Vinzenz Benjamin

Session Bass Player / Producer

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9 Reviews (9 Verified)
Vinzenz Benjamin on SoundBetter

Professional studio bassist for 20+ years. Credits include Go West, Sister Sledge, ABC, Paul Young, Kim Wilde

Recording and touring engagements include Go West, Holly Johnson, Sister Sledge, Cheryl Cole, Paul Young, Kim Wilde, Nik Kershaw and Belinda Carlisle.

Recent studio album credits on:
Go West - 3D
ABC - Lexicon Of Love Vol.2
Tony Hadley - Talking To The Moon
Bananarama - Love In Stereo
Cutting Crew - Ransomed,Healed,Restored,Forgiven
Holly Johnson - Unleashed From The Pleasure Dome

Accomplished bass player with many years of studio recording experience, great recording setup and large selection of bass guitars, amps and effects. Universal Audio, Focusrite, Logic X, Focal.
Friendly, experienced, professional. I would love to hear from you! Click the contact button above to get in touch.

EQUIPMENT
Fender Jazz Bass JV 1982
Fender Jazz bass Plus 1991
Fender Precicion Bass Vintera
Fender Jazz Bass special
Squire Bullet Bass 1982
Tokai Hard Puncher 1981
Peavey T-40
Sire MM signature
Mazetti Precision bass
Fender American JB V standard
Fender American JB V deluxe
Fender Jazz Bass Plus V
Lakland 5501 (maple)
Lakland 5501 (rosewood)
Lakland 5501 fretless
Sire Markus Miller V7 fretless
Santander fretless
Overwater V
Reverend Mercalli 5
Ibanez semi acoustic
Acoustic Upright Bass
Electric Upright Bass
Novation Bass Station II
Behringer Deep Mind 12
Universal Audio Apollo Twin
Focusrite ISA One
Other preamps, effect pedals and plugins

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Vinzenz Benjamin
  • Hydrous
  • Rob Phillips
  • Go West
  • Peter Cox
  • Peter Cox
  • Holly Johnson
  • Cyan Vow Featuring Alice James (3), Chris James Ryan
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • Oceanship
  • Tony Hadley
  • Bananarama
  • Cutting Crew
  • Cutting Crew
  • The Big Band Collective feat. Jimmy Somerville & Rick Astley
  • A | PART
  • ABC
  • Go West
  • Peter Cox

9 Reviews - 3 Repeat Clients

Endorse Vinzenz Benjamin
  1. Review by Roxanne Z.
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    Vin is such a pro and I’m grateful to get to work with him. He has an intuitive ability to understand what style, sound and groove you’re going for and then delivers that flawlessly. Amazing work once again!

  2. Review by Jesse W.
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    Vinzenz offers incredibly intuitive bass lines with a high level of care and commitment. Everything he does sounds great! Very professional!

  3. Review by Roxanne Z.
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    Fantastic experience with a very talented artist. Vin is a tremendous bass player, patient and clear communicator. I look forward to more projects with him in the future

  4. Review by Walter Taieb
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    Great working with Vinzenz. He's a real pro

  5. Review by Zolton
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    by Zolton
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    I'm a big fan of Vin's bass playing. Always melodic and always enhances the groove and feel of the track. A very nice and professional person to work with too!

  6. Review by Guillaume R.
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    In a short time, Vin performed a really great choice of fretless bass tracks with a perfect comprehension of my intentions.
    Thanks again Vin.

  7. Review by Stephen B.
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    Vin knocked it out of the park, as I knew he would. Great sound and flawless performances with DI/Amp/FX all provided and multiple take options. Most important of all was his creative instincts for creating just the right parts to complement the track. Hope to work with him again. Also, he went above and beyond by giving me an exact version of my demo bass part which I didn’t ask for but he anticipated I might want. Excellent. Thanks, Vin.

  8. Review by Zolton
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    by Zolton
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    Vinzenz has an incredible ear and always goes above and beyond to deliver than he needs to. I love Vinzenz's bass playing: it's melodic and soooo musical. And he's a pleasure to work with too!

  9. Review by Zolton
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    by Zolton
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    Really enjoyed working with Vin, one of the legends of the 80s music bass scene. He brought all his experience and melodic chops to my song and nailed a couple of awesome bass lines, one fretless and one fretted, which totally elevated the music to the next level. Great guy too! Highly recommended.

Interview with Vinzenz Benjamin

  1. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  2. A: I’m currently working on an album of my own music and I’m really excited about how it’s all coming together. It's retro music with a modern sound. Soulful retro-pop with a touch of jazz.. watch this space!

  3. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  4. A: Professionally recorded, great sounding bass tracks, delivered with a quick turnaround.

  5. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  6. A: Know what you want and be open to ideas. Might sound like a contradiction, but I think it’s important for the client to have a good idea of what he/she is after and also be open to hearing different possibilities within that idea.

  7. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  8. A: I’ve been playing bass professionally for over 20 years and relocated to London 18 years ago to follow my ambitions. Having had a jazz education I found myself wanting to play music that’s more main stream. Since I’ve moved to London I’ve had some great opportunities with internationally renowned artists and formed strong working relationships in the music scene.

  9. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  10. A: I'm MD of Go West, a band who've had some success over the last few decades. A lot of amazing musicians have collaborated with these guys over the years (Jeff Porcaro, Vinnie Colaiuta, Abraham Laboriel, Randy Brecker, Neil Stubenhaus, the list goes on..) and to follow in their footsteps is always a challenging, but rewarding task.

  11. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  12. A: Session drummer Chuck Sabo is a good friend of mine. He’s got a great feel and he’s really fun to work with.

  13. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  14. A: I like the editing possibilities that digital offers you, but I prefer the sound character of analog. So I would say my ideal setup is a hybrid of both.

  15. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  16. A: The excitement of creating something and the customer loving the result as much as I do.

  17. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  18. A: Q: What if i’m not happy with the result? A: Then we go back & forth until you are happy. So far I have only great feedback from my clients.

  19. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  20. A: That any guitarist could do my job!?:-)

  21. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  22. A: Usually I ask if they have a specific idea in mind or even a sound reference to use as a starting point. It also helps me to hear any previous productions so to give me a bigger picture of what the artist is all about.

  23. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  24. A: My MacBook with Logic, UA Apollo, iLok, Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Precision Bass.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: On point, clean, creative, engaging.

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. A: I love a lot of the modern electronic music which involves a live rhythm section, resulting in a blend of old school funk and modern sounds. For that reason I would say Daft Punk.

  29. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  30. A: I would say to try and be critical with yourself. If you record or produce something and you are not 100% convinced, then how can you expect anyone else to be?

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. A: Generally pop is what people hire me for. I’ve had a jazz education and feel very much at home in soul and r&b, but the main type of music i work on is pop.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: Listening. Wether it’s listening closely to what the drums are doing, listening to a song overall or listening to the ideas of the artist or producer.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. A: Groove, feel, tone.

  37. Q: What's your typical work process?

  38. A: I usually listen to the song a few times without my instrument. I found that coming up with a bass line in my head rather than on the instrument allows me to think freely, without falling into generic patterns that sit comfortably on the bass. When I have come up with something I’m happy with I will record a ‘master take’ and then usually a couple more takes with variations.

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. A: My recording setup consists of iMac, Logic X, UA Apollo interface, Focusrite ISA converters and DI, focal studio speakers. My ever changing (usually growing) collection of bass guitars includes.. 4 string: Fender Jazz Bass JV 1982 Fender Precicion Bass Vintera Sire MM signature Fender Jazz Bass special Mazetti Precision bass Ibanez semi acoustic 5 string: Fender American jazz bass V Fender Jazz Bass plus Lakland 5501 (maple fretboard) Lakland 5501 (rosewood fretboard) Lakland 5501 (fretless) Santander fretless Overwater V Reverend Mercalli 5 Electric Upright Bass Acoustic Upright Bass (50s, german)

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: Musicians who have the overall vision of a song and at the same time appreciate the importance of detail. In terms of bass players I’m thinking of people like Paul McCartney, Bernard Edwards or Marcus Miller. All fantastic creative players as well as amazingly skilled producers.

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: Much of my work is composing and recording bass lines for independent artists and producers. I will always try to get a good feel for what it is that the client wants and deliver that with passion and precision. I often end up recording some extra takes and options and try to offer a different flavour whilst still playing for the song.

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Showreel Vin Benjamin

I was the bass player in this production

Terms Of Service

Price includes up to 3 modifications and overdubs. Turnaround time can be as little as 24 hours and usually no more than 3 days.

GenresSounds Like
  • Bruno Mars
  • Stevie Wonder
  • Lizzo
Gear Highlights
  • Basses by Fender
  • Lakland
  • G&L
  • Ibanez
  • Reverend
  • Overwater
  • Sire
  • Santander and more
More Photos