Influences 009 – Soligen

For this post of our Influences series we’ve asked Soligen to talk about the releases that had the biggest impact on his career as producer & dj.

Fokuz started 2018 with a string of powerful releases, but there was one that stood out in particular. It gathered support from the likes of Rene LaVice, Zero T, Friction, Kenny Ken, Noisia, and so many more. Soligen’s “Beautiful EP” continues to sit in the Drum and Bass charts over a month after its release, and there’s no sight of it dropping off anytime soon.

Soligen is a UK based producer by the name of Ben Blake. A frequent collaborator with Type 2 and Wednesday Amelia, his style is dark, yet soul cuttingly deep. But just what are his musical influences? Where does his highly unique sound come from? For the 9th edition of our Influences series, we sat down with Ben to figure out the music behind the man.

Burial - Archangel

“When I first heard this tune, it opened my eyes to a world of creative freedom I hadn’t really connected to with any other song prior. The seemingly random and yet meticulous attention to detail, the unique use of vocal pitching at the time… a timeless tune on an Album that changed the underground scene forever.”

Random Movement - Waterlogged

“After stumbling onto Bassdrive radio on iTunes and hearing my first Drum & Bass tunes played by none other than Random Movement, I heard this tune and instantly fell in love. The way the samples are used, when those strings come in. This tune was the original reason I ever started making Drum & Bass and it’s my favorite tune of the genre.”

Benga & Coki – Night

“One of my earliest memories of Dubstep, a tune that still sounds pretty cool to this day and the eerie nature of the track has definitely influenced my music in some form or another.”

“In terms of setting the bar for Drum & Bass has to be these 3 for me. In particular hearing this masterpiece, it showed me that ideas don’t have to be so mainstream. Noisia always deliver and this is one of the many that influenced me before I became a Producer.”

Blackstreet - No Diggity

“It may not influence my music directly but, it’s just a tune and part of the R&B I was exposed to.”

Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You

“I don’t think I’ll get bored of this song, it is everything to me musically because it’s just so simple but makes me feel good.”

“If you listen to this tune you will see why I love it.”

RUN-DMC - It's Like That (Jason Nevins Edit)

“Big beats, grooves, a first for me in terms of hearing a mash up that just works and I feel it does influence me in some ways.”

Pharrell - Frontin'

“I mean, one of the most consistent producers going and also one of the most original. This one though, the melodies, the vocals… Such a cool song and definitely something I take into consideration when producing.”

Chemical Brothers – Hey Girl, Hey Boy

“It’s a Banger with the Mash, definitely got me thinking about drums and blending old breaks with modern sounds.”