18.02.2011

Let's start with a big Thank You to respected DJ, tastemaker and music enthusiast Gilles Peterson for discovering Ben Westbeech's first track 'So Good Today' 5 years ago. Massively impressed by just this single song, Peterson signed him to his Brownswood Recordings label who released the debut LP 'Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life'. The album showcases Ben’s skills and range as a singer-songwriter and vocalist, and has received a glowing reception from critics and fans. Then, in 2009, much admired and respected house label Strictly Rhythm approached Ben and suggested he record an album for them. “I was given a totally free rein and put together a list of House-y producers I wanted to work with and whose music I love” explains Ben. The result is a reinvigorated Ben Westbeech, and his accomplished, albeit overdue, second album 'There’s More To Life Than This'. For the record, Ben has worked with a stellar line-up, including Soul Clap, Henrik Schwarz, Lovebirds, Motor City Drum Ensemble and Georg Levin, and these collaborations have found all parties challenging themselves to come up with something fresh and new. The end result isn’t so much a straight ‘House’ album, rather “House inspired”, says Ben. “It’s turned into something else over time; there’s so many different angles you can come at it from, it doesn’t just have to be Kick Drum/Hi- Hat/Clap/Bass. You don’t have to be confined, you can branch out. I’ve slowed the tempos down, worked guitars and folk techniques into the sound, and focussed on song-writing craft. I wanted to make something timeless.”