Mixmag Asia Radio 173: Over My Body label showcase with B E N N

“Avant-garde” gets thrown around a lot, usually by people who’d struggle to tell you what it means. However, it seems like that’s sort of the point; it’s a term that resists definition, and the most notable labels working under it don’t bother trying.

Over My Body is one of them. Founded in Taiwan in 2020, mid-pandemic, the label set out to make a place for the unplaceable – destructive, deconstructed, futuristic club music that didn’t fit anywhere else.

It helps that Taiwan is one of the most exciting places on the planet for forward-thinking sound. From clubs like FINAL and Pawnshop to artists like Tzusing and Diskonnected, there’s a deep well of art you’ve never heard of coming out of the island that always amazes and redefines what music can be.

To mark OMB’s fifth anniversary and the release of ‘Koma Vol. 2’, founder B E N N has put together a mix made entirely of Over My Body cuts.

We spoke to him about genre, Taiwan’s underbelly, the label’s return to events and more.

For listeners who don’t know you yet, who is B E N N and what is Over My Body?

Hi everyone, I'm B E N N, a producer and DJ based in Taipei. B E N N is the stage name I’ve been using since I started producing, and Over My Body is the music label which I founded and continue to run.


Where does the name come from? Is there a story behind 跨我身體?

The story behind Over My Body is quite simple. Personally, I don't like names that are overly serious or abstract, I wanted something humorous yet memorable, something that could leave a lasting impression on modern people who are constantly overwhelmed with information.

While brainstorming, I happened to hear a famous Taiwanese politician yelling 'Over my dead body!' on the TV news. On top of that, 'Over My Body' also captures that club experience: when you're completely lost in the music and vibe you love, maybe even happily drunk on the floor, you can just sit or lie there, entirely unbothered by strangers stepping over your body. You're simply having too much of a great time to care.


You started the label officially in 2021, in the middle of COVID. What gap did you see in Taipei at that point?

Actually, not just Taipei, but in the whole of Taiwan, experimental club music was just a tiny minority back then, basically underground within the underground. Even though FINAL back then worked hard to build this audience and community, the whole scene still felt closed compared to other nearby countries.

Few people dug for more cutting-edge music and labels from around the world, and everyone focused on the DJ performance culture over music production. In the meantime, I didn't find any label in Taiwan that could get global attention, and almost nobody even cared about what producers or music Taiwan had.

During my time in London from 2018 to 2019, I was deeply inspired by the European scene. Many producers I admired ran their own labels to build communities. Through collaborations, whether releases, co-productions, or remixes, they connected global artists into friends beyond real life.

This cross-border community was exactly what Taipei missed; back then, people here relied on clubs for local connections. But no matter what, the Taipei scene is constantly improving.

‘Koma Vol. 2’ recently released. Tell us about the tracklist on this compilation?

‘Koma Vol. 2’ is a compilation celebrating the fifth anniversary of Over My Body, and the core concept revolves around 'the unknown and exploration.' This 11-track compilation introduces producers who have never worked with the label before, hoping their fresh perspectives create a chemical reaction with OMB's aesthetics. And it went great!

The tracklist spans a wide sonic spectrum, moving from deconstructed club, heavy-bass Latin electronics, and Bass music, all the way to Gorge. It features international underground pioneers like Olor Acre, Luxixi, noRecall, Sanjonas, Sepbtt, Entrañas, and Japanese producer Titaniüm, who brought a high-impact percussion track ‘酔象’ rooted in Japan’s underground gorge scene.

Additionally, this compilation specially features works from two recent Taiwanese producers with great potential: MOXINA’s ‘Scorch’ and XAN’s ‘Burnout’. ‘Inner mechanics’ is a live-recorded collaboration between me and Swiss artist Spirit Vortex Club at his Lausanne studio, blending self-made instruments and synths into a highly hypnotic sonic puzzle.


Read this next: Pavilion East: Mixmag Asia takes Asia's underground to Amsterdam Dance Event


“Avant-garde” covers a lot. How would you describe what an OMB record sounds like?

Avant-garde is abstract and defined differently by everyone. What I saw as avant-garde back then might already be a familiar sound in Taiwan today.

I think it can be defined as the label’s sonic signature, including rhythms and elements untethered by traditional frameworks, and sound textures unconventional to dance music, specifically destructive overdrive, deconstructed structures, futuristic landscapes, sometimes even specific percussive club tracks. All of these define the label's back catalogue.


Half the roster is Taiwanese, and half is international. How do you find artists? Through demos, the internet, or the dancefloor at FINAL?

Actually, Taiwanese artists are still a small minority; most of our roster is international. Surprisingly, outside of our two compilations, all other releases came from artists who actively reached out online and sent demos. Some, like WRACK, became close friends through these collaborations.

On the other hand, the Taiwanese artists on the label were already friends in real life. Of course, I don’t just accept music based on friendship, if tracks are good but don't fit the label’s aesthetics, I will still politely decline.


Read this next: “Ping Pong” & power moves: inside GLOWBALL with founder Sonia Calico


You also master releases yourself. How does being both label head and engineer shape the label’s sound?

For me, mastering is highly intuitive. I can instinctively find the most infectious frequency zone in a track. When I handle the mastering myself, my requirements for the sense of energy, saturation, and dynamics are always consistent.

While I don’t personally master every single OMB release, I still ensure that every record strictly meets my sonic standards.

What makes FINAL so important to Taipei’s club culture, and how do the label and the club feed into each other?

FINAL has been a sanctuary for underground and experimental music in Taipei. I am truly grateful to FINAL for discovering me in the beginning, building a long-lasting connection with this venue. It gave OMB's music a space to experiment and push boundaries, allowed me to host countless events including our very first release party for Lujiachi.


Taiwanese electronic music is getting more global attention. What has changed in the last few years, and what still holds the scene back?

In recent years, more and more works by Taiwanese producers are being released by labels overseas. People are starting to pay attention to the foreign market and opportunities for overseas tours. Plus, the internet has broken geographical limitations, letting a global audience discover the uniqueness of Taiwan's underground culture.

However, I think the small market size and the lack of government attention are still the main factors holding us back. We need more resources to gain the international attention we deserve.


And where would you like it to go in the coming years?

I hope more talented local producers push better releases out to the world. I also want to see more online media and internet radio belonging to this scene coming up. Ultimately, I hope the government can distribute its resources more fairly and balanced, and I also look forward to more new venues appearing in the future.

Read this next: Excursions: Temple Meltdown is bringing Taiwan’s underground into sacred spaces

You’ve played Jakarta and elsewhere in the region. Which scenes in Asia excite you right now?

I feel that every region has its own different energy, and I can feel that the development of the scenes in Asia over the last few years is very positive and active, which always excites me.


Is there one Taiwanese artist you’d tell everyone to listen to right now?

You can check out MOXINA’s previous release on YUKU, it’s absolutely insane.


You took a pause from events for a while. Why is that? And what’s coming up?

Over the last two years, I shifted my focus from throwing parties to my own production and releases, as it was time to re-evaluate the label's next steps. Now, alongside the release of our fifth-anniversary compilation, we are also going to host a major collaborative event in Taipei with local promoters Tearspa and SlippedDisk Records at the end of this year.

This event will also be linked with a major platform from the UK. I can't reveal too much just yet, but this is a massive announcement that Over My Body is about to return, so stay locked!


What's next for the label? And what's next for B E N N?

Before the year wraps up, the label will lock in another major release of the year. I can share that it's going to be a remix compilation. Alongside the upcoming collaborative event at the end of the year that I just mentioned.

On a personal note, I’ve spent the last few months focusing on resting and production after my EU tour early this year. During this period, I’ve also been collaborating on new tracks and remixes with vocalists like Tokyo's unjuicy and Switzerland's Sami Galbi.

Looking ahead to next year, I'm planning to drop a new album and debut a brand new live performance concept.

Listen to B E N N’s mix on Mixmag Asia’s SoundCloud.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

Cut through the noise—sign up for our weekly Scene Report or follow us on Instagram to get the latest from Asia and the Asian diaspora!