Olugbenga

/ Pictures Music /

Born in Lagos to a Kenyan mother and Nigerian father, OLUGBENGA now resides by the sea in Brighton. His childhood was split between Nigeria and the Netherlands, before moving to the UK for few years to study at King’s College, Cambridge. He has travelled the world working as a bass player and vocalist, lending his talents to groups such as Various Production and Metronomy. These cultures and experiences come together to feed the imagination and unique inventiveness of OLUGBENGA.

As a DJ he has featured at events and festivals across the UK and worldwide, performing in the USA, Australia, Japan, Russia, Italy, Norway and more. His undoubted ability to to work a crowd also caught the attention of the Red Bull Studios, who recorded a live session with him at the Rockness Festival 2012.

As a producer, OLUGBENGA’s work has seen him receive support on BBC 6 Music from Lauren Laverne and a selection of BBC Radio 1 presenters including Rob Da Bank and Huw Stephens. The support continued online also, with press articles on CMU, Dazed Digital, Mixmag, Drowned In Sound, The Independent and a ‘Track Of The Day’ with Clash Magazine. There have been remixes for the likes of Scissor Sisters, Esben and the Witch, Rowdy Superstar and Alt-J – all of this support arriving before he has officially released a signed piece of solo material.

The sound is ‘Epic & Blues’ – rooted in hiphop and gospel/choral music but equally influenced by the claustrophobic atmosphere of some ambient music as well as the huge soundscapes of post rock. The drums always hit hard and even at its most faded there’s always a melody creeping through the clouds. It is most definitely not tied to any specific BPM.

This new year signals the start of the next stage for OLUGBENGA, with the ink still fresh on his first record deal with London based electronic label, Pictures Music. His debut EP ‘Hafiza [INNOCENCE]’ was released in May 2013.

“Something more than a bit special – ONE TO WATCH.” Clash Music
“Taking the decks by storm and gaining a bigger and bigger following.” Dazed Digital
“Thumping minimalist dance.” The Independent