EPM Podcast #78 Ben Sims presents Ron Bacardi

Ben Sims, has for decades flown the flag for techno the world over, cutting and dropping tracks with the dexterity of a true turntablist who grew up on a diet of electro, funk, disco and house. Now we see those disco and house inspirations come to the fore as the Essex Rascal presents his house nom de plume, Ron Bacardi. Following output for Bass Culture and Karlovak in 2015, Ben Sims’ housier, disco infused Ron Bacardi alias continues to gather pace as he prepares to unleash ’Need Somebody’ on his own Hardgroove imprint but before that he drops this fluid and frenetic mix to give us a double shot of the Ron Bacardi house experience. Featuring Doc Daneeka feat Seven Davis Jr, The Black Madonna, Mr. Tophat + Art Alfie, Loletta Holloway, War, Africans With Mainframes, EMG, Donna Summer, DJ Qu, Nightmoves, Mr. G and of course a few splashes of Bacardi (shaken and stirred) it’s house music, Jim but not as we know it.
Ben Sims is perhaps one of the most pre-eminent figures techno has to offer. A main attraction for underground cognoscenti since storming out onto the scene over 20 years ago, he has honed his reputation as a tight, energetic mixer who skillfully weaves together his own distinctive blend of tough funk and hardgrooves, often using three-deck wizardry and plenty of dexterity. Through an always-in-the-bag output, spearheading his in-demand ‘Run It Red’ radio show and heading up labels such as the now-defunct Theory, the long running Hardgroove and recently launching Machine, the Londoner has been hanging tough like it’s nobody’s business. He first performed at Claydrum in 2014 but this time he will be headlining the house room with his pseudonym Ron Bacardi delivering a set of blistering, raw house and disco edits.
Sims has put his name to more than 50 releases in the last two decades. During those years, there has also been a steady stream of high profile remixes of scene heavyweights, including Jeff Mills, Adam Beyer, Kevin Saunderson and Chris Liebing, on labels du jour like AXIS, KMS, CLR and Drumcode, all of which have won as much critical praise as they have crossover success.
Despite his veteran status in the scene, Sims has always been keen to evolve. Alongside Kirk Degiorgio, he is co-founder & curator of Machine - a clubnight which focuses on new, unreleased, & upfront music; it's primary home in London but with editions all across Europe each year. His Run it Red radio show, broadcast via NTSlive also serves to solely highlight new music.