Ben Westbeech

Born on 12 May 1981 in England, the versatile Bristol-based artist Westbeech earned the distinction of delivering the inaugural release for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label. The single ‘So Good Today’ reached the DJ during a 2006 festival, prompting an instant contract and a commission for a debut album. Classical studies in voice, cello and piano had already shaped his foundation, and he was cultivating a self-produced aesthetic anchored in soul while freely drawing on drum ‘n’ bass, house and hip-hop. In the latter vein he records as Lean and has joined forces with Clipz and DJ Die. Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life, issued in 2007, highlighted Westbeech’s range without sacrificing quality, folding the cited styles around his lightly husky voice. Funk proved the idiom in which he felt most natural, though drum ‘n’ bass tracks, buoyed by florid, subtly jazzy piano, built considerable forward motion. After the album’s appearance he delivered a series of warmly received live shows throughout the UK.