ATQPOD049 || Mode B
Updated: Aug 24, 2022
The 49th Arteq podcast is here, and we are proud to be presenting up & coming DJ & producer Mode B.
Mode B, aka Ben Griffiths, has been immersed in Africa and Asia for 20 years, where has has spent his life growing up. Now finally back living in his hometown of Melbourne, he has entered our diverse music culture with his global tastes, and applied this all to his music.
The Arteq mix is Mode B textbook. He's given us 100 minutes of ascending emotion, incredibly tasteful analog bass, modulating snyths, and percussion straight from the jungles of Africa. The energy is real; the tunes are legit.
Ben, thank you. This is some serious electronic music. We are looking forward to hosting you at an Arteq event soon.
CLICK to open mix in SoundCloud.
More from Arteq and Mode B below.
What direction did you take on the podcast?
The podcast is a mix of melodic house + techno, progressive house, afro house, and indie dance. It features music both new and old, and gave me an opportunity to mix some of my library that I normally wouldn’t get to play out :)
Why did you decide to go this way?
There wasn’t really a specific reason I went in this direction - at first I wasn’t sure what type of set I wanted to create for this, as I tend to play various styles depending on the occasion. So I went through my library at random trying to find an opening track which I liked the sound of, to establish the mood of the set. Once I found a track I liked I went with the flow from there and tried to tell a cohesive story.
What did you use to record this mix?
I live with a couple other DJs so together we have contributed to create a pretty epic home set up which was used to record this! It consists of of 2 x Pioneer XDJ1000 mk II, 1 x Pioneer XDJ700 and a DJM900 nexus mixer. We also have 2 x Technics turntables but they weren’t used in the recording of this mix - still need to work on my vinyl game ;)
Where did the name Mode B come from?
Haha funny story this one! When I first started mixing I didn’t have a DJ name, and once I got to playing my first few gigs through mates they nicknamed me “Benny G” which I sort of rolled with at the time. Once I started developing my sound and taking things a bit more seriously, I realised the name wasn’t reflective of the music I was trying to push. I struggled for the longest time to come up with a “cool” sounding moniker (I’m sure all DJs can relate to this dilemma) but eventually one of my mates saved me by suggesting “Mode B”. I like that the name is indicative of the DJ persona being an alter ego, through which I can express myself musically and show a side of myself that I may not be able to properly convey as regular Ben haha.
What drives you to DJ?
I love the idea of the DJ listening to a piece of music because it makes them feel a certain way, and playing that music out to try and elicit the same feelings out of their audience. Truly great DJs have the ability to steer the mood and energy that they want their audience to feel during a set.
The sound that I am aiming to push is a deeper sort of music that is emotionally resonant with listeners. I mean all music makes people feel a certain way, but I’m talking specifically about deeper shades of dance music that tug on your heart strings a bit. If I can play and produce music that helps people tap into that side of their emotions, then I feel like I’ve helped people to have a deeper experience with music, like what I have when I listen to and play my sort of music.
To be able to facilitate this type of exchange is what drives me to DJ :)
What is the favourite gig you have played and why?
The closing set at the inaugural MOTION - which is a boutique New Years doof that I run with a few mates out in Gippsland. I loved it so much because it was 3+ hour set going from day into night, and I completely winged it! The extended playtime gave me the opportunity to curate a pretty varied journey and I had an absolute blast playing!
What’s in the pipeline for 2022?
Finishing my second single that I’ve been working on and hopefully getting it signed, and building up the profile to try land some awesome gigs over the summer :)
What do you see for yourself in the next 3-5 years? What have you accomplished?
Over the next 3-5 years I’d love for producing to become as second nature to me as DJing has become since I started 5 years ago. I’d also love to play at a major festival on the Australian circuit, that’s one I really want to tick off the bucket list!
There’s 10 minutes left before the world self destructs, what song do you put on?
Light Through The Veins - Jon Hopkins
Just to bliss out and be completely at peace with the world ending ;)
Is there anything on your mind that you would like to say?
Thanks so much for the opportunity to put this set together and exchange a few words! Love what you guys are doing at Arteq, keep up the great work!
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