Wednesday, 18 July 2012 22:45
Celebrating female artists – introducing third place: DJ Benvinda
Written by Jokko
DJ Benvinda was featured in the top 50 female artists poll that we ran in the beginning of the summer, and reached third place. We asked her good friend and Core dubstep writer, DJ Jokko, to catch up with the Portugese dnb superstar.
DJ Benvinda is one of the most talented and interesting drum & bass DJs on the scene today. With a decade of mixing behind her back she makes the crowd go mental wherever she gets behind the decks. It’s the mix of an excellent selection of tracks, from old school to smoking fresh releases, and the amazing technicality by the decks that make even the most recognized artists lift their hat for her.
Ana Benvinda Rendas aka DJ Benvinda was born and raised in Setúbal, Portugal, but first started mixing drum and bass after moving to London at the age of 20. Tirelessly mixing and refining her mixing techniques during her time there, she soon found her way to the DJ booths of the dnb parties after her return to Portugal. Quickly getting a big and devoted fan base, DJ Benvinda has become one of the heavyweight names on the line-up. Now residing in Barcelona, Spain, but still keeping one foot steadily in Portugal, DJ Benvinda alternates the weekly gigs in both home countries with many invitations to play abroad. So far, DJ Benvinda has performed with dnb giants such as Andy C, Dirtyphonics, Mampi Swift, Freestylers, DJ Fresh, Doctor P, Funtcase and Benga to name a few.
We managed to get a couple of minutes of Dj Benvindas time for a couple of quick questions:
Your DJ career has already been remarkable; what is the most unforgettable moment that you’ve experienced as a DJ so far?
That would be the first time I played in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was on Carnaval day in an amazing party for about 1,000 people. This was in the beginning of my DJ career so it was a very exciting experience.
You're soon leaving Barcelona for a summer tour in Portugal. Is there anything you're especially looking forward to on your trip?
The whole tour is something I’m looking forward to a lot. I always enjoy going back to Portugal, especially in the summertime when there’s so many great festivals and parties going on over there.
Some while ago you also started mixing dubstep and electro, as well as you're usual dnb. What made you widen your range and what has this change meant for you?
I played just dnb for about six years, but there’s so many styles of music that I love I felt I didn’t want to limit myself to just mixing one style. I found I could be more creative and innovative in my mixing, getting inspiration from different genres. I especially turned to electro and dubstep because they are the styles that have similar sounds to drum and bass, and that makes them perfect to include in a dnb set.
What are you hoping for the future and do you have any interesting projects in the making?
I have been producing with DJ Jokko for some time now, and we also mix as a DJ duo. Our project together is called T-Killerz and I’m looking forward to make that project grow.
You have earned massive support during your years as a DJ and your fanbase is only growing. Do you have any memorable moments with your fans that you would like to share with us?
That would have to be when I was playing at this party in Lisbon. Just before I came on the decks the crowd was screaming out my name repeatedly. I got so surprised and overwhelmed because at that point I wasn’t aware that so many people knew who I was.
Ana Benvinda Rendas aka DJ Benvinda was born and raised in Setúbal, Portugal, but first started mixing drum and bass after moving to London at the age of 20. Tirelessly mixing and refining her mixing techniques during her time there, she soon found her way to the DJ booths of the dnb parties after her return to Portugal. Quickly getting a big and devoted fan base, DJ Benvinda has become one of the heavyweight names on the line-up. Now residing in Barcelona, Spain, but still keeping one foot steadily in Portugal, DJ Benvinda alternates the weekly gigs in both home countries with many invitations to play abroad. So far, DJ Benvinda has performed with dnb giants such as Andy C, Dirtyphonics, Mampi Swift, Freestylers, DJ Fresh, Doctor P, Funtcase and Benga to name a few.
We managed to get a couple of minutes of Dj Benvindas time for a couple of quick questions:
Your DJ career has already been remarkable; what is the most unforgettable moment that you’ve experienced as a DJ so far?
That would be the first time I played in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was on Carnaval day in an amazing party for about 1,000 people. This was in the beginning of my DJ career so it was a very exciting experience.
You're soon leaving Barcelona for a summer tour in Portugal. Is there anything you're especially looking forward to on your trip?
The whole tour is something I’m looking forward to a lot. I always enjoy going back to Portugal, especially in the summertime when there’s so many great festivals and parties going on over there.
Some while ago you also started mixing dubstep and electro, as well as you're usual dnb. What made you widen your range and what has this change meant for you?
I played just dnb for about six years, but there’s so many styles of music that I love I felt I didn’t want to limit myself to just mixing one style. I found I could be more creative and innovative in my mixing, getting inspiration from different genres. I especially turned to electro and dubstep because they are the styles that have similar sounds to drum and bass, and that makes them perfect to include in a dnb set.
What are you hoping for the future and do you have any interesting projects in the making?
I have been producing with DJ Jokko for some time now, and we also mix as a DJ duo. Our project together is called T-Killerz and I’m looking forward to make that project grow.
You have earned massive support during your years as a DJ and your fanbase is only growing. Do you have any memorable moments with your fans that you would like to share with us?
That would have to be when I was playing at this party in Lisbon. Just before I came on the decks the crowd was screaming out my name repeatedly. I got so surprised and overwhelmed because at that point I wasn’t aware that so many people knew who I was.
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Jokko
Hailing from Uppsala in Sweden Jokko has taken on the Barcelona underground music scene and shown it who’s boss in unrelenting fashion. In the time that she has been mixing her success has been both rapid and widespread. Regular international bookings at big Dubstep events keep coming thick and fast, with an ever growing reputation for her dexterous and eclectic sets, trusted, unbiased and above all passionate reviews of the music she loves is where its at for our resident Dubstep guru.