Benge - The View From Vega (2023)

Ben Edwards, better known by his pseudonym Benge, has been exploring the sonic possibilities of electronic instruments since he was a young boy, in the1970s. After graduating from art school in 1990 he set up his own music studio and started recording his unique blend of experimental electronica, culminating in his debut album "Electro-Orgoustic Music" and the formation of Expanding Records in 1995. Since then he has released dozens of albums as Benge, as well as collaborating with various luminaries from the electronic music world on many other album projects. He has formed several notable and ongoing bands such as John Foxx & The Maths, Wrangler (with Stephen Mallinder / Cabaret Voltaire and Phil Winter / Tunng), Fader (with Neil Arthur / Blancmange), and his most recent project Creep Show (Wrangler + John Grant). Benge's creative output now centres around his Memetune Studio Complex, located in one of the UKs remotest moorland locations, writing and producing his various music projects as well as making video art and TV programmes about his activities.

“The View From Vega”, his debut solo album on the DiN imprint, is primarily an ambient suite of tracks inspired by the space-music typically produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It uses a selection of vintage synthesisers, sequencers and FX units to provide a fertile sonic landscape to explore. The idea was to use simple sequences (using both analogue and digital units), sustained synthesiser pads and electronic piano improvisations, alongside various ancient delay, flange and reverb units. The beautiful, warm quality of the tones that exude from such instruments are very evident on the six tracks that slowly unfold their oscillations in organic, melodic soundscapes.

An unashamedly vintage sounding album in all its analogue glory, “The View From Vega” is released both as a 180g Vinyl edition and a Digipak CD with stunning artwork from Wendy Carroll that matches the music perfectly.