Magesy

Singer, songwriter, DJ and producer Ben Westbeech presents There's More To Life Than This - a soulful, house music-inspired summer gem. Having first made his mark back in 2006, Ben was then signed by Gilles Peterson to his fledgling Brownswood Recordings label. His 2007 debut album, Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life, received a glowing reception - however, its success also bought expectation and growing anxieties and following its release Ben spent several months uninspired and directionless, lost in musical limbo... Later, illustrious house label Strictly Rhythm approached Ben and suggested he record for them. Inspired by the fresh challenge, he started work on what would become There's More To Life Than This. Recordings took place in Berlin, New York, London, Bristol, Munich, Stockholm and Stuttgart over the past 12 months, and saw Ben team up with an impressive roll-call of collaborators, including; Motor City Drum Ensemble, Redlight, Georg Levin, Chocolate Puma, Midland, Soul Clap and Henrik Schwarz. The resulting record marries finely honed songwriting with the energy and spark of house for a cultured yet fresh album. Opening chapter The Book is followed by uplifting, disco-fuelled, weekend-starting anthem, Something For The Weekend. Other highlights include the darker Falling, which, accompanied by remixes from The 2 Bears, Deetron and Dark Sky, was an earlier single. Ben displays a social conscious on both Same Thing and Justice, and takes things deeper still for the Detroit-tinged, pulsing and biographical, Stronger. Sugar and Let Your Feelings Go are bittersweet love songs and the sun sets with the gentle, understated, yet powerfully affecting Summer's Loss. Reflecting on the record, Ben says; "I feel like I've got my mojo back, like I've found myself - I feel excited about music again." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.