Ben Rau heads to Indonesia for two groove-laden affairs this weekend

For those in Indonesia this weekend, make sure not to miss Ben Rau as he gives the country a taste of his sonic exploration and expertise in house music.

With releases on established labels including Hot Since 82’s label Knee Deep in Sound and the iconic BBE Music, he also continues to expand his list of gigs, scoring slots at Amnesia, Glastonbury, BPM, Pitch Festival and a previous Fuse residency.

The Berlin-born producer first fell in love with the feel-good sounds of Michael Jackson and Isaac Hayes before coming across hip hop as a young teen.

By the mid-90s, Rau was smack in the middle of what is arguably one of the most exciting and historic times in dance music history, as Berlin embraced the sounds of house, techno and trance with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Propelled by the sounds from back tapes of Sven Väth shared by his older brother, he started exploring the city whose many derelict properties were being transformed into proper rave venues. Becoming a rave addict in the best possible way, Rau then shifted to DJ-ing and moved to London in the mid-2000s where he won a mix competition judged by Nic Fanciulli.

Read this next: Chicago nightclub The Warehouse recognised as a national landmark

After immersing himself in the highly influential London scene, he dove into producing, initially working with Justin Drake of Peace Division before heading back to Berlin in the mid-2010s and investing in his own studio space.

He went on to launch his label INKAL in 2016 which housed many of his original cuts to great success — both vinyl and digital releases reached the upper echelons of Beatport charts. Following was the launch of his other label META, which was aimed at releasing music by other artists.

2022 saw him release a debut album ‘8-track’ on Knee Deep in Sound, which bestowed upon listeners eight succulently groovy tracks decorated with shades of classic French house, breakbeats, plus deep and melodic house — an album which Rau says “liberated me, creatively.”

Read this next: Los Baro presents a 90s house-inspired sonic experience in ‘Spectrum’ EP

With support from Mixmag Asia, Ben Rau will be headed to Jakarta for a Selective club night event on Friday, June 30, followed by a Bali appearance at Old Man’s on July 1.

His gig in Jakarta will take place at Lime Lightbar with accompaniment from Nandi b2b Waiteasa, SALA’s Sergio Berlino and Masguna as their duo alias Berguna, plus Theo R who will kick-start your weekend with their feel-good sets.

Those headed to Old Man’s in Bali, prepare for an equally euphoric night of dopamine-inducing beats from Ben Rau, who will be supported by the island’s own Point 85.

For updates and info on his upcoming gigs, follow Ben Rau on Instagram here.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.