All things vacious
10 Aug 2014 4:18 AM IST
Tell us about yourself. How did you start off?
My names Ben, I produce music and DJ under the name of Vacious - I'm originally from the UK but live in Rotterdam. I spent three years living in India and this led me back into music production and DJing after nine years (inspired by the idea of fusing Indian classical music with bass driven electronica). Â
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What was the first big break for you?
It was the first track i made after getting back into music in 2011 (titled Nine Years) Â - DJ Nihal opened his BBC Radio 1 show with it, and also used it to open his DnB set at the NH7 music festival which he headlined.
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How would you define your musical philosophy? Â
Deep, dark and energized music which simultaneously reflects the past and projects to the future. I spent three years living in India and became fascinated by Indian culture and music during this time. Hindustani and Carnatic classical music gave me a strong feeling of connection with the incredibly deep cultures that span back so many thousands of years. Separately, I’ve always been drawn towards electronic music for its energy and unique ability to create futuristic, otherworldly soundscapes. I sensed a synergy between Indian classical music that vividly reflected the past and electronic music that projects to the future – This inspired me to try and combine the two.
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How easy (or difficult) is it to make a mark in the music scene?
It's a very competitive place,  to succeed you need to have a really good product along with a solid understanding of how to promote yourself.  Unfortunately its very hard to be both unique and successful as success is so dependent on utilizing current trends.
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Tell us about your best tracks
Pleiades is one of my favourite tracks (unreleased but forthcoming on Nasha Records) as I feel it accurately represents the initial inspiration/feeling i had in mind when I started it - It's a very deep and atmospheric drum and bass track which uses a mixture of Hindustani and Carnatic samples. Another favourite is a remix of Talat Mahmoods 1954 track Meri Yaad Main Tum Na. This was played several times on BBC Radio One and Talat Mahmood's granddaughter actually contacted me to tell me that she thought he would have been fascinated by it which was very humbling. Â
My names Ben, I produce music and DJ under the name of Vacious - I'm originally from the UK but live in Rotterdam. I spent three years living in India and this led me back into music production and DJing after nine years (inspired by the idea of fusing Indian classical music with bass driven electronica). Â
Â
What was the first big break for you?
It was the first track i made after getting back into music in 2011 (titled Nine Years) Â - DJ Nihal opened his BBC Radio 1 show with it, and also used it to open his DnB set at the NH7 music festival which he headlined.
Â
How would you define your musical philosophy? Â
Deep, dark and energized music which simultaneously reflects the past and projects to the future. I spent three years living in India and became fascinated by Indian culture and music during this time. Hindustani and Carnatic classical music gave me a strong feeling of connection with the incredibly deep cultures that span back so many thousands of years. Separately, I’ve always been drawn towards electronic music for its energy and unique ability to create futuristic, otherworldly soundscapes. I sensed a synergy between Indian classical music that vividly reflected the past and electronic music that projects to the future – This inspired me to try and combine the two.
Â
How easy (or difficult) is it to make a mark in the music scene?
It's a very competitive place,  to succeed you need to have a really good product along with a solid understanding of how to promote yourself.  Unfortunately its very hard to be both unique and successful as success is so dependent on utilizing current trends.
Â
Tell us about your best tracks
Pleiades is one of my favourite tracks (unreleased but forthcoming on Nasha Records) as I feel it accurately represents the initial inspiration/feeling i had in mind when I started it - It's a very deep and atmospheric drum and bass track which uses a mixture of Hindustani and Carnatic samples. Another favourite is a remix of Talat Mahmoods 1954 track Meri Yaad Main Tum Na. This was played several times on BBC Radio One and Talat Mahmood's granddaughter actually contacted me to tell me that she thought he would have been fascinated by it which was very humbling. Â
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