Q&A: Bosq shines an informative light on his enduring musical quest

The Medellin-based artist gets deep into influences, production values, and the noble intention behind his ongoing sonic journey

Words by Rocco Universal

We've long admired the steady, genre-surfing musical flow of producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist Ben 'Bosq' Woods. His releases on labels including Ubiquity, Razor-N-Tape, Soul Clap, and – more recently – his own Bacalao imprint are variously endowed with an ever-evolving sound incorporating elements of funk, soul, disco, and Afro-Latin flavour. His search for sonic authenticity inspired him to fly south from his Boston home deep into the heart of Colombia's ongoing musical conflation, and from his Medallin base he continues to forge fusionist fire that is at once true to its lineage while irresistibly of the moment.

His new ‘Mouna Power’ EP features the rich textures of Pat Kalla soaring vocals riding high over disco-flecked horns and endless layers of compelling rhythms and textures. The title track comes in an original version alongside a skilfully measured 'Dance Dub', and while the latter is pulled-back just enough to suit the heads-down dancers, each version bursts with positive feeling and hyper-infectious dynamism.

We took the opportunity to reach out to Bosq to get to know more about his intriguing project, and the resulting exchange was both enlightening and entertaining, serving to further heighten our respect for him as an artist and a being.

Hey Ben, thanks for doing this. Please can you tell us about some of your musical influences, both from your early life and today?

“I definitely would not be a producer if it wasn’t for the first Wu Tang album, especially Rza’s production aesthetic on all those records from '93 to '96: 36 Chambers, Tical, Liquid Swords, etc. I was super young, like 10 years old at the time, but those records just captivated me in such a deep and impactful way. Around that same time (and to this day still) I also became obsessed with reggae and dancehall, like Supercat, Barrington Levy, Buju Banton. Bob Marley of course, but in particular the earlier rocksteady and ska Wailers records. I had a similar experience later in life when getting into African & Latin music, especially Ray Barretto, Fela Kuti, Fruko. I love artists that blend influences in musically complex ways but manage to keep things simple, groovy and infectious. Bonus points when they can make it political also.”

That’s certainly a formidable selection of artists. So, what was the first record you remember buying?

“I remember shortly after I got my first turntables, going to the one record store in my town and going through all the 2/1$ 45s and getting Kraftwerk “Numbers”. Pretty good first pull!”

Please can you explain to us a little about how your production adventure began?

“Like a lot of producers my age I think, it started with hip hop. I had turntables and this wild four channel Radio Shack mixer and I would do weird shit like plug my Sega Saturn into one of the inputs and then play break records under whatever video game sounds (totally offbeat and horrible I’m sure). Later I got to play with a borrowed sampler for the first time and loved that (I remember looping the 'Evil Woman' piano intro and syncing it to a breakbeat and what a cool lightbulb moment that was). When I finally downloaded some software like Fruity Loops and Sonar though is when I really became obsessed and dove in. I also had the incredible fortune to get to spend some time working for my cousin editing audio in pro tools for everything from audio books to porn soundtracks in high school, so during that time I got incredibly comfortable working in DAWs.”

Now, with the ability to collaborate on projects remotely so much more straightforward these days, what was it that inspired you to leave Boston for first Puerto Rico and now Medellin on your musical quest?

“I should first clarify I never lived in Puerto Rico, just that was the first opportunity I had to go create in a location with local artists and be involved and present every step of the way instead of sending things off and getting something back. It was just over two weeks I think but really amazing. The main inspiration really was questioning myself about what I was doing as a white kid from outside Boston making music so inspired by Afro Latin cultures. What I decided is that if I was going to continue incorporating those sounds then I needed to do it in a way that contributed something to the communities who pioneered those sounds and were still carrying on the traditions. I didn’t think that was possible from so far away and with my awful Spanish at the time. Here I’ve been able to immerse myself in the music and learn so much, but more importantly my projects now involve local musicians who I never could have found online, and ties my success to theirs when they own a piece of whatever I create.”

We fully respect the intention, man. How does your daily life differ there and what have been some of the rewards or drawbacks of your relocation?

“We live outside the city in a really rural area so its very different than being in Boston. Growing lots of our own food, constant interaction with nature, & speaking Spanish every day are all huge benefits. The hardest part was probably learning how to navigate the bureaucracy of a new country and get set up from scratch with visas, bank accounts, cell services, etc! It helped immensely that my wife is Chilean, both because of her being a native Spanish speaker but also because of the friendly agreements between Mercosur countries (Union of some South American Countries).”

Now, we can seriously relate to those logistical challenges, having been based in various parts of Asia for the last five years. So, have you performed any interesting shows down there (pre-Covid of course)?

“Yes tons of them! I was playing fairly frequently here these last four years before everything shut down. Everything from festivals to clubs, but I think my favorite nights have been playing in small bars with no cover charge, really getting to play long super eclectic sets that I would never have been able to play as a DJ just visiting on tour. There is a huge difference when you come as a touring DJ anywhere, the prices attached to flights & accommodations & international booking fees means in a lot of these places you are only playing for the most privileged class of people in any given area. Avoiding all of that means playing for a total cross section of folks which is way more enjoyable to me.”

With so many artists currently mining the global music archives — in particular the African disco canon — for material to sample or edit, we love that you're working hard to create new material with what sounds to us like a subtly contemporary take on authentic production sensibilities. What can you tell us about your studio set up and production process in terms of how it relates to the sound you're striving for?

“Thank you that’s exactly my goal! Vintage soul and feeling with enough modern sensibility to make it fresh and something you can play alongside straight up house music in a club. I have to say here too that I think its absolutely horrendous how many folks are building careers – and making a shit load of $$ – by basically adding a kick drum to and African disco track and then releasing it as if it were their own original track. But I digress.

To me the key to that sound is plenty of live elements, its something there is no replacement for, both because of the actual sound but also the imperfections and energy that gets injected into a recording when you are working with humans. I tend to build a lot of my drum tracks electronically but after that I’ll add a whole bunch of layers of live percussion here myself in my home studio, then that’s where I get the mood, energy and vibe for the keys, bass, synths etc that I’ll add (also myself here at home). Then I usually hit a point where I think the track has gone as far as it can with just me (although every now and then I do the whole thing start to finish alone) and I’ll reach out to horn players, singers etc to bring it to life and make it a real “song”. I don’t worry too much about gear since I feel like that can be a black hole, but I do love collecting instruments. I’ve also recently gotten better mics that are more modeled after classic vintage equipment and I can definitely feel a difference (Roswell mics from California have been my new favorite). I have dreams of a full Neve or API board but that’ll have to wait until I make a hit record and some money, haha!”

We feel you 100% there. Of course, edits have their place, but there are so many unimaginative and unnecessary reworks out there that seem to us much more about cashing-in or credit-stealing than art. But, anyway! What can you tell us about how the collaboration with Pat Kalla came into being?

“It came about really naturally! GUTS (who has really been super generous with his time giving me feedback on tracks over the years) reached out to me last year about doing a remix for 'Cannette' – the Pat Kalla & Le Super Mojo track, which I was already a fan of. Pat reached out to me later on to say how much he liked the remix and suggested we do an original at some point, and here it is! I definitely hope we do more.”

May we ask if you got in a room together to record the Bogota Orquesta Afrobeat horn section and ‘Beto’ Salas ' djembe work, or was it concluded remotely?

“Yes! Actually both of those were left over from older sessions about two years or more ago. I went to Bogota I think 3 or 4 times to record with those guys and I would bring a ton of tracks. Some got used on my last album and the Fatback Band covers, but there were four or so that never made the cut for anything. During lockdown I opened back up some of those old projects, and for this one I basically redid almost all the music but kept their horns and Betos djembe work. Beto is also a good friend and my percussion teacher, so we had a ton of stuff recorded already.”

Are there any artists with whom you'd love to collaborate but haven't had the opportunity?

“Too many! Eko Roosevelt is a big one, Busy Signal, it would be cool to do something with Bomba Estereo here, The Fatback Band! (their management reached out when I did those covers but just wanted to make sure I registered everything properly and I got no response when I suggested a collaboration hahaha) also of course some way out of my league long shots like Patrice Rushen. I’m also extremely grateful to everyone I have worked with so far!”

So, what comes next for the Bosq musical project?

“I have a bunch of mostly finished stuff on the disco and funk side, I just need to decide what I want to do with it! Its tough because the music “market” really incentivises singles whereas music media incentivises albums. Either way the new music as well as official remixes will keep flowing! Me and Kaleta have also been talking about putting together a live show so eyes open for that!”

We look forward to hearing that. Finally, is there anything else you'd like to tell us about?

“I’d just like to urge everyone to take this next phase of opening back up as an opportunity to reevaluate how we behave as societies. I hope it’s proof that profit over everything as a governing principle is not only really shitty as a moral compass but its also completely ineffective for the long term survival of humans.

Much love to everyone who supports what I do!”

Man, we dig what you’re saying and hope so much that the world is able to embrace a new, fairer and more sustainable paradigm. Massive love coming right back at you señor Bosq. Keep fighting the good fight and we look forward to hearing more of your tunes.

Bosq ft. Pat Kalla 'Mouna Power’ is out April 23 on Bacalao. You can buy it here