Bensley Talks ‘All I Wanted’ And The Resurgence Of Drum’N’Bass In North America

Drum’n’bass has a rich history, one that began during the UK rave scene in the ‘90. However, the genre—characterized by fast breakbeats with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples and synthesizers—fell out of style. Now, drum’n’bass is seeing a resurgence due to artists like Bensley.

The tastemaker, legally known as Peter Bennett, is among the popular drum’n’bass producers in recent years. His colorful, detailed and energetic sound teeters on the precipice of dark drama and majestic melody. The Toronto-bred creative is championing the underground dance music scene in Canada and propelling drum’n’bass in North America as a whole. Bennett’s “All I Wanted (feat. Skyelle)” single, out today (April 19), is no exception to his efforts.

The single boasts catchy lyrics, energetic drops, cascading synths, dancefloor-ready bass and more. Indeed, “All I Wanted” proves to be an anthemic record.

Here, Bennett discusses the inspiration behind “All I Wanted,” the resurgence of drum’n’bass in North America, creating 3D renderings and more.

Lisa Kocay: What was the inspiration behind “All I Wanted”?

Peter Bennett: “I was working on this melody that was really based on sort of chiptune soundtracks from old video games. The sound itself is a little more based on old synthesizers and a very, very basic sound that’s been run through tape distortion, saturation and things like that. I made this melody that compliments that style, and that was sort of the basis for the whole thing. It came together as a bit of a dancefloor tune after that, but that’s the sort of key feature that sets it apart, I think.

“Beyond that, once I got Skyelle, the vocalist, to work on it, she took it in a direction that was a little…it was bordering on being cheesy to the point that I hated it, [so I] relied on her to tip it in favor of being a little more serious in the context of a really upbeat, happy song.”

Kocay: How are you helping to push the underground dance music scene in Canada as well as push drum’n’bass in North America as a whole?

Bennett: “So this is something I’ve been focusing on for about a couple of years since Covid happened. I started working with North American labels who hadn’t really ventured into the drum’n’bass market as much, showing them that there are artists like me and others in North America who are pushing this sound [and] really could present drum’n’bass to their audiences in a way that is palatable and cool. I think in Canada and in North America, because drum’n’bass has been around for such a long time, it’s sort of got an older appeal. When it came around, [it was] a lot of those ravers who have 1681901452 come and gone. Their raving days are over. For a while there, there weren’t any young up-and-coming electronic music fans to replace them. So what I and some of the other artists are doing, I think, is showing them that it is cool and it’s diverse.

“[Drum’n’bass has] got a lot of energy and it can rock a main stage at a festival. I haven’t heard of any festival main stages yet, but it can hold its own at a big festival like [Electric Daisy Carnival] or something just as well as a big dubstep act would. I think by putting my music into these labels that have influence over what EDM fans in North America hear, it’s given them a proper first impression that hopefully encourages them to dig deeper and come to the shows.”

Kocay: Why do you think now is the time that drum’n’bass is becoming more popular in general?

Bennett: “I think that for a long time, a lot of really prominent stars in the electronic music world have always listened to drum’n’bass a little bit. We’ve started to hear people like Tiësto this past Ultra playing drum’n’bass in his set. He’s just one example of deejays who I believe have always loved drum’n’bass but haven’t felt comfortable playing it to their audiences because they’re afraid that people will react negatively to the tempo or the drastic energy change from the rest of the set. I think people are starting to get accustomed to that style. They’re hearing it in a lot of different types of music, in a lot of contexts, in a lot of ways. For some reason, I don’t know exactly why, but it seems that very recently, it’s become cool to play drum’n’bass in your set and it’s having a bit of a snowball effect.

“People who have always wanted their audiences to latch onto it are throwing it in their sets and giving people a chance to listen to it. People are reacting positively. Now we’re seeing festivals and promoters wanting to shine a spotlight on it as well because they’ve always loved it. This past summer, I played at Lost Lands, Bass Canyon and PROJECT:Z, where they allocated an entire stage to drum’n’bass for the first time. It’s generally encouraging to see the fans reacting positively to that as well.”

Kocay: Do you remember the first song you heard that made you fall in love with electronic music?

Bennett: “I think “Strobe” by deadmau5. I think 2011, for me, was when I first really jumped into electronic music and it became the main thing I listened to. [“Strobe”] was mind-blowing to hear for the first time—just an absolute symphony in electronic music.”

Kocay: If you didn’t go into music, where do you think you’d be today?

Bennett: “I think I would be in something to do with like cinema or film and tv. I just like a lot of different aspects of audio-visual production, and I think I would be doing something to do with film. But also more recently, I’ve started doing 3D artwork to sort of make visuals and assets for my project. I’m realizing that I have a big passion for that as well. So if I could pick, maybe I would do that. I’ve actually got a 3D render going at the moment that I’m going to use to promote [‘All I Wanted’].”

Kocay: That’s so cool.

Bennett: “It’s been a lot of fun to take on a whole new avenue of expression and to see how they sort of work together. So I think I’m kind of a creative person, not specifically in one way. If there weren’t music, I’d still have other things that I would focus on.”

Kocay: Where do you find inspiration when making these 3D renderings and visuals?

Bennett: “I always try and base these things on the artwork for my songs a little bit. Like the artwork is always made by someone who paints or someone who focuses on graphic design. Then I try and take that and create a world for it in which I can animate it, do cool things with it and just generally make the artwork come to life. So, for instance, [“All I Wanted”] has some flowers in it. It’s got a specific color scheme of pink and purple. I’ve just tried to recreate that in a way that I can manipulate. It’s hard to explain it until people can see it, but that’s just what I’m working on now.”

Kocay: What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome in life and how did you overcome it?

Bennett: “I would say for a long time when I was learning to make music, I had a really hard time letting go of ideas and calling them finished because some [of the] ideas I would hold onto for years, I was never happy with the way they sounded, and I knew that if I released them as they were, then I probably wouldn’t be happy with them when I listened to them years later. I always have an obsession over things being perfect and timeless, but it’s something I had to get past because it’s kind of a toxic mindset that leads to nothing ever coming out. So you sort of have to just embrace that it won’t be perfect and it’ll sort of encompass what you were capable of at that moment. Now I try and look back at old songs, not with an ear that seeks out imperfections, but I look back and I’m proud of how I’ve improved since I made that song.”

Kocay: I feel like for creatives, it’s really common that we want to make sure everything’s perfect. When I was in grad school, they actually told us that if we waited until everything was perfect, we would never finish anything.

Bennett: “It’s so true. I kind of wonder how many people never show their work to the world because they never get over that. It’s kind of sad to think about because there’s so much good potential that probably gets wasted because of that mentality. It’s a good one to get over.”