Ben Hemsley

Ben Hemsley represents a new wave of young electronic music artists who have emerged in the last couple of years.

There's nothing pretentious about Ben. To the untrained eye, he just looks like a kid who grew up in social housing in the north of England - and that's because he is.

Down-to-earth but totally absorbed by dance music culture, a more genuine lad you’re unlikely to find. He's just so damn likable.

Along with Ewan McVicar, Meg Ward and Hannah Laing, Ben is part of an upstart group of British DJs bringing fresh energy and renewed enthusiasm to the scene. Learning from the mistakes of past generations, they have thrown conventions over gatekeeping and militant genre boundaries out of the window.

This approach led to some derision from the establishment, but the truth is Ben and his peers just make and play that they love.

His style is hard to pigeon-hole, with influences ranging from house, happy hardcore and trance. It's what Ben likes to call "rave nostalgia" - essentially head-rushing, euphoric dance music that hits you in the feels and makes you put your arms around your friends.

Being from the northeast of England, a fertile patch for house music, Ben quickly caught the attention of fellow Geordie, Patrick Topping. It was almost inevitable he would end up releasing on Trick; later becoming a regular fixture in the label's party series.

Doing his own thing and ignoring the trends is a big part of Ben's appeal, so it came as little surprise when he launched a label of his own. Referencing one of his earlier hits Bebé Música, bebé is a platform for Ben and his friends to express themselves and present a modernized version of trance and rave that they loved in their youth.

2022 was capped-off by a landmark set at Creamfields - the UK's largest and longest running electronic music festival that takes place annually in the Cheshire countryside. Lauded by critics and attendees alike, this signaled the next stage of his career.

Despite his young age and a profile that's still very much in its infancy, Ben is already selling-out headline shows the length of the British Isles - and the capacities keep getting bigger.

It won't be long until he's conquering Europe, North America and the rest of the world in his own charming and humble way.