Wayne "Lotek" Bennett

Production, Mixing & Mastering

Wayne "Lotek" Bennett on SoundBetter

I am a producer, engineer and songwriter (music and/or lyrics) with over 30 years experience in various roles within the music industry. I produced, mixed and co-wrote the 2009 Mercury Prize-winning album. I can make your tracks stand out from all the noise!

Whether you need a full mixdown, or you just need a few tweaks to perfect your mix I can help.
I have a wide selection of plugins including the entire Waves collection. I am an official Steinberg Artist so I have all the latest Steinberg software including Cubase 13 and Wavelab 11
I also have some great analogue and hardware gear too, such as the Empirical Labs Distressor (it's great on drums!)

A bit about me...

I started in the music industry in 1993 as a “tape operator”. First at Motown UK’s East London studio and then Rollover Studios in West London. I assisted in many recording and mixing sessions for a wide variety of artists from Leftfield to Seal.

In 1997 I became the engineer for independent UK hip-hop label, Sound Of Money records. There I helped shape the sound of a young Rodney Smith, AKA Roots Manuva.

In 1999 Roots Manuva signed to Ninjatune’s newly formed Big Dada label. I produced tracks for the first 4 albums (Including the critically acclaimed “Brand New Second Hand”, and the Mercury Prize-nominated “Run Come Save Me”). I also directed the Run Come Save Me UK and European tours.

In 2003 I signed to Big Dada as an artist in my own right. I produced the 2009 Mercury Prize-winning album “Speech Therapy” by Speech Debelle, who beat artists such as Florence and the Machine, La Roux and Bats for Lashes to take home the prize.

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Wayne Bennett
  • Nattali Rize
  • Nattali Rize
  • Nattali Rize
  • Nattali Rize
  • Speech Debelle
  • Speech Debelle
  • Speech Debelle
  • Speech Debelle
  • Speech Debelle
  • Speech Debelle
  • The Streets
  • The Streets
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
  • Roots Manuva
Discogs verified credits for Lotek
  • DJ MK & Lotek
  • DJ MK & Lotek
  • Lotek
  • Lotek
  • Lotek
  • Lotek
  • Dr. Don-Don* feat. Lotek
  • Lotek
  • Lotek Featuring Daddy Speedo
  • Lotek
  • Lotek
  • Various
  • New Flesh
  • Kobra Kai
  • Sonnyjim
  • Florelie Escano
  • Various
  • Roots Manuva
  • HKB Finn
  • Reachout
  • Bob One (2), Tippa Irie / King Kalabash, Barron Black*, OlaMonola, MadMajk
  • Speech Debelle
  • Speech Debelle
  • The Tongue
  • Florelie Escano
  • Sonnyjim
  • Various
  • Sonnyjim
  • Various
  • Black Jesus Experience
  • Sonnyjim
  • Sleaze (5) & Sonnyjim
  • Various
  • Naomi Braun
  • JMan*
  • Robert (9) & Rag'n'Bone Man
  • Sonnyjim
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • 3rd Stream
  • Various
  • Various
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Various
  • Various
  • Sonnyjim
  • Plutonic Lab
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Lotek Hi-Fi
  • Plutonic Lab
  • Roots Manuva
  • Part 2
  • Down Under Beats Crew
  • Various
  • Chopper Read
  • Astronomy Class
  • Down Under Beats Crew
  • Percy Filth (2)
  • Various
  • Kidkanevil
  • Kidkanevil
  • DJ Bonez
  • Ishu (2)
  • MC Immune
  • Sonnyjim
  • Agency Dub Collective
  • Speech Debelle
  • Subtitle
  • Skryptcha
  • Syringe Stick-Up Mama*
  • Percy Filth (2)
  • Shur-i-kan
  • Colein
  • Skryptcha
  • SonnyJim
  • Reason (2)
  • The Last Kinection
  • Kakhand
  • Roots Manuva
  • Tom Showtime
  • Various
  • Various
  • N'JE*
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Hilltop Hoods
  • Hilltop Hoods
  • Syringe Stick-Up Mama*
  • Hilltop Hoods
  • Loose Change (9)
  • JMan*
  • Tom Showtime
  • Big T (16)
  • Cut La Vis
  • Stray (15)
  • Hilltop Hoods
  • SonnyJim X Conway (6)
  • donGURALesko* & Matheo
  • SonnyJim X Giallo Point
  • Platterpush* & Codeks*
  • Nehi, Eveready
  • Robert (9) & Rag'n'Bone Man
  • White Girl Wasted
  • English (3)
  • Various
  • Various
  • DJ Perplex
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • Various
  • DJ Nonames
  • Roots Manuva

Interview with Wayne "Lotek" Bennett

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

  2. A: That technology can improve your performance, Autotune CANNOT make you sing if you don't already have some vocal ability or a pleasant voice. Techonology can enhance a recordings, show a performance in its best light but how good it can be is determined by the quality of the source.

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

  4. A: What their vision is? Who they think their audience is and how do they listen to music (eg, on headphones, at clubs, on the radio, streaming etc)

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

  6. A: The most important thing is that you find someone you trust, and like, to work with. They also need to be invested emotionally in your project. This can't be bought. They can have all the skills, experience in the world and the best equipment but if they don't believe in your project and/or share your vision and ambition then you will not get the best possible results.

  7. Q: How would you describe your style?

  8. A: When it comes to mixing and producing other people's music my "style" is irrelevant! It's not my music, i seek to understand the style of the artists I am working with and then work towards creating something in that spectrum, based on their vision, not mine. My own personal taste in music doesn't affect the choices I make for other people's music. That's why I have successfully worked with artists off all genres. Hip Hop or Folk, Hard Rock or Reggae.

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

  10. A: If it sounds right, it is right.

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

  12. A: Hip Hop, Reggae, Dub, Electronica, Soul, Disco, Funk

  13. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  14. A: Helping artists discover and develop their own sound.

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

  16. A: Bruce Swedien, Susan Rogers, Joe Meek, Lee "Scratch" Perry

  17. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  18. A: There are benefits to both, editing and managing the audio is much easier with digital and its possible to get a perfectly good sound entirely with plugins but i think some things like spring reverbs and tape delays just sound better with the real thing.

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

  20. A: I started off as a tape operator in 1993 and work my way up from making the tea and cleaning the tape machine to engineering the sessions. Eventually, I started producing music and by 2000 I was also performing live. I toured Europe with Roots Manuva as his musical director. I signed my own record deal in 2003 and released two albums on the label, along the way I built my own studios and collected a variety of gear.

  21. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  22. A: I have a combination of hardware and software that I use to produce music. I started making beats in the early 90's on AKAI samplers and I still use an S900 sampler for its 12bit crunch and will sometimes program on an MPC to get the swing. My main sequencer/DAW is Cubase which I have used since 1992, I'm an official Steinberg artist so I have a license for the entire product range which gives me a huge selection of instruments and effects to choose from. I do some of the mixing "in the box" but for some things that can't be convincingly recreated digitally, I have the hardware. I have 2 vintage spring reverb units and a selection of compressors and other signal processors, including a few homemade creations and some modified units.

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GenresSounds Like
  • Roots Manuva
  • Speech Debelle
Gear Highlights
  • Cubase 13
  • AKAI MPC2000XL
  • AKAI S900
  • AKAI S3000XL
  • Empirical Labs Distressor
  • RME interface
  • WAVES plug ins
More Photos
More Samples