When I first met Benedikt two years ago, I was impressed by how this young artist, graduated from the National Ballet School of Canada, made the body a central theme of his work. His music doesn’t have the subtlety of latin rythmic maestria, nor does it have a powerful techno production. Yet there is definetely an exhilarating sense of body-relief coming to it like he explains:
‘Ravers sometimes take drugs to access bodily sensations. In a broader sense, it’s also why people drink alcohol and take psychotropics. One can deeply connect to bodily sensation when one improvises with other dancers. Nobody is on drugs, but despite that, it can be one of the most intense physical experiences one can have. You use your body to speak to others, to yourself. You can express things without having to be something sexualized. You discover a whole array of expressions, of colours.’
It’s certainly what best describes Fascia. The whole vibe is clearly down-tempo & alternative electronica, but it goes through very contrasted moods. Break Me and Oh Dear are deadly serious, while Havana Nights and Only You offer the piece climactic relief. Dreams and blood concludes the EP with a statement that could be deeply personal for Benedikt : a life long of hardwork, believing in karma ‘in ballet the most successful dancers are not necessarily the most talented, but those who persevere’, and waiting for all of this to be recognized. And if it isn’t, f*ck it, at least the journey was worth the ride.
‘It’s important to be real with oneself. But at the second you loose your ability to be optimistic, to be excited about what one is living, then you go nowhere. Most people assimilate themselves into the system, without asking what the alternatives are. The vision you have to propose as an artist, is precisely against that.’
Fascia is out on July 27 on digital platforms, and you can now exclusively listen to the whole EP via NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION right here.