InYourBass.com

The 27-year-old Ben ‘Monsta’ Somers has been drawing cartoons and monsters ever since he can remember. Getting into graffiti while growing up allowed him to draw upon influences far away from convention, which gives his work a one of a kind feel. During his early teens his love for bass-heavy music first drew him to Drum and Bass. Having released a few vinyls, he left his mark on the scene by setting up the Life 4 Land sound-system, freeparties and record label with Ed Cox.

His musical interests soon shifted through Dancehall, Grime, Gabba and Hip-hop to Dubstep. Meanwhile his artwork turned heads wherever he went, leaving a telltale trail of Monsta mania behind. His cartoons became an official feature on Dogs On Acid, one of the best-read forums in Drum and Bass. Soon everyone who’s anyone had a Custom Monsta profile pic’, Monsta T-shirt and original print. The ball was well and truly rolling now with Monsta’s designs popping up on flyers and vinyl sleeves everywhere. For Goldie’s new Ruffige Kru project, Malice In Wonderland, he created artwork accompanying each track on the special gatefold sleeve. Cypress Hill also showed their love for his work by requesting a custom piece and various well-read magazines started endorsing his talent.

                                
                                               

A few more ventures were created to cope with growing demand on all fronts. ‘Bboy Illustration’ was joined by ‘Monsta Press’ for high quality prints, and ‘Monsta Dubs’ for digital Dubstep releases, thus completing the fleet. Despite all the goings-on, enough downtime was found at the swampfactory to produce Monsta Dubs’ first album, made available freely on Myspace. It kick-started a string of vinyl releases on Subdivision, Subtrakt and LaDubstepNostra, as well as forthcoming ones on Insectmind. Monsta’s infectious, warm Dubstep sound leaves plenty of room for thick, deep sub-bass and seems to accompany his visual work perfectly. Both rely on clear and insightful use of effective basics, which draw you in from the get-go.



All of this really comes together when Monsta’s world is brought to life through animation. I found a series of short clips on Youtube, got sucked in straight away and Watched them back to back twice over. The latest one is a video clip to Beezy’s Day In The Life, out on Rinse. Any chance of seeing the monsters getting their groove on to some hefty subs a bit more often then? Time for a quick Q&A sesh’…

Five quick questions:

1) Out of all the things you do for a living, which do you enjoy the most?
I love drawing and making music equally but I go through stages of doing one or the other. A while ago I was making almost a track a day, but I haven’t made a track for about 2 months now, which is a long time for me. I’m sure this will change soon though! I’m just a creative person and couldn’t live without either of these in my life.

2) Which has been the most successful so far?
My illustration is how I get by, selling paintings and commissions is how I can eat everyday. I never would have believed I’d get the opportunity to do the artwork for Goldie’s Rufige Kru album, I think that’s the biggest project I’ve worked on yet. I’ve never really made money from my music. Unless you play out all the time I think it’s a hard thing to make money from. But I’m pleased with what I’ve achieved so far with my music, it was an honour to have Raiden and Dean Rodell remix "Space Raiders", and for Luke Envoy to remix "Caveman".  Remixing Hatcha’s "Flippin" was amazing too.

3) Which one takes up most of your time?
Illustration is a daily thing and I’m working on it all the time, when I get free time I work on my music.

4) Are you planning to get more into animation in future?
Yes, animation is still quite new for me. I’ve just finished a video for Roska`s "in your handbag" so look out for that coming soon! I love animation and I hope to do a lot more soon.

5) Are you planning a trip to our neck of the woods any time soon?
Well there’s no plans yet, but I do love that place for a few reasons so I hope so!

Well you heard him people, so get booking!

More info:

General:  http://www.myspace.com/redeyemonsta

Music:  http://www.myspace.com/monstasound

Illustration: http://myspace.com/bnillustration

Clothing (out later on this year):  http://www.clothingpimps.co.uk/

Prints:  http://www.lukeymo.co.uk/clients/monstapress/index.php?section=121&page=1246

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/swampmonsta/

Link to the animated videos on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/swampmonsta1

Little interview with this imaginatif artist.

klb : You studied graphic design at La Cambre in Brussels, but were u already busy decorating cities before that.
GD : I discovered graffiti when I was in Marseille and started out slowly at the age of 16. In fact I never saw myself as a vandal, nor as a paint-machine.
I always preferred to improvise. Graffiti gave me the opportunity to feel a sense of freedom, real good times.

klb : Did the cultural style at la Cambre have an influence on your own style?
GD : Of-course. It's at La Cambre that I learned to put the famous Mies van der Rohe motto 'Less is more', into practice.

klb : How would you define this/your style?
GD : Graphical, playfull, sneaky

klb : Are you using other technique than stickers?
GD : Yes, a marquer.

klb : Why do you prefer stickers to other techniques?
GD : Because stickers are being used by the garbage services when they are changing the traffic signs.

klb : Do you consider the sticker technique as a graffiti?
GD : No, but you can compare it to a tag, it is fastly executed and just as efficient.

klb : GM are two letters that are constantly coming back in your work. What do they mean?
GD : "J'aime"

klb : GM is your collective (crew), what is your goal, any tendencies, ...
GD : First of all it's a group of tag-lovers, where everybody is searching to develop his own style. We do what we like (GM=j'aime=I love) in a personal and experimental way. It's more a laboratory then a group of "classic" graffiti artists, where you mostly have to join in the style of the group.
We always saw our different styles as an enrichment. Today it developed itself into a group of about 40 men and women, throughout Europe and USA, that are partaking in the graffiti culture. Most of them never saw each other, but that's part of the beauty of the group, that never really wanted to be seen as a group. They all work with a different style and have other carriers, but we are complementing each other.
Out of sight, out of heart.
Each member keeps GM alive by thinking about it, while taking pictures, notes or integrating one of the numerous definitions (e.g. by working on their own graphic design jobs for a customer).
Gaude Mhi (enchant me in Latin, made the word "godmiché" )
Our main goal, the quest for every GM member is to be excited every day, in discovering expressions by accident, names with GM as initial, like a title of a book, the name of a shop, a persons name...

klb : It is with this collective that you realized the expo at Croxhapox. What is exactly the theme of the expo?
GD : The starting point of the expo was to re-unite the outlet of people in graffiti and to show that it is possible to develop a personal contemporary artistic practice outside of the graffiti "business".

klb : Do you notice a difference in graffiti-style, between Brussels, Ghent and other cities?
GD : Yes because outside the globalization of graffiti, some people are still experimenting and pushing the limits of graffiti.

klb : What do you think about Brussels as a playground?

GD : Brussels lacks quiet spaces for painting, in consistence of that all painters in Brussels are seen as vandals. But that is exactly the trough spirit of graffiti that has given Brussels its credibility.

klb : What's your opinion about what is happening in Belgium and Brussels? Do you find any originality?
GD : Being original takes time, space en the right to make mistakes.
The need for urgency present in Brussels gave birth to an efficient graffiti, but not really an original.
In Flanders, on the contrary, people are trying out more things and they take themselves a little bit less serious.

klb : Any artist references?
GD : No references, sometimes love at first sight  and my "dream team": all the GM members

klb : Did you already find stuff u knew it was influenced by your work?
GD : Yes

klb : How did u react to that?
GD : In the beginning I was disappointed, now I don't care.

klb : Any links, images...?
GD : http://gmcrew.free.fr/
http://www.ekosystem.org/tag/gmcrew

klb : Thank You!
GD : A big thank you to you too. (un Grand Merci)