Benjamin Wynn(II)

Under the name Deru, Ben is signed to the label Mush Records and has released three albums, as well as many remixes and compilations for labels such as Merck and Ghostly International. His style might be best described as an amalgam of hip-hop and electronica, and under this name Ben plays live in clubs and festivals in the U.S. and Europe.

Ben grew up in Chicago, where his earliest influences came across the airwaves of the legendary University of Chicago radio station WHPK, and JP-Chill. Listening to hip-hop, and specifically its use of static in music, prompted Ben's first forays into manipulating sound. By high school, Ben had become a fixture around the station, which earned him an invitation from JP-Chill to try his hand at some on-air mixes. He was sold.

He continued his sonic explorations at the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied synthesis, signal processing, acoustics, music theory, and composition, and earned a bachelor's degree in music technology. While at CalArts, Ben also delved into world music, studying Balinese gamelan, African drumming and hand percussion. Ben's multi-layered musical sensibility combines hip-hop, electronic, world music and classical composition.

In 2007, Ben collaborated with composer Joby Talbot on the score to Wayne McGregor's ballet, Genus, based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, commissioned by the Paris Opera Ballet. The ambitious eight-part score combines electronics with 10-part choir, and string instruments. That score is available on Ant-Zen and Dear Oh Dear Records.