring, DJ’ing, producing, songwriting performing cello and violin, and more. He’s been incredibly musically prolific in a lot of areas, with one notable exception being that it’s been a considerably long time since Westbeech released a solo album – his last one being 2011’s There’s More to Life Than This. Yet the man is keen on demonstrating that his musical versatility has endured throughout that hiatus, and also to show just how far the theme of truth-telling can take you in the studio.

Everything Is Within You - Ben Westbeech — Everything Is Within You – Ben Westbeech

“This album is about speaking the truth. The truth from within,” he says “It isn’t about me or you. It’s about everything that is within.”

Around that central theme, Westbeech has been able to craft some compelling and genre-blending melodies, many of which take after the atmosphere in Ibiza, Spain, where he has been living for some time, although he returned to his native England in order to record his new album at a studio in London. He lets a wide range of guest artists do the singing while he crafts the beats – Obi Franky, Dames Brown, RAHH, Karen Harding, and Davie & Mousse T are among the vocal invités here. The finished project, entitled Everything Is Within You, is designed to get listeners to move their bodies, while also giving them something to challenge their minds.

“This album is crafted for the dancefloor, yet it is rooted in truth, vulnerability, and authentic human connection,” as he explains. Westbeech elaborates on how he manages to pack all of that much into a party-ready record for Atwood Magazine.

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:: stream/purchase Everything Is Within You here ::

:: connect with Ben Westbeech here ::

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A CONVERSATION WITH BEN WESTBEECH

Atwood Magazine: Having divided your time between various parts of England (Bristol, Hertfordshire, London), what are some artistic influences that you've picked up as you've made your way across the country?

Ben Westbeech: That’s funny you should ask that as I have just had a conversation with Si from 2 Bad Mice on my way from Ibiza to London. When I was 12, I was heavily into Drum and Bass and Sean. Si and Rhodesy were friends with my dad at the time in Hertford where we had just moved to. They were coined as the originators of drum and bass, and that would stick with me for the rest of my career.

When I was working with Kelis, I asked them to do a remix, and they said they hadn’t been in the studio for years, so that was really nice to get them back into it. They’ve been rolling them out ever since. I first heard Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” in a flat above where I used to live, and that changed my life forever. 15 years old, surrounded by weed smoke – I went on to work with Roy on The Vision record, which was my ultimate goal as a collaborator. I then moved to London, where I did work experience with Shy FX and T Power, when they had just made “Shake Your Body,” which was a huge crossover record. Maybe it influenced my hit “Jack,” under my Breach Alias, as that was also an underground-belter-turned-hit.

In Bristol, I was introduced to DJ Die through Clipz and ended up making my first album with the help of them. Di mixed the album, and I was introduced to all of the Bristol sound that I’d been so obsessed with all the years before, the likes of Portishead and Massive Attack and Tricky. Roni Size and Krust also were a big influence. One of the people working at Full Cycle there ended up giving my first CD to Gilles Peterson after a meeting in a Saab 900, which essentially got me signed to Brownswood for Welcome to the Best Years of Your Life. So, those early years between all these places in England set me up for a career in music which, if you’d told me then, I probably wouldn’t have believed.

This is your first full-length album since 2011. What made you decide it was finally time to record a follow-up after over 10 years?

Well, I’d been hugely busy with my Breach project, and after I made two Top 10 records and toured as a DJ for 10 years, I was ready to do something different. I then went on to make The Vision record as I slowed down my touring, which was another five years. I tend to get fully involved with albums when I make them, kind of like how a method actor gets when playing a part. So, when the time was ready and I was in the right place musically, I was prepared to make a follow-up to my work before. I also chose to work with other vocalists more on this record. I think as I have matured as a producer. I wanted to step away from singing on all of the records and enlisted some of the finest talent I have come across to bring the music to where it needed to go.

You collaborate with a solid range of vocalists and producers on this album. What sort of interactions did you have in the studio with them? What do you think is the ultimate outcome of making a record as highly collaborative as this one is?

Ben Westbeech: Well, on the first day of the sessions, I met Holly (RAHH) and Nick Sheldon, who I ended up using as the engineer for most of the album. We were played an instrumental from Honey Dijon, Luke Solomon and Chris Penny, which contained a piano loop at the beginning that would become “Times Are Changing.” We then wrote the whole song over the piano, and within about three hours, we were just all looking at each other with smiles on our faces and joy in our souls.

Then, Karen Harding came in the next day over a Hot Toddy Beat and DAVIE over a Mousse T. beat the next, and it all just came together very quickly! I had worked with Obi Franky, before as she covered for Andreya Triana on some of The Vision shows, and we had a great connection, so it was important for me to get her on the album. I also use the Dames Brown from Detroit who were recorded by Moodyman and they had been so great on The Vision record, I just had to get them involved on this one too. All of us had that positivity about what we were trying to say and do with the record, and that sense of hope rang true within it all. I am so thrilled to call them all good friends and family now. I see Holly, Nick and Obi a lot and they have become a massive part of my life.

In your own words, ''This album is about speaking the truth. The truth from within. It isn't about me or you. It's about everything that is within.'' What songs or particular moments on the album do you think illustrate this theme especially well?

Ben Westbeech: “All In You” is a good one to start with here, as the lyrics typify what we are saying with the album’s title, and the start of it, “It’s all in you, you never have to search so far,” really speaks to that sentiment. What we are trying to get across is a sense of self-belief and hope, in that you can change your situation from within and strive to search for a better understanding of yourself, your life and the world around you.

“Your Voice” is another one I would reference, as it speaks about being proud of who you are and not to shy away from that, and to believe in yourself. The lyrics, “sing it louder, you can be prouder,” and “I wanna hear your voice, It’s your choice,” are saying that to the listener. I dedicated that to all minorities that seemed to be being oppressed at the moment in these unhinged backward times where leaders seem to be undoing the work of those before them and creating mass divide.

The album has been described as your transition ''from singer-songwriter to producer, curator, and arranger.'' What has that transition been like? What are some key similarities/differences between your former and current roles?

Ben Westbeech: Over the years, I think I have matured as a producer and not wanted to jump on everything I do as a vocalist. My first two albums were all about my voice, and I was trying to make records solely for that purpose. It was when I made music with Andreya Triana on the Breach records and then Kelis that I started to enjoy the collaboration more between producer and singer. Again, with The Vision record, where we worked with the likes of Roy Ayers, Dames Brown and Andreya Triana I was seeing how music would take itself where it wanted to go and, instead of me trying to sing it all, I could write the stuff and then get people who were more suited on certain tunes to make something even more special. Not to say that I won’t make any solo records again in the future, but it was where I was at at the time and it was where the music was demanding to be taken. I have always written, produced, sung and arranged my records, so it was time to do that with people who I think are the best of the best.

Have you been able to perform some of these songs live? What would you say have been the audience's main takeaways from the music?

Ben Westbeech: Yes, we recorded a live session in Ibiza with a band that’s on YouTube to watch and also performed some shows with Louie Vega and his live band in London and Manchester, and the vibe was incredible. After the gig, I spoke to a few of the fans, and they said it gave them a sense of hope and joy with a dancefloor relatability. The overall reaction was that the music had “soul,” which was something that made me very happy, as that’s what I strive to do.

Aside from music, have there been any other projects or life events keeping you active lately?

Ben Westbeech: Well, I have a 4-year-old son called Edan, so he keeps me incredibly busy, as you can imagine. He brings so much joy into my world. I’ve also got really into long-distance sea swimming, as I swam to the island of Es Vedra last year in Ibiza, and it started a love affair with the deep blue sea! That then spurred me onto learn how to spear fish and catch my own food from the sea, which has been a little cary at times but well worth it, as there is nothing like cooking fish you have caught and gutted yourself. I tend to barbecue it or make ceviche, something I learned from the chef Miguel from Hambre restaurant, next to where I live. So, when I’m not making records I tend to spend my time in the sea. I also love laughing with my mates over a few beers, so you’ll either find me in the pub or by the water.

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