From laissez-faire keys drifting along an ambient soundscape to rollocking percussive workouts, Beni Badja, takes us on an extensive journey through a portion of his record collection. The vinyl enthusiast has been a regular fixture in Oslo’s DJ milieu, with an extensive reach going from the left-field audiences of Mir to the bass-loving hordes of Oslo’s sound systems.
For this occasion, he opts for the dance floor, building it up through a few ambient and beat-less tracks before a classic 90’s House rips loose. Rapturous keys and syncopated beats vie for attention through the two hour long stint where a musical oddity or curiosity is never too far away. It gathers elements of balearic, dub and acid and synth wave as it moves through the mix.
In our first encounter with the DJ we found more about his extensive record collecting habits and his expansive approach when we sent him some questions via email.
Hello and welcome to the Jaeger Mix. Give us a short introduction as to who you are?
Erik Søgård, 34 years of age. Teacher by daytime, DJ by nighttime. Trying to raise two kids in between.
How did you arrive at the alias Beni Badja?
Just a shower thought. I could not use my full name as “Erik Søgård” does not scream “we better check out this DJ”, and like many others, I experienced finding an alias that could work as a frustrating task. I tried out many tacky and downright awful names before “Beni Badja” just came to my mind one day and I went with it and haven’t looked back. It is relatively short, includes alliteration and that makes it catchy enough.
What’s your earliest memory of a piece of music?
Chumbawamba – Tubthumping
Do you have any formal musical training and do you produce music or is DJing your preoccupation?
No, I have played several instruments in my youth, but far from any formal musical training. As far as producing music myself, I have not had any serious attempt at it as of yet. I have tried to make a couple of edits, but not been satisfied with them enough to spin them at gigs.
What was the catalyst for your first adventures into DJing?
Studentersamfundet in Trondheim! I joined Klubbstyret (responsible for events at Samfundet) as a DJ in 2012 and spent my Fridays and Saturdays the next couple of years spinning records for drunk students who wanted me to play something different. Sounds awful, but it was a lot of fun and I learned the fundamentals of DJing as well as setting up the gear, fixing broken turntables and other stuff.
A year later, me and a fellow DJ at Samfundet started U-Fix, what would become a bi-monthly house and techno residency at the late BrukBar/SUPA nightclub in Trondheim which ran until 2016 when I moved to Oslo and BrukBar closed.
How has it evolved since then?
Well, my musical interests have evolved quite a bit since I started DJing. When I started, I mostly listened to newer house and techno and bought into every hype-label that was hot at that time. Hinge Finger, Hypercolour, Hotflush, LIES etc. I am not saying it was bad music, but my scope was limited to what they released. In addition to that, I was probably not the most critical consumer and bought several records without considering whether it was something I wanted to play.
Now, I listen to and buy records from a variety of styles and genres. My record collection includes everything from 60s jazz to early/mid 90s jungle. Over the past five years or so, I have also accumulated quite the collection of 80s digital reggae and dancehall-records and with that, I have recently started playing with some sound systems which is great fun and a completely different style of DJing.
Tell us a bit about the Jaeger Mix and some of the ideas that informed it?
I have wanted to do a mix in this style for a while now. There were a few years where I almost didn’t buy house records, and the mixes I put out reflected that. It was either reggae/dancehall-oriented or harder stuff. However, I returned to buying dirt cheap 90s house records a little over a year ago and several of them are included in this mix. Add to that a few records I bought way back when that deserves to see the light of day.
It’s quite an eclectic mix moving from ambient to break-beats. What’s the red thread running through it?
I don’t know if there is a red thread, but I feel that every track in the mix does a fine job in exemplifying my musical taste. Especially when it comes to dance music. I love the contrast between soft ambient-style pads over rough and pounding drums that you hear in several tracks in the mix. If you ever hear me play a jungle set, you will hear the same kind of elements in most of my jungle records too. I also absolutely love 80s post-punk, industrial, new wave and synth and I have a soft spot for anything taking inspiration from that soundscape and I feel a few of the tracks in my mix showcase that.
As for going from ambient to breakbeat, that is quite typical for me whenever I play, be it gigs or recording mixtapes. I usually start with a few records on the quiet spectrum to set a certain mood: ambient, jazz, industrial stuff, you name it, before I move on to playing more dance oriented tracks.
Is there a track in this mix that sums it all up for you?
The 2 – We Is 1. Best track with an awful song title. It is an early 90s hardcore breakbeat track that I ripped and pitched down heavily and it works wonders in a set with mostly mid tempo house and techno records.
What else is on the horizon for Beni Badja after this?
You will most likely catch me playing at my usual spots. Oslovelo, Mir etc. and hopefully, at some sound systems. I have also played at several new venues over the past year and I hope to continue doing that.