Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Krebs
Hi Benjamin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Inevitably, my older brother left for college as I finished high school. Every time he made a trip home for holidays or special occasions, he would return with videos and photos of experiences I didn’t understand then. Most of these memories included his biggest passion – music. While my brother was away, he picked up DJing, and I was constantly fascinated by his ability to command a room with music.
Naturally, I became intrigued with music and started learning skills to follow in my brother’s footsteps. I too developed my DJ skills during my college years, but I was never able to match what my brother had created for himself.
As much as I enjoyed playing music in a room full of people, I never felt I was reaching my potential or truly expressing myself.
My brother and I both eventually began taking lessons online. After learning Ableton, I then felt I was able to create music; but after much trial and error, I finally created something good enough for a record label. Action Action is my first record released on NØID in 2022, which gave me the validation that my work had the potential to go somewhere.
Now with monthly shows and a collaboration with One28 (a Kansas City minimal tech collective), I am thrilled to be able to continue pursuing my passion of music.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of the struggles I encountered were more on the producing side than the playing. To me, DJing is like riding a bike and once you learn it, it sticks. Making music is incredibly hard and what I have found out is that your ears just aren’t as developed until you have put the hours in. Certain sound frequencies, sample selections, and engineering are concepts you can understand in the beginning, but something that can only be heard with time.
You can be as creative and original as possible but you cannot achieve that professional sound without proper ear training and practice.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am one of the handful of house producers in Kansas. Under the alias BENK, I create house music on Ableton and play at a selection of venues in Kansas. Although there are plentiful DJs in Kansas I am one of the few that has their own music in this genre. This has made me incredibly proud over time knowing and hearing that I am getting better at something I had taught myself.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Over the summer as a child, I competed in swimming and I was terrible at breaststroke or so I thought. During the KCCCSA I won first place in breaststroke, the emotions I felt after that and the once intangible $500 offered by my parents for such a feat I thought was impossible was so gratifying.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/BENKbeats
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/benkbeats
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benkrebsmusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/benkrebsmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nD3FGkIcd24bV0cpn2oYn?si=20sUcl2VT3iYfjq3uDuOZw
