Benny Sings

Coast to Coast BV

Postbus 116
2900 AC CAPELLE A/D IJSSEL
T  010-2642840
E  coasttocoast@cddirect.nl
W  www.coasttocoast.nl

Dox Records

Postbus 11177
1001 GD AMSTERDAM
T  020-3011160
E  bookings@doxrecords.com
W  www.doxrecords.com

Dox Records

Postbus 11177
1001 GD AMSTERDAM
T  020-3011160
E  info@doxrecords.com
W  www.doxrecords.com

Pseudonyms

Benny Sings

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Benny Sings

Benny Sings is the former student of sonology Tim van Berkestijn from Dordrecht. He makes his debut in 2003 with a soul album he records, largely by himself, in his living room in Amsterdam, combining hiphop beats and vocals with jazz elements. Two months after the release of the album ...
Full biography

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Instruments

producer, zang

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Former members

Glenn Gaddum jr.   basgitaar

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News archive

In A Cabin With met Benny Sings & Friends (6/11/09) 
Nieuwe cd In A Cabin With: We'll Make It Right (Benny Sings & Friends) (5/19/09) 
Nieuw album Wouter Hamel in tien landen (12/2/08) 

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Concerts & Festivals

by Podiuminfo / Festivalinfo

7/28/12, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

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Biography Benny Sings

Benny Sings is the former student of sonology Tim van Berkestijn from Dordrecht. He makes his debut in 2003 with a soul album he records, largely by himself, in his living room in Amsterdam, combining hiphop beats and vocals with jazz elements. Two months after the release of the album he is already featured at the Lowlands festival.

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Played in

We'll Make It Right   producer, zang

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1977 - 2002

Tim van Berkestijn (Dordrecht, 1977) grows up in a doctor's family. Inspired by bands like Gotcha! he starts his own band The Loveboat. After high school Van Berkestijn studies sonology at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague for four years. He is also active as a DJ and regularly works illegal parties where he starts using LSD. His drug abuse leads to a period of panic and anxiety attacks.

Gotcha!

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2003

Having recovered from his DJ and drug adventures Tim van Berkestijn records some songs at his home in the Amsterdam Jordaan neighborhood and sends them to the Dox label. His debut album Champagne People under the name Benny Sings (named after the LP Chet Baker Sings) is a successful, plain production combining hiphop beats and vocals. The album contains influences from seventies' soul as well as jazz elements. His older sister Floor van Berkestijn (vocals) and DJ Kypski (scratches) guest on the album. Rave reviews in the press result in gigs for Benny Sings at large festivals including Lowlands. For these concerts Benny Sings assembles a band with a basis of bass, drums, piano and vocals.

C-Mon & Kypski Glenn Gaddum jr.

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2004

In January Benny Sings wins an Essent Award. With his band he is featured at the Groningen Noorderslag festival. His debut Champagne People is released internationally on vinyl by Kindred Spirits/Rush Hour. In October Benny Sings is invited to give a singer-songwriter workshop at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy. The Red Bull Music Academy in Rome offers 60 musicians, DJs and producers from all over the world the opportunity to exchange ideas, visit workshops and attend studio sessions.

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2005

The second CD I Love You: Live At The Bimhuis (February) is more song oriented, and inspired by the work of composer Burt Bacharach. The title suggests that the album was recorded live at the old Bimhuis on the Amsterdam Oude Schans. The basic tracks, however, were recorded with the band in two afternoons at an empty Bimhuis, and the rest was added in the studio, including the sounds of the audience between the tracks. The CD is released worldwide by the German label Sonar Kollektiv. Benny Sings presents the CD on 18 April at the Amsterdam Paradiso during the Kindred Spirits Special. Later that year they perform at the Berlin Popkomm as support to the German hiphop band Fettes Brot. BBC DJ Gilles Peterson invites Benny Sings for a performance in his radio show. In France the song Little Donna is a modest radio hit on Radio Nova. A registration of the concert at the Parisian club La Scène is aired by the same station.

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2006

Euh is a collaboration with Rednose Distrikt (the idiosyncratic electronic duo Aardvarck and Steven de Peven) as a direct result of the specials of the same name at the Bitterzoet club in the Amsterdam Spuistraat. On the album Benny Sings' vocals are accompanied by dry electro beats. Most reviewers consider Euh to be an in-between-album. DJ Gilles Peterson selects the track Miss Moral for the first compilation album on his Brownwood Recordings label.

Rednose Distrikt

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2007

Benny Sings produces Wouter Hamel's debut album Hamel. The CD Benny…At Home (April) combines elements of his earlier albums. The record contains, as the singer/producer himself likes to call it, 'optimistic harmonies'. Singer Giovanca guests on the album. Benny Sings also produces her debut album.

Giovanca Wouter Hamel

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2008

Benny Sings is featured as special guest for Wouter Hamel's concerts at the Billboard Live clubs in Osaka and Tokyo in early February. He enters the studio with Hamel for the recording of Hamel's second album Nobody's Tune.

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2009

We'll Make It Right is a one-off collaboration of Benny Sings, Bart Suèr (SFeQ), Roos Jonker, Dean Tippet, DJ Extraaa and Bo Koek (Kopna Kopna). As part of the project In A Cabin With the musicians stay at a soundproof hotel suite at the Amsterdam Lloyd Hotel for a week in January to realize an album which is released in June. We'll Make It Right is a CD containing both experimental pop songs and jazzy ballads.

Kopna Kopna SFeQ We'll Make It Right

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2010

Benny Sings starts recording his fourth studio album which should be ready by the end of the year.

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Discography Benny Sings

In the discography you will find all recordings that have been released listed chronologically. We restrict ourselves to the title, the type of audio, year of publication or recording, label, list of guest musicians, plus any comments on the issue.

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Photos Benny Sings

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Video Benny Sings

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