Beat Wala Jo Youle

Ben Westbeech has his roots steeped in the Bristolian music scene and is a producer, vocalist, DJ and classically trained cellist and pianist who lives in Ibiza.

As a teenager, he got hooked on knock-off rave tapes and bought his first decks when he was only 12 and went to his first parties at Bagleys in London´s Coal Drops Yard.

He has since worked under many aliases and switched music styles, which he says is due to the fact he makes music for himself, not an audience.

Ben´s work has ranged from Jazz to hip hop, house and drum and bass and he has worked with a broad array of talent, from DJ Marky and Redlight to Kelis and Gilles Peterson, and combines his collaborative instincts with making his own stuff and running his own record label.

His latest record which is scheduled for June is called Everything is Within You and Ben gave us an exclusive listen and chance to include one, as yet unreleased track, at the end of the episode, All in You (46.10).

Martin Stimming joins us to talk about his latest album Elderberry, which is a Live Techno concept LP in our next episode, which he says in parts is “mildly aggressive.”The fifth track on board, called The Seeker, is a moment where things get a little bit harder on the all hardware effort and he says it was created during lockdown at his Hamburg home. The german music producer is well known for using hand-made sounds and field recordings in his compositions, and crafting improvised sounds during live sets, but making this record was very much a static process for the tan tracks on board. He explained how he moulded a deeper, more techno oriented sound in parts, which he had time to systematically put together while taking care of his three sons. Elderberry was unleashed in full playback session at Akasha Ibiza where we recorded this interview after a full analysis.It’s out now on Carl Cox & Christopher Coe´s record label, Awesome Sound Wave, which is a 100% live artist label, focused on live electronic music artists.

Ten years ago we met French electronic duo, dOP at the Pacha Hotel, before their gig at Wisdom of the Glove with Guy Gerber.

In today´s Episode we hear what wisdom they have collected through 30 years of friendship after meeting at school.The pair play and perform 100% their own music and we had an honest heart felt chat at Pikes about their party days, becoming a father (Damian Vandesande) and how that has changed things, discuss their time living and producing in Berlin compared to Paris for inspiration and how that shaped their musical identity, plus their sources of inspiration and why there is so much “hype” in the music industry around certain artists and how that can destroy everything for some and make or break bands.Not to mention that “Horny” moment in the pool at Sonar Festival and THAT video that went viral as a result and how it impacted their notoriety.

Christian Löffler joins us to talk about his new album, "A Life" for our third edition of Beat Wala and explains why his latest record is a departure from his usual love of melancholic music.

Löffler delves into unexplored territory by looking into the influence of artificial intelligence in music making and reflects on his personal musical journey in this podcast recorded before his show at Akasha in Ibiza.

He says, reworking the likes of Chopin, Bach and Beethoven for Deutsche Grammaphon marked a turning point for him. After the release of Parallels: Shellac Reworks as part of the DG initiative The Shellac Project, it gave him a lift.

The German conceptual artist and composer was forced to step away from well-trodden paths to create his own interpretations of the classical greats which, as he explains, opened up a welcome dialogue between past and present and allowed him to step into a new future of the way he creates, which is demonstrated, on A Life´s first single, Roused with Malou.

Our second guest in the Beat Wala series is Tulum based artist Eduardo Castillo.

He seeks out spaces in which self-expression, rediscovery and human connection can prosper, adapting musically to each environment.

His sound encompasses the depth of his studies in the industry and influences stemming from a South American and European upbringing.

He crafted his art through music composition, orchestration and was also training to become a tenor in opera during his time in New York after leaving his Venezuelan home aged 18.

His in depth study provide him with a vast understanding of harmonies, dynamics and musical textures and last summer he brought The Overview Effect to Ibiza where Jo Youle hosted todays conversation in his private, temporary home in the island countryside.

He frequently fuses Jazz, Avant-Garde, Middle Eastern, South American, Afro-Cuban folk, Soul, Funk, and Electronic Minimalism, in his compositions, live shows, his singing, and his DJ sets, whether in their pure from or intertwined with down, mid or up-tempo electronic treatments.

Ultimately, simplicity is what Eduardo strives for. An effort is always made to have fresh, organic sound while inevitably providing touches of technological advances shaping music today.

Our very first Episode of Beat Wala is Live featuring New York Artist, DJ and producer OVEOUS, who tells us how the death of his brother inspired him to create the uplifting music and words he shares today.His younger brother Carlos Paul, who used to go by the name of Ziiinc Blue suffered from depression and tragically ended his time with us on October 6 2002.OVEOUS says he was an incredible lyricist and he wished to take him to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and felt he could be discovered. When he went to clear his apartment he found a book of rhymes and he says his brothers spirit came in and guided him to use his own voice and find his way to performing for the first time - which landed him a standing  ovation.The rest as they say is history, but today OVEOUS uses his poetry and lyrics in live performance to enhance his musicianship and creativity at festivals and live shows.For the full story head to Spotify on the the link in our @Beatwalamusic instagram Biog to watch the video & hear the episode.