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Benny Smiles is an Irish synthwave/retrowave producer based in London. Favouring electronic instruments, vintage synthesisers and drum machines, his most recent work nods to M83, Neon Indian, and Com Truise. Think Stranger Things / Drive / Hotline Miami soundtracks and you’re most of the way there.


“When We Touch” marks Benny’s fourth release, and is the first single from his forthcoming “Fearless Leadership” EP. It follows the “Hotline Miami 2 EP”, which is featured in the cult video game Hotline Miami 2 and in Spotify’s Retrowave / Outrun editorial playlist, both of which have helped to garner an international audience and around 5 million streams of the EP across various platforms.


Benny’s latest material follows a period of focus on his work in studio engineering, building his knowledge of old school recording techniques and equipment in some legendary recording studios, and learning first hand from some of the world’s most renowned record producers, songwriters, and artists. Having cultivated a collection of vintage analogue synthesisers and audio processors along the way, he now returns with a newfound appreciation for sonics, analogue imperfection, and the soul that lives in electronic instruments.


Prompted by the tongue-in-cheek artwork, the most pressing question about the Fearless Leadership EP thus far has been “is your face really that small?” And the answer is… it could be.


Benny Smiles has supported artists including London Grammar and Ghostpoet, and performed at festivals including Electric Picnic, Indiependence, Castlepalooza, and Ireland Music Week.



INDUBLIN.IE: “First [at Hard Working Class Heroes festival], to the Workman’s Club for one-man electro wonder machine Benny Smiles. Infectiously upbeat loops, guitar, and Bowie-esque vocals, with the occasional healthy dose of slap bass was warmly met by the crowd. Yet it was Smiles’ stage presence that really endeared him to those present. Informing us early in the set he had foolishly taken a valium to help fight off a flu; if he is this good when sick and under the influence you can only image how good he is when on top form. A definite highlight of the festival, how this guy isn’t already huge is a mystery.”

 
GOLDENPLEC: “[Somehow Yours Do] is a beauty of a track with hypnotising synths and a captivating video”

 
NIALLER9: “Benny Smiles has given me one of my favourite tracks of the last month already with ‘Sunday Morning’”

 
PUFFERFISH: “Playful, fun, fucking awesome… Benny Smiles is making funky electronic music that you can really enjoy. And we mean really enjoy.”

CHASSEUR MAGAZINE: “Benny is by far the most charming, energetic, addictive, unique and pleasurable acts of the [Hard Working Class Heroes] festival so far. He asks everyone to take “seven steps forward” and then proceeds to move and shake across the stage, never missing a note. The audience are in the palm of his hand throughout, truly captivated by his inescapable talent, showing many of the bands how it is done. Industry execs must be salivating at the prospects he presents.”

 
HOTPRESS: “‘Moonlight’ featuring Ham Sandwich’s Niamh Farrell is radio-friendly whimsy at its finest. Known to his postman as Ross Fortune, this shapeshifting musicmaker has covered a whole lot of musical ground…barely stepping a foot wrong”

 
GOLDENPLEC: “With [Sunshine / Moonlight] Benny Smiles shows that he is a diverse and talented artist. His willingness to use different instrumentation and sounds results in tracks that are varied and unique and aurally tantalizing. It is solid proof that he doesn’t have to rely on novelty to grab an audience’s attention.”

 
AOIFE MC RTÉ 2XM: “[‘Sunday Morning’ is] definitely, definitely my favourite of the whole podcast [Nialler9 Podcast 39]…it’s so much fun!”


bennysmilesmusic[at]gmail[dot]com

Julie Dillon born and raised in Dublin Ireland, started her musical journey as a drummer in a teenage punk band at age 14. She then swapped the drums for the mic and continued singing, writing and performing with various rock/funk/indie bands into her early 20's. She studied jazz theory and composition in Ireland's Berklee jazz college Newpark. Julie fronted the Dublin based 21 piece "Global Funk Orchestra" and 7 piece jazz/soul ensemble "The Company" performing for some years running at The Cork Jazz, Trinity Ball and Main Stage at Electric Picnic. At the same time, Julie began collaborating with various Irish electronic producers such as Lakker, Automatic Tasty, ILEX, Fuckrewindz, Alienhand and Nicky Halliday. She was the resident M.C. with the Irish 174 Jungle and Drum n' Bass night and performed at Jungle Republic, Rathlin, Life, Fusion (Germany) and Body & Soul fests. She has shared the stage with the likes of DJ Marky, Equinox and Acroplane. Julie graduated with a H-Dip in Music and Media Technologies from Trinity College Dublin in 2009 and formed a new musical project "Julie and The Bold Boys" performing her own material (a mix of jazzy/M.C. vocals fused with dirty bass n' breakbeat) executed flawlessly by her band of Bold Boys. She moved to Berlin in early 2010 to collaborate and perform with new producers and musicians and is currently writing and performing her most recent tracks using Ableton Live. Julie's current collaborations include ... Julie and The Bold Boys, Loud Nurse Band, Julie & Jacinta, Patrick Blasa, Vertical 67, Prince Kong, The Julie Dillon Jazz Quartet and The Electronic Swing Orchestra. She has also written and recorded with her NYC based brother Paul Dillon aka Miracle Falls (ex Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse, Silver Rockets, Lotus Crown.)Julie was writing, rehearsing recording and performing in Berlin, Germany from 2010 until 2013 and is now back in Dublin. She spent most of 2014 - 2015 recording and co-writing vocals for David Turpin's new collaborative project "Romances" which features vocals by musician Gar Cox also. Romances was performed at the Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2015. Julie also guest M.C'd as "Sista Julie" with the reggae DJ crew Sim Simma. Julie's current collaboration is with DJ and producer TWOC.. watch this space!


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