“The Internet was probably the best thing that ever happened to me and my listening ear," says DJ Deben in an electronic message. Typical. Digging deep since he was a young pup, DJ Deben is one of those people who can get a non-musical person to like and consume the freshest of beats.
Nourished on music from folks like The Grateful Dead, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones as a youth, Deben's interest in music peaked much earlier than the rest of us. While his deadhead parents blasted the greatness of 60's and 70's rock, Deben found himself in his own world digging for new music (on the Internet, of course). Initiating himself into the world of electronic music, Deben discovered and explored hip hop/rap first. His mom thought the gangsta rap was a bad influence so she quickly nipped that genre in the bud, blaming Tupac for Deben's questionable adolescent behavior.
Next came the DJ mixes – there were so many DJ mixes in this world that Deben didn't know what to do with himself, except to download them all and burn them for a host of friends! This is when Deben began moving from being solely a music lover and collector to DJ and mixmaster. At 17, Deben began learning to DJ, continuing to collect music and expand his mind with vinyl. "Looking back on when I was learning [to DJ], I remember throwing down an hour set in my bedroom - it was incredibly therapeutic...it probably sounded horrible, but I remember it almost always put me in a good mood".
Slowly meandering through almost every genre of music, Deben logically moved from techno to an amazement with all electronic sounds - which is apparent in his mixes like "Past My Bedtime" and "Boulder Basecamp". "I would have to say listening to so many other DJ mixes and studying other DJ's styles was a huge influence. The way a DJ will use a song in a set…it's definitely art...I'm sure listening to that mix [Danny Teneglia] has rewired my brain in some way."
Constantly digging in others' iPods, vinyl and CDs, Deben likes to take inventory of what people he spends his time with like to listen to. This skill lends itself nicely to his DJing - as this guy knows how to read and please a crowd.
As a result of Deben's extensive musical knowledge and experience, he has become a super versatile musician mostly known for his smoothed down tempo sets and mixtape sessions. Don’t get it twisted though - because he can lay down a wicked electro, deep house, or hip hop set too. Influenced by artists like Bonobo, Rae and Christian, Calvin Harris and The Rolling Stones, Deben's sound continues to push the boundaries of DJing, making it impossible to pigeonhole him into any one sound.