Ben Böhmer has been starting to percolate in the most unlikely of times, passing through the pandemic like a sieve and rising into the air like a hot air balloon. Yes, you can take that metaphor literally, as that’s where you probably first encountered this young German wunderkind as he performed a set for Cercle flying high above a Turkish mountain range, racking up over 21 million views.
Böhmer has been taking the melodic house and progressive music scene by storm with his latest album, Begin Again, which coincidently was inspired by the pandemic after being separated from his fiancé for an extended period. After waiting a couple of years, the newly minted fans and dare we even say super fans are chomping at the proverbial bit to get their eyes and ears on him and did they ever.
The first leg of his tour was completely sold out, and the second leg is already in the planning stage, so stay tuned for those dates soon. To tide the Böhmerites over, he will be dropping the Begin Again (Remixed) albums on June 15th on Anjunadeep that will surely keep the faithful stoked.
‘Begin Again (Remixed)’ was curated by Ben Böhmer personally and features a group of remixers that might be fresh names for many electronic music fans. The album starts with a remix by The Blaze, a duo hailing from France making their debut on Anjunadeep with a remix of ‘Slow Wave.’ The Blaze delivers a stunner that showcases their emotive and lofty sound, with a production that works perfectly with Gordi’s vocals.
Böhmer’s ‘Begin Again, his second album on Anjunadeep has hit over 38M streams and seems destined to become one of those classic electronic music albums alongside Exit Planet Dust (Chemical Brothers), Leftism (Leftfield), Orbital 2 (Orbital), etc.
The Blaze Remix of ‘Slow Wave’ is out now on Anjunadeep. Reworks from HAAi, Rezident, niina, MEUTE, and Matador will follow on the ‘Begin Again (Remixed)’ package, out June 15.
Ben Böhmer – Begin Again (Remixed)
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‘Begin Again (Remixed) Tracklisting
Ben Böhmer feat. Gordi – Slow Wave (The Blaze Remix)
Ben Böhmer feat. PBSR – Revelation (Barry Can’t Swim Remix)
Ben Böhmer – Once.. (niina Remix)
Ben Böhmer – Begin Again (MEUTE Remix)
We got a chance to check out one of the last shows of the tour at Denver’s classic Gothic Theater, where the maestro killed it with his signature melodic, cinematic, and gentle yet firm percussion, all performed live.
Magnetic caught up with Böhmer to get his thoughts on the current whirlwind of success and discover what’s next.
You are just wrapping up your US portion of your sold-out world tour; how was your experience in the states, and what were some of your favorite dates?
It’s incredible how fast it’s flown by. I can’t actually believe it’s over. It took over a year to plan the stage and visual design, so it’s been amazing to finally see all come together. Although, it has felt intense at times after having such a long break from touring over the pandemic. My favourite shows were in Melbourne, Toronto, London and New York, but overall I couldn’t be happier with how the whole tour turned out.
You just dropped your remixed version of Begin Again. What was the process in securing the remixers, and do you have a part two in the works?
I was lucky enough to have chosen remixers that I am personally a massive fan of. I put a wishlist together with my management, and we made it happen. Yes, part two is coming soon – watch this space!
You’ve chosen to take your show out as a live performance; how are you achieving this – Ableton Live with Sync or something similar? Do you ever do DJ sets, or are you strictly live.
Yes, I use Ableton Live, which separates each element of the track and allows me to manipulate and combine single parts. I also play a Moog Sub 37, two wonderful Eventide effect pedals, and a midi keyboard which I use to play digital synths like Diva, Omnisphere, and Kontakt live.
Your Cercle performance in the hot air balloon was a pivotal moment in your career. How did that come about, and what did you think of the idea when they pitched you on it? If you could pitch your own Cercle video, where would you choose to do it?
I feel incredibly grateful to have been chosen for such a special idea, but at the same time, it was incredibly nerve wracking. To have to perform for Cercle in itself was a lot of pressure, let alone performing in the sky 100 feet above the Turkish mountains! If I had the chance to choose another location, it would be deep underwater to contrast with the previous stream.
If you could make your live show more robust, like having live instruments or vocals, how would you change it? Or are you happy with the way you are doing it?
My current setup is fairly new, and I’m happy with how it is, although I’m sure it won’t be long until I switch things up. I’d like to eventually perform with live musicians, so no doubt it will have to change soon.
Who are some other artists that you dig that are doing it live as well?
Stephan Bodzin, Kink and Paul Kalkbrenner.
What’s your favorite part about touring and your least favorite part?
Favorite: Performing, sightseeing, and experiencing different cultures.
Least favorite: Lack of sleep and too much time in aircraft.
8. What can we expect next now that you are done with the tour?
We’re currently working on Part 2 of the album tour – I’ll be bringing the show to new cities very soon! After that, perhaps a third album…
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