On the Floor – Ben Sims b2b James Ruskin at Neopop

If there’s any turntable technician under whose skin might lie a cybernetically enhanced skeleton, it would be Ben ‘The Machine’ Sims. Translating his early love of hip-hop, hardcore, acid house and rare groove into machine music is a talent Ben Sims has been blessed with. He’s coaxed the soul and blues out of the circuits on a regular basis in the studio, as the production duo Killa Productions with Paul Mac, as well as on remixes for everyone from Jeff Mills to Kevin Saunderson and Green Velvet. But it’s his DJ ability that really connects with the dancefloor, and his three-deck master classes, which take dancers into extended emotional breakdowns while keeping locked in a deep motorik groove, have seen him turn out the world’s foremost clubs and festivals. Add to that his tireless promotion of the scene through his own labels and club nights like Machine and Sims and Friends, and you have to wonder if Ben Sims is 100% human.