Theory Therapy 95: Blu:sh
Downtempo favourites from Chinatown, NYC
I'm really pleased to welcome Berlin-based producer Blu:sh fka Benoit B onto the series. Recorded live at Silence Please in New York's Chinatown, his mix leans into instinct – gently pulling together ambient, downtempo and trip-hop through mood and feel.
Hey Benoit – hope you’re doing well. How’s your year been treating you so far?
Hi! Thank you for letting me be part of the mix series, it’s a pleasure. I’m great!
I took the time to work on some new music and collabs during the Winter in Berlin. 2 EPs (one on Kalahari Oyster Cult and one on Step Ball Chain) have seen the light and also my self released compilation called Club Love 2. They are a good spectrum of the club music I enjoyed making. And I’m feeling extra lucky to work with labels I really like and find myself in. I also have been making music with Georgia Bird from IN2STELLAR. And also with dvdv, a singer/songwriter based in Berlin, for my downtempo/trip-hop and ambient alias Terra Utopia. And we have an LP ready.
What was the last track you listened to?
A song called My Revolution by Dibaba, a cute melodic house/pop song released in 2005.
You’ve released music across labels like Kalahari Oyster Cult, Step Ball Chain and Punctuality over the past few years. Has releasing so widely changed the way you think about your music, or the contexts you imagine it being played in?
Well, Blu:sh core is club music. I’m having fun making music with different energy and sounds in order to either have a peak time track or an early morning after hour party track. This is where I find excitement in my creativity, to not stay stuck in one vibe and keep on exploring, challenging myself and make hybridations. My motto is to stay dancy, sassy and freaky.
Talk us through your Theory Therapy mix a little – where did it come together, and what kind of headspace were you in while recording it?
It was recorded live in China Town, NYC. It’s a daytime place called Silence Please where people show up to have a coffee or work. And it’s also the showroom of a Hi-fi speakers brand called Silence Please. So in the middle of hectic Manhattan, you can chill, read or work and listen to an ambient/chill set on these impressive tailor made speakers. And it was perfect for me to play some music I don’t play in clubs.
The transitions in the mix feel very fluid and associative rather than strictly functional. When mixing, are you usually thinking more harmonically, emotionally, rhythmically – or purely instinctively?
Very instinctively. With this one, I’ve roughly prepared 3 parts: the opening, the middle part with non-beatless ones and and the landing. But beyond that, it's built on the moment.
Where would you recommend listening to the mix?
Walking, dreaming, drifting…
What’s something coming up this year that you’re particularly excited about – musically or otherwise?
I’ve been working on some new music with my alias Terra Utopia the past few months with my friend, singer and writer dvdv. We have a 9 song album ready and are currently looking for a label to release it. The result is a contemporary trip hop/down-tempo playing with deep diving vocals, detailed sounds, percussive dreams and glistening pads dealing with heartache, city-life, escaping or changes. I’m also finalizing an EP for Inner Lakes label Lagunas, with Blu:sh and starting to work on a Blu:sh live set.