His 2002 club summer hit "Satisfaction" helped shape the Electronic Dance industry into what it is today. His influence on the EDM industry has been remarkable. Benny Benassi is the man known for putting the catchy song "Satisfaction" into your head and keeping it there. Benassi is a music producer based in Reggio Emilia, in Northern Italy. He works with his cousin Alle Benassi, a classically trained musician who is now Benny’s producer. Our TapSongz Team had the opportunity to interview the outstanding DJ about his latest project and nominate him as the TapSongz April Artist of the Month.
Benassi began his music production career when he teamed up with his cousin Alle. “I’ve wanted to be a DJ ever since I was a teenager and I started in a club near where I lived with my parents. One thing led to another and I got Alle really into producing electronic music. We became a production team and things got better. I started my career as a house DJ. When Alle started making music with me, he had a soft spot for techno music. Reggio Emilia has an amazing output of Italian house productions, so there was already a scene present.”
When asked about musical inspirations, Benassi responded, “My earliest inspirations were eighties electro-pop. I would love to collaborate with Bono from U2. It would be a dream come true. I’m a huge fan.”
Although Benassi doesn’t have a favorite city to perform in, his favorites are festivals: Pacha in New York, Ruby Skye in San Francisco and Ministry of Sound in London. Benassi states his favorite part about performing is “the energy I get from the fans and the opportunity to connect with them.” When asked to choose a favorite song Benassi smiled, saying, “That's like asking me to choose a favorite child.”
When not making music, Benassi can be found on a bike or in his living room: “I love cycling, whenever I have free time I grab a bike and go cycling, and I love spending time with my family.”
It was Benassi's hit song “Satisfaction” back in 2002 that gave him the opportunity for a lifetime. “When we made it, we thought it would do well in clubs, but we never imagined it would become such an iconic tune in EDM,” he said.
When creating a recent single “Shooting Helicopters” featuring Serj Tankian, he had some challenges bringing Serj’s vocal style into his own musical environment. “As soon as I started experimenting with the music under the vocals, I was immediately struck by the atmosphere of the song, which is decidedly different from most things you hear at festivals and anything we ourselves have done so far. I started playing embryonic versions out, using it as a set opener and the effect was devastating. We kept working on the music until we were 100% satisfied. I’d like to thank Serj for being part of this. Respect.”
When looking ahead, Benny has plenty of plans for the near future. “New music for the next album I’m making with Alle. My best advice to anyone trying to get into music – find an Alle! In 2015 I look forward to more cycling, more music and probably a few more gigs.” Be sure to watch the official music video of "Satisfaction" below to relive the glory days and keep an eye out for Benassi's new album! Here at TapSongz, we thank you for reading this feature article as we continue finding tomorrow's greatest music today!
Benassi began his music production career when he teamed up with his cousin Alle. “I’ve wanted to be a DJ ever since I was a teenager and I started in a club near where I lived with my parents. One thing led to another and I got Alle really into producing electronic music. We became a production team and things got better. I started my career as a house DJ. When Alle started making music with me, he had a soft spot for techno music. Reggio Emilia has an amazing output of Italian house productions, so there was already a scene present.”
When asked about musical inspirations, Benassi responded, “My earliest inspirations were eighties electro-pop. I would love to collaborate with Bono from U2. It would be a dream come true. I’m a huge fan.”
Although Benassi doesn’t have a favorite city to perform in, his favorites are festivals: Pacha in New York, Ruby Skye in San Francisco and Ministry of Sound in London. Benassi states his favorite part about performing is “the energy I get from the fans and the opportunity to connect with them.” When asked to choose a favorite song Benassi smiled, saying, “That's like asking me to choose a favorite child.”
When not making music, Benassi can be found on a bike or in his living room: “I love cycling, whenever I have free time I grab a bike and go cycling, and I love spending time with my family.”
It was Benassi's hit song “Satisfaction” back in 2002 that gave him the opportunity for a lifetime. “When we made it, we thought it would do well in clubs, but we never imagined it would become such an iconic tune in EDM,” he said.
When creating a recent single “Shooting Helicopters” featuring Serj Tankian, he had some challenges bringing Serj’s vocal style into his own musical environment. “As soon as I started experimenting with the music under the vocals, I was immediately struck by the atmosphere of the song, which is decidedly different from most things you hear at festivals and anything we ourselves have done so far. I started playing embryonic versions out, using it as a set opener and the effect was devastating. We kept working on the music until we were 100% satisfied. I’d like to thank Serj for being part of this. Respect.”
When looking ahead, Benny has plenty of plans for the near future. “New music for the next album I’m making with Alle. My best advice to anyone trying to get into music – find an Alle! In 2015 I look forward to more cycling, more music and probably a few more gigs.” Be sure to watch the official music video of "Satisfaction" below to relive the glory days and keep an eye out for Benassi's new album! Here at TapSongz, we thank you for reading this feature article as we continue finding tomorrow's greatest music today!