Les Chefs: Benny Sings

I never understood why 37-year old Dordrecht-born Tim van Berkenstein aka Benny Sings is not the internationally famous popstar he deserves to be. I know I've been hooked on whatever this guy produces since I came across his wonderfully fragile 'Twist You Around' on some Dutch 'new jazz'-compilation about a decade ago. Having started out as a DJ and beatmaker, Sings graduated to producer and songwriter and got picked up by the Dutch Dox-label who were impressed by his interesting blend of melodic soul and hiphop. They released his near-perfect debut album 'Champagne People' in 2004, a year later it got re-released by Jazzanova's Sonar Kollektiv. That same year Sings released 'I Love You', a recording of an enchanting live performance at Amsterdam's Bimhuis-venue. Two more solo albums ('Benny... at Home' and 'Art'), a collaboration with Rednose Distrikt ('EUH'), and a 'Best of'-album followed. Nowadays, Sings seems to focus on producing for other artists (Giovanca, Wouter Hamel, Faberyayo, ...) and working on various side-projects. A damn shame if you ask me, because I'm convinced Sings has at least another couple of pop classics in store... Check out this playlist containing my favourite Benny Sings-tracks below and you'll understand... Enjoy!

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