WWF 2009: Ben Geffin aka Beni G (Jack Beats)

Have you ever thought of going back to your classical roots?

I was classically trained on the violin for a few years and took the guitar for a while. Then I moved onto dance music and stuff – it was really kicking off in the ’90s in England. Both myself and Neal (aka PlusOne of Scratch Perverts) had a really big history with dance music. In terms of my personal deejaying route, it began years ago when I first started learning.

What keeps you going?

I just love music, and I’ll always want to be involved, even if I’m not getting paid. It was a bonus getting paid all these years. I’d never get bored because I’d be doing this anyway. Music is a passion for both Neal and me. Once you’re a music person, you’re always a music person. Our record collections tell the tale.

Do you get sick of hearing about new sub-genres like fidget, lazer bass and UK funky?

New things are always coming out and there are always people who want to put little brackets around everything, and make sure things fit neatly into certain genres. I wouldn’t even be bothered about people calling stuff this and that, I’m more concerned about where we’re at. It’s really like hybrid music – total dance floor hybrid bassline music. There’s not really a name for it and I’m really not bothered.

What the hell is UK funky anyway? I know it’s got a house beat, sort of, and Caribbean influences.

Ah yes, UK funky! It’s new. It’s dancehall-based, with lots of ragga influences, with vocals and stuff. It’s like an extension of the UK garage scene with a new style. It’s really fresh and a lot of new urban artists are into it. It’s kind of crossing over from the hip-hop scene – it’s fresh new music.

Can you recommend artists for people who want to check it out?

I recommend people like Green Money – they’re my boys – and Crazy Cousins, I like them. There’s loads of good s**t out there right now.

How would you describe Jack Beats, then?

It’s definitely hybrid music, like I said. We play everything from dub to regular house and fusion, to old rave, to the jungle scene and hip hop. We mash it all up and do dance floor bassline stuff for clubs. It’s definitely club music.

Tell me an unexpected sort of song you’d like to remix.

A country and western song would be pretty spun out, like Dolly Parton or something.

Now that you’re not battling anymore, how do you stay fresh? Do you miss it?

No, I don’t miss the battle scene at all. That was great and I met loads of wicked people – I made good friends with people like Craze, A-Trak, Klever and all them. Me and Neal moved on years ago. We love what we’re doing and what’s going on. We created this thing together and it’s kicking off. It still humbles us – we’re blessed to be making money and doing well when times aren’t the greatest for lots of areas, especially music.

Ben Geffin (aka Beni G aka Jack Beats) plays at Worldwide Festival 2009 (9 May) at Café del Mar.

Check out Time Out Singapore's Worldwide Festival 2009 preview and DJ interviews.