Ben Hemsley
Ben Hemsley | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 6, 1996[1] |
| Origin | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Genres | trance, rave, happy hardcore[2] |
| Occupations | Record producer, Disc Jockey |
| Years active | 2019 - |
| Labels | Ministry of Sound, bebé |
| Website | benhemsley |
Ben Hemsley (born 1996) is a British electronic dance music disc jockey and record producer. He won the DJ Mag Best Producer award in 2023, and has performed at events such as Creamfields and for the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix show.
Early life
Hemsley grew up in North Shields, near Newcastle upon Tyne, where he had an interest in music from the age of 12. By the age of 14 he was performing DJ sets at under-18 events.[3][4]
Career
Hemsley initially achieved wider attention with his single release on the Repopulate Mars label, "Caress Me", which made number 15 in the Beatport chart and was played by Radio 1 DJ Danny Howard.[5] Hemsley was considered a "local DJ" until he came to prominence in 2021 when, due to the restrictions on travel from the COVID-19 pandemic meaning European artists could not perform, he was booked to perform in front of 8,000 people at Creamfields. His set was well received, and he went on to play the same festival the following year to a much larger crowd.[4]
In October 2022 he performed a 2-hour Essential Mix on the Pete Tong show for BBC Radio 1.[6] Also in 2022, Hemsley started a new record label, bebé, with the first release being his own extended player, "EP1".[7] In 2023 Hemsley won the Best Producer category in the DJ Mag Best of British awards, which was voted for by the public.[4][8] He has toured across the UK, and in the summer of 2023 had a residency at Ibiza Rocks in San Antonio.[4][7][9][10] In April 2024 it was announced that Hemsley was going to join the BBC Radio 1 Residency series. He hosted his first show, dedicated to Ibiza, the same day as his birthday on 6 June 2024.[11][12]
In September 2025, Hemsley released the single "If Your Girl", which heavily interpolates American singer Aaliyah's 1996 single "If Your Girl Only Knew". The single debuted at number 12 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart on 12 September 2025.[13]
Hemsley's sound has been described in the music press as "nostalgic rave" that cannot be easily categorised, but with trance lying at the "very heart of his current production".[2][4]
On 20 October 2025, Hemsley announced via Facebook that he is working on his debut album, which is set to be released in 2026.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| TBC |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Strength in Life |
|
| King of Darkness |
|
| We Are Sound |
|
| Golden Buddha |
|
| EP 1 |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| "Caress Me" | 2019 | — | Non-album singles |
| "NE29" | 2019 | — | |
| "Snowdons Tune" | 2020 | — | |
| "Blind" | — | ||
| "Through 2 You" | 2021 | — | |
| "I Feel Love" | — | ||
| "Bebé Música" | — | Golden Buddha (EP) | |
| "Love, Peace & Harmony" | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Erase Me" | 2022 | — | |
| "Every Little Thing" | 2023 | — | |
| "IBIZA" | — | ||
| "Benirrás" | — | ||
| "Closer" (featuring Chenai Zinyuku) | 2024 | — | |
| "Tidal" (featuring Rose Gray) | — | ||
| "Is It Beautiful?" (with Armin van Buuren, featuring Lucy Pullin) | 2025 | — | |
| "Angel" | — | ||
| "If Your Girl" (with Gaskin) | —[A] |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Angel" | 2025 | Jay Douglas[15] |
Notes
References
- ^ "ISNI 0000000502374265 Ben Hemsley". ISNI. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ a b Mullins, Ellie (26 October 2023). "Cream announces massive On The Waterfront Liverpool show with Ben Hemsley". We Rave You. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Farmer, Grahame (3 June 2019). "Ben Hemsley gives his Top 5 Inspirational Tracks". datatransmission. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Heath, Harold (9 January 2024). "Ben Hemsley: advancing the trance". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "biografie · Ben Hemsley - DJ". partyflock.nl. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Radio 1's Essential Mix, Ben Hemsley". BBC. 2022. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b Ingram, Niamh (30 April 2022). "BEN HEMSLEY HAS LAUNCHED HIS NEW LABEL, BEBÉ". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "These are the winners of DJ Mag's Best of British awards 2023". DJ Mag. 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "BEN HEMSLEY ESTRENA RESIDENCIA EN IBIZA ROCKS". Mixmag. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Small, Charlie (2 March 2023). "Ben Hemsley announces two-month Ibiza Rocks Residency". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Collins, Steve (April 2024). "Three new names set to join BBC Radio 1's Residency". Radio Today. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ "Radio 1's Residency - Ben Hemsley - Ibiza - BBC Sounds". BBC. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ "Ben Hemsley - If Your Girl". Official Charts. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ "IF YOUR GIRL by BEN HEMSLEY & GASKIN". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ "Ben Hemsley - Angel (Official Music Video)". YouTube.
External links
- Ben Hemsley discography at Discogs
- Ben Hemsley at AllMusic