Benjamin Speed

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Benjamin Speed

Background information
Also known as Mister Speed, Mr Tappin' Fresh, The Other Half
Born 1979
Origin Flag of Australia Adelaide, Australia
Genre(s) Indie Pop, Hip Hop, Electronica, Film Music, Alternative, Experimental
Occupation(s) Songwriter, Composer, Producer
Years active 2000–present
Label(s) Creative Vibes, Groovescooter, ABC
Associated acts The New Pollutants
Website myspace.com/mrbenjaminspeed

Benjamin Peter Speed (born 1979 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian alternative, electronic and hip hop musician who composes scores for film and television.

Contents

[edit] Music

[edit] The New Pollutants

In 2001 Speed teamed up with fellow solo artist Tyson Hopprich (DJ Tr!p) to form The New Pollutants, a band that played at some major Australian festivals including the Falls Festival in 2004/5, Big Day Out in 2003 and as headliners of the 2004 Adelaide Fringe Festival [1] In 2003 the group was voted Most Popular Dance Act by DB Magazine readers.[2] The group also played on Triple J Radio’s Mix-Up during the Amnesty Freedom Festival in 2004, Adelaide University O’Ball 2003 & Newcastle's This Is Not Art (TINA) Festival in 2002. Between 2002 and 2004, The New Pollutants released a full length album, 12" EP and 7" single.[3]

Some live reviews of The New Pollutants performances garnered quotes such as

  • "If you hear of these guys playing near you go and see them - very fat and funky gigs that totally blow away any boring preconception of two guys playing machines. These guys look like they are having a ball when they play, grinning from ear to ear.” Vice Magazine (Live Review) July 2003 [4]
  • "The New pollutants have an air of intellectual ferment about them that isn’t exactly common place in the Hip-hop scene. “ The Wire (Live review) UK - December 2002 [5]

[edit] Solo Career

Speed began performing solo shows in Adelaide in 2000 with Ben Frost and released two 'Speed Presents' EPs as Mr Tappin' Fresh and The Other Half. He performed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and This Is Not Art Festivals before forming The New Pollutants with DJ Tr!p. In 2007, Benjamin Speed's debut solo album The Dreamer was released by Creative Vibes.

Reviews of the album include quotes

  • "...this is an inventive energy filled debut, it’s self assured, hilarious and sad. It’s hip-hop with soul that strays far from hip hop’s roots into this bizarre role playing where Mr Speed takes on various alter egos, singing in accents, whispering in your ear or cutting it from the dance floor. He’s got killer production, but perhaps more importantly he’s got range and dexterity.", [6]
  • "Impossible to classify and stubborn in its will to take you on a deranged musical bender, The Dreamer definitely pushes the boundaries of kitsch and glitch but its plight is a brave one. In an Australian market flooded by singular dimension hip hop that lacks daring and imagination, Mr. Speed’s debut is a diamond in a coal mine. Highly recommended.", [7]
  • "The word quirky was coined to describe things exactly like this and that is in no way a bad thing." [8]
  • "Certain people will regard this as a brilliant paradox; others will find it another annoying contrivance." [9]
  • "He’s someone who understands that each day is an opportunity to manifest destiny. He’s living his dreams through until they are firm reality. Both streetwise and spiritually profound, The Dreamer comes across like some kinda guidebook for a blissed-out urban lifestyle."[10]

[edit] Film Work

[edit] Metropolis Rescore

In 2005, The New Pollutants were commissioned by The Adelaide Film Festival to compose and perform a new soundtrack to the silent film Metropolis.[11] This project has subsequently performed at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) [12], as a part of the 2006 Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival and at the 2006 Perth Revelations Film Festival. [13]

The project collected reviews such as

  • "Speed and Hopprich’s score was a gift". Adelaide Advertiser [14]
  • "The New Pollutants match, and in many ways surpass the genius of Lang’s vision, by making it vibrant, topical and alive.” (Peter Wintonick)[15]
  • "One of the highlights of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival" [16]

[edit] Solo Work

In 2005, Speed composed his first in a series of many collaborations with The People's Republic of Animation (PRA) for a short animation series called Errorism: A Comedy of Terrors. He received the Best Original Score award at the 2006 St Kilda Film Festival for the animated short Carnivore Reflux,[17] a film that was a 2006 Tropfest finalist. In 2007 Speed composed for the animated short music-film Sweet and Sour which premiered at the 2007 Adelaide Film Festival and has since won multiple awards and played at numerous international film festivals. [18] He composed music for the winning Tropfest Supershort Series film Safer In A Wild World, which has also been chosen for official competition in the 2008 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France. [19]

Speed has since composed for the 2008 Tropfest finalist film Glass and has recently completed his first feature film projects The Tumbler and A Northern Town (documentary), the later of which has been selected in competition for the Dendy Awards at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival.[20] Later in 2008 Speed will be working on a short film project called The Cat Piano with Nick Cave. [21] It is a film written and directed by Eddie White and produced under the banner of The PRA. [22]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Education

Speed attended Glenunga International High School in Adelaide and has since graduated with an honours degree in Music Technology from the Elder Conservatorium of Music at Adelaide University. [23] He is now currently completing a Masters Degree in Screen Composing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney. [24].

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo

Mr Tappin' Fresh
(2001)
The Other Half
(2001)
The Dreamer - (Creative Vibes)
(2007)

[edit] The New Pollutants

Hygene Atoms
(2002)
Sid Hop
(2003)
Urban Professional Nightmares
(2004)
Metropolis Rescore Project
(2005)

[edit] Compilations and Collaborations

  • DJ Tr!p - Various: Right (2002)
  • DJ Tr!p - Various: Acute (2002)
  • DJ Tr!p - Various: Reflex (2002)
  • SubFM - La Trobe University - The Fine Line (2002)
  • Surgery Records - 2002A2D: Analogue 2 Digital (2002)
  • Semikazi Collectve - 2002 Compilation (2002)
  • DJ Tr!p - Paintbox Compilation 12" (2003)
  • 3D Radio - Depth Charge 3 (2003)
  • MISA - Sounds of MISA Volume 2: Setlist (2003)
  • ABC – Sound Quality Volume 2: Approved for Export (2003)
  • Soobiesta - Straight Out Of Brisbane (2004)
  • 52nd Sydney Film Festival - Music for Film: Cults Classics Curios (2005)
  • Blank Tapes CD Sampler 5a & 5b (2005)
  • Cyclic Defrost Presents: Interesting Music from Australia (2005)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The New Pollutants Biography
  2. ^ dB Magazine Readers Awards
  3. ^ The New Pollutants releases
  4. ^ The New Pollutants Biography
  5. ^ The New Pollutants Biography
  6. ^ Cyclic Defrost Review
  7. ^ In The Mix Review
  8. ^ Rave Magazine Review
  9. ^ PBSFM Review
  10. ^ Mess and Noise Review
  11. ^ AFF Metropolis Rescore
  12. ^ ACMI Metropolis Rescore
  13. ^ Perth Revelations Metropolis Rescore
  14. ^ Nunn, Louise (February 22, 2005), Review of Metropolis rescore Adelaide Advertiser
  15. ^ [Peter Wintonick, International Editor, Point of View Magazine]
  16. ^ Graeme Watson
  17. ^ 2006 St Kilda Film Festival Winners
  18. ^ Sweet and Sour - screenings and awards
  19. ^ Annecy festival selection
  20. ^ Sydney Film Festival selection
  21. ^ The Cat Piano Blog
  22. ^ Cat Piano IF Magazine reference
  23. ^ Benjamin Speed biography
  24. ^ AFTRS