They say “all that glitters isn’t gold”, but Ben Gold’s music shines brighter than any diamond (or ‘Sapphire’) I’ve ever seen. Everything that the British DJ and producer touches turns to gold — whether it’s for his own solo career or his venture with Omnia as FUTURECODE.
Recently, Ben has released another album, ‘Sound Advice (Chapter Two)’. I’ve listened to to this new album ‘A Thousand Times’ and each time I press play it ‘Takes Me To Heaven’. Ben has some serious skills and that is certainly showcased in this album.
This isn’t the only thing Ben has been working on. He’s up to even more work in the studio cranking out even more bangers. We had the opportunity to sit down with him and chat about his recent work on ‘Sound Advice (Chapter Two)’, his upcoming studio work and some other interesting topics.
FMF: Hello, this is Nadine from Fresh Music Freaks and I’m sitting here with Ben Gold. We actually had a chance to catch up with you alongside Omnia aka FUTURECODE earlier this summer. But this time it’s all about you! You’ve been very busy between performing as FUTURECODE, your solo act, the album and just everything in general. You’ve got so much going on, so what is your sound advice on keeping balance between everything you do?
Ben Gold: You know what it is? It’s having focus, determination, drive and deadlines! I’ve been very productive for the last two years and this has been the most productive time I’ve ever had. And having deadlines in place was fantastic because I knew what had to be done by what time. My sound advice to you is to keep some deadlines in your life and for your projects. Don’t spend more time than you need on a project or things that are not necessary and you’ll find balance in your life too.
You obviously love what you do. Your fans love what you do too. What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t DJing and producing?
I’d probably involved in something to do with food, I think. I enjoy cooking. I use it as a release from the day to day grind of being in the studio or touring. It’s nice to come back and cook because nothing’s better than your own food. I’m not the best chef — don’t get me wrong. I actually cooked for Ruben de Ronde and Rodg for Sinterklaas (a Dutch tradition) and they very much enjoyed it.
Well, we’re glad that you chose the path that you did because we love what you cook up in the studio. Recently you let our ears feast on your newest album, ‘Sound Advice (Chapter Two)’. What’s your favorite track off the new album and why?
Well, I love them all and that’s because I’ve decided to do these “mini” albums. Because I didn’t like the idea of spending 18 months writing 15 tracks and getting to the end of those 18 months and then saying ‘I really don’t like the first track anymore’ because I’ve just sat on it for 18 months. By doing these smaller albums, it only takes between four to six months to put together and I really still love each track.
But if I had to pick one, ‘The City Sleeps Tonight’ is probably my favorite record. There’s a pretty cool story that goes along with that one because it was co-written with Roxanne Emery, myself and the vocalist. Originally, it was just Roxanne and I and we wrote this top line for it. When I had just moved to Amsterdam, I just had the chords and the melody of the vocal, but the lyrics weren’t quite right. Once we brought in Zoe the synergy between the three of us allowed us to come out with something special. It was a record that I could listen to over and over again and I just wouldn’t get bored.
But they’re all my favorites. I love them all. They’re like my little children. You go through a journey with each one. ‘Ghost’ with Ruben and Louise Rademakers is also a great one because it’s somewhat different than what you would expect. But don’t worry, we have a pretty slamming club mix coming up with that — coming soon to a record store near you.
You’ve just explained a whole lot about the album, but what was the most challenging track for you to make and which one came to you the easiest?
Good question. I think ‘Come Home’ was the “easiest” to write and the reason for that is because the lyrics were already written by Hannah — she delivered me a full vocal and my job was to turn it into a dance record. That’s why it was the easiest one to write.
On the other ones, I had a lot more involvement from the lyrical standpoint. ‘Take Me To Heaven’ was one of the hardest ones to write. It was me, Fahjah, Sheridan Grout and Julia Ross on this one. Being produced by four people made it a bit tricky with scheduling studio times and everything else that goes into it.
In the end, each track presented challenges. If it was easy, I’d be writing a track a week. I’m actually excited to go back to writing singles again.
There’s always a huge debate between focusing on singles versus albums. Which do you prefer?
I don’t think I prefer it, but what I love about writing an album is that I have the freedom to do whatever I want — I have the opportunity to be a bit more artistic. I’ve gotten to cover all genres of trance over the two albums. And why do I see them as one?
With singles, you write records for the dance floor. With an album I want you to enjoy it in your car, while you’re at home making dinner, when you’re at work in the office. I wanted to create music that you could listen to in any environment. But I am looking forward to going back to writing club records again because it’s been a while.
Now that you’ve released the album ‘Sound Advice (Chapter Two)’ — what’s next for you, musically?
I’m currently putting together a mini-EP and it is going to be totally dancefloor-driven. Completely and utterly back to the club with some attitude! I’m bringing back the pre-Sound Advice Ben Gold sound. It’s basically half-written already. I have the melodies and just need to finish producing the tracks, but I’m looking forward to it. After Amsterdam Dance Event, this is my full focus now. Back to the importance of having a deadline — it’s gotta be finished by Christmas.
Summer 2019 was a huge year for you. You performed as FUTURECODE and as yourself all over the world. Where can we catch you for the remainder of the year and in the beginning of 2020?
I’m off to Canada to Ottawa and Montreal for Halloween weekend. Then we go to Lanna Sky Music Festival in Thailand and Trancetter in Indonesia. Then I finish up November in Australia for Festival X!
*Featured image via Ben Gold*
