DJ Zinc

Benjamin Pettit[1] (born 12 March 1972), better known as DJ Zinc, is a British DJ and record producer. Zinc first became known for 1995's "Super Sharp Shooter", a hip hop/jungle fusion. He went on to produce drum and bass, breakbeat and more recently UK garage and house.[2]

DJ Zinc
Birth nameBenjamin Pettit
Also known asJammin, Jack Ruby, Dope Skillz, The Phantom
Born (1972-03-12) 12 March 1972
OriginLondon, England
GenresDrum and bass, breakbeat, house, trip hop, UK garage
Years active1991–present
Associated actsDJ Hype
The Ganja Kru
Hoodrats
Websitedjzinc.com

Biography

Zinc's career as a DJ and producer stretches the steady evolution of hardcore from its house roots through ragga and hip hop-styled hardstep and beyond. In 1991, he began his radio show with then partner DJ Swift on London's Impact FM. He continued to DJ on various pirate radio stations including Rinse FM, and has continued since it was awarded an official FM broadcast license in 2010.[2]

He continued to DJ on a regular basis, and was one of the first drum and bass producers to score a hit in the 2-step garage market courtesy of his 1999 single "138 Trek", which reached No. 27 on the UK Singles Chart in November 2000.[2]

His productions have been relatively popular outside the drum and bass scene, most notably in the breaks genre under the pseudonym Jammin.

Zinc produced and DJ'd as part of the Ganja Kru and True Playaz collectives, often in association with DJ Hype from 1996 to 2002. He ran the Bingo Beats record label, which released both drum and bass and breaks records from 2002 to 2008. He has been known to release records under the alias of Dope Skillz, Jammin and Jelly Jams plus others.

In 2001, Zinc released a remix compilation album of his own productions called Beats by Design which included "138 Trek". By August 2004, he released his second album, Faster, a concept album of sorts. The album, as the name suggests, ups the tempo little-by-little for each song. The title track and album opener, epitomises this and is a grimy crawl through bass and beat that speeds up from 40bpm into the early 100s by its end.[3]

In 2007, Zinc stopped making and playing drum and bass, citing "disenchantment with the scene". He started producing again in 2009 with a fusion of deep house, funky house and fidget house, which he believed did not fit into any of these subgenres. He later named his new sound "crack house".[4]

In October 2009, DJ Zinc released Crack House EP encompassing his new sound of the crack house genre. A follow up to this EP, Crack House Vol. 2 was released in July 2010. In November 2009, DJ Zinc created a 2-hour mix for broadcasting on BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix.

In 2011, Zinc collaborated with A-Trak to release "Stingray", which also has a "crack house" sound.[5]

Discography

Albums and EPs
Title Release Year Label Catalog #
Beats by Design (EP) 2000 True Playaz TPR 12 025 CD
Faster (LP) 2003 Polydor 986 548–8
Crack House (EP) 2009 Bingo Beats ZINCEP001
Crack House Vol. 2 (EP) 2010 Bingo Beats East002
Sprung (EP) 2011 Rinse RINSE009A
Only for Tonight (EP) 2013 Rinse RINSE020

Compilation albums
Title Release Year Label Catalog #
Bingo Beats Volume 2 2001 Bingo Beats BINGOCD002
Bingo Sessions Volume 1 2004 Bingo Beats BINGOCD004
Drum & Bass Arena 2005 Resist Music RESISTCD51
Watch the Ride 2007 Harmless HURTCD073

Singles
  • "138 Trek" (2000) – UK No. 27
  • "Casino Royale" (DJ Zinc) / "Dead A's" (DJ Hype) (2001) – UK No. 58 †
  • "Reachout" / "Pranksters" (2002) – UK No. 73
  • "Fair Fight" / "As We Do" (2002) – UK No. 72
  • "Ska" / "Fruitella" (2004) – UK No. 54
  • "Steppin' Sones" / "South Pacific" (DJ Zinc) (2004) – UK No. 62
  • "Drive by Car" (feat. Eksman) (2004) – UK No. 66 ‡
  • "Creeper" (feat. Dynamite MC) (2005)
  • "Ghost Train" (with Dave Spoon) (2009)
  • "Wile Out" (feat. Ms. Dynamite) (2010) – UK No. 38
  • "Goin In'" (DJ Zinc feat. States of Emotion) / "Reload" (DJ Zinc feat. P Money) (2012)
  • "Only for Tonight" (feat. Sasha Keable) (2013) – UK No. 83
  • "Show Me" (feat. Sneaky Sound System) (2014) – UK No. 167

† – credited as 'DJ Zinc / DJ Hype'

‡ – credited as 'DJ Zinc featuring Eksman'[1]

References
  1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 161. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. "Biography by Sean Cooper". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  3. DJ Zinc Biography "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), Retrieved on 2 December 2011.
  4. McDonnell, John (28 July 2009). "Scene and heard: Crack house". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  5. "A-Trak & Zinc – Stingray (Original Mix) JR Thornton". 20 February 2014.
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