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In this episode of Beat Wala, we dive deep into the sonic journey of Bushwacka!, aka Matthew Benjamin — a true pioneer of the UK underground, previously one half of the legendary duo Layo & Bushwacka!. From his early roots in the acid house explosion of the late ‘80s to becoming a cornerstone of the global tech-house movement in the 2000s, Bushwacka’s path through music is as iconic as it is evolving. We talk about his London legacy and his residencies at The End nightclub, what it was like shaping a sound that defined a generation, and his transition into a powerful solo career that’s still pushing boundaries today. Mathew is about to release another new album very soon and has just started a monthly Ibiza residency at Pikes, where you can see him in action all summer.

We head to London to meet Kidnap and talk about the release of his second album, Something Lost, Something Gained. The record chronicles his shift from playing endless shows and constantly touring and releasing music to becoming a dad for the first time and explore feeling all the feels of loss relating to his close knit group of friends. Over the past decade, the UK-based artist made a name for himself with his rich, evocative soundscapes, winning over a global fanbase and he is still playing some smaller shows in London and next month in India, but things have calmed down considerably. Matt says last year was mostly him making music at home alone and in his studio, despite collborations on the new record with Leo Stannard again and this year he wishes to work with more outside influences once again. Lost Without You and Feels Like Home both feature female vocalist Gabrielle Aplin and are stand out singles which have been leading up to last years release.

In our last Episode recorded at ADE we hear from NYC born and raised techno Queen Louisa Pilot about her struggles in the music industry and how she is now working with those suffering with mental health issues and to help create a safer dance floor and world where these conversations can be had.

Archie Hamilton joins us at the Amsterdam Dance Event to talk us through his remarkable rise through the ranks of the house and techno world and gives us his take on how Ibiza Summer 2024 went down at Paradise, where he played five gigs, headlining the final affair. Archie used lockdown to create a lot of music and talks to us about those moments he felt his career could have taken a nose dive but luckily he soon re-boarded his International touring train and the trajectory of his has been high rolling ver since. He was an early originator of a new European sound, with his unique take on minimal house and techno: his signature sound of rugged basslines and ethereal atmospherics has established itself firmly on dance floors around the world.
  2022 marked the launch of Archie's MicroHertz label, a venture that curates and releases music from a diverse array of artists within the scene. The label has quickly made its mark as a go-to for cutting-edge music, consistently appearing in the charts across the platforms and regularly included in the DJ sets of the best in the industry.

We meet Detroit duo, Octave One, at ADE [https://www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl/en/live/] in the first of three shows recorded at the Andaz Hotel in Amsterdam last month. Brothers Lenny and Lawrence Burden made their techno debut on Derrick May´s Transmat label with I Believe in 1989. It was the start of their 35 year career and was included on the compilation Techno 2: The Next Generation. It marked the start of their LIVE performance and shows they deliver in a very hardware heavy fashion. With their other brother Lynell, they formed the record label 430 West Records to release the vinyl record Octave One "The Octivation EP" and have remixed recordings for Massive Attack, Joey Negro, DJ Rolando, Steve Bug amongst many others. In 2000 they released their most commercially successful recording, "Blackwater" but say it took them in a direction they didn´t want to go and returned quickly to a more underground style.