Benoit Heitz (born 1985), known by his stage name Surkin, is a French musician, record producer, DJ and art director. He is known for his electronic music compositions under the name Surkin and Gener8ion.[1]
Surkin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benoit Heitz |
| Also known as | Gener8ion |
| Born | 1985 (age 38–39) |
| Genres | French house, electro house, chiptune |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Institubes, Marble, Ed Banger, EMI Music Japan |
| Website | http://www.myspace.com/surkin |
Life and career
editSurkin was born in Arles, the south of France. He studied contemporary art at Villa Arson in Nice before moving to Paris to start his music career.[2]
He first gained attention in 2006 with his first releases on the French Institubes music label, DJ performances in clubs and music festivals such as Coachella,[3] Fuji Rock Festival[4] and Ultra Music Festival,[5] and remixes for artists like Paul Johnson, Justice, Chromeo, DJ Mehdi, Kavinsky. During this time, Surkin's productions are notable for their use of heavily modified vocal samples and the use of cut-up.
In 2011 he launched the independent record label Marble along with Para One and Bobmo.[6]
Surkin released his first album "USA" late 2011,[7] which was called by dance magazine Mixmag "one of the most exciting concept albums of the 21st century".[8] The album is influenced by Detroit techno, 80's electro and Chicago House, featuring vocals by Ann Saunderson (from Inner City) and Marshall Jefferson collaborator Kevin Irving.[9]
In 2015 he released the E.P. "The New International Sound Part II" featuring vocals by M.I.A, under the name GENER8ION. The subsequent music video, directed by Inigo Westmeier and executive produced by French director Romain Gavras, was shot at the Chinese fighting school of Shaolin Tagou and featured a synchronized choreography by 36,000 of their students.[10][11][12]
In 2016, Surkin composed the original music of the Nike campaign 'Da Da Ding'[13] which won numerous awards at international advertising competitions [14][15][16] and scored the launch video of the iPhone 7 "Don't Blink" which was shown in September at the Apple keynote in Cupertino.[17][18] In March 2016 he released a visual magazine called "Unite Or Perish" and a new EP under the name Gener8ion called "GN8003" on French label Bromance.[19][20][21]
In 2017 Surkin collaborated with fashion brand Dior to create the music of their campaign Poison Club[22] and composed the music of the global Mercedes-Benz campaign "Never Stop Improving" featuring Roger Federer.[23]
Awards
edit- 2017: D&AD Awards – 'Nike, Da Da Ding' – Wood Pencil - Use of Music for Film Advertising [24]
- 2017: Cannes Lion – 'Nike, Da Da Ding' – Bronze Lion - Use of Original Music [25]
Discography
editProduction
edit- M.I.A. - Bring The Noize (2013, Interscope)
Albums
edit- Action Replay (2007, Institubes/Klee)
- USA (2011, Marble/Ed Banger/EMI Japan)
- USA Club Mixes (2012, Marble)
EP and singles
edit- Ghetto Obsession (2006, Institubes)
- Play Do / I Joke On You (2006, Arcade Mode)
- Radio Fireworks (2006, Institubes)
- Fireworks Refired (2007, Institubes)
- Next of Kin (2008, Institubes)
- Next of Kin, Mark II (2008, Institubes)
- Silver Island (2010, Institubes)
- Fan Out Remixes (2010, Institubes)
- Ultra Light (2011, Marble)
- Lose Yourself (2012, Marble)
- I Want You Back (with Todd Edwards) (2012, Sound Pellegrino)
- Advanced Entertainment System (2013, Marble)
Remixes
edit| Year | Artist | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | M.I.A. | "Sunshowers" (Surkin vs. M.I.A.) | Institubes |
| 2006 | Para One | "Epiphanie Teaser" (Surkin Megamixx) | Institubes |
| Para One | "Midnight Swim" (Surkin Drowning Mix) | Institubes | |
| 2007 | Boys Noize | "Don't Believe the Hype" (Surkin Remix No. 1) & (Surkin Remix No. 2) |
Boysnoize Records |
| Chromeo | "Fancy Footwork" (Surkin Rogue Teens Remix) | Vice/Turbo | |
| DJ Mehdi | "Lucky Boy" | Ed Banger Records | |
| Foals | "Hummer" | Transgressive Records | |
| Goose | "Low Mode" (Surkin Mode) | Skint Records | |
| Justine Electra | "Killalady" | City Slang | |
| Kate Wax | "Catch the Buzz" | Mental Groove Records | |
| Klaxons | "Golden Skans" | Because Music | |
| Paul Johnson | "Hot" | Blackjack | |
| Spencer Parker | "Open Your Eyes" | Cr2 Records | |
| Teki Latex feat. Lio | "Les Matins de Paris" | Virgin | |
| VHS or BETA | "Burn It All Down" | Astralwerks | |
| Yuksek | "Composer" | Relish Recordings | |
| 2008 | Justice | "DVNO" | Ed Banger Records |
| Nacho Lovers | "Acid Life" | Scion Audio/Visual | |
| 2009 | The Juan Maclean | "One Day" | DFA |
| Street Fighter IV | "Bionic Commando" | ||
| 2011 | Canblaster | "Totem" (Surkin 'Gravity' Edit) | Marble |
| 2012 | Mademoiselle Yulia | "Bam Me" | EMI Music Japan |
| Drop the Lime | "Bandit Blues" | Ultra Records | |
| Usher | "Scream" | RCA | |
| M.I.A. | "Bad Girls" | ||
| 2013 | Kavinsky | "Odd Look" | Mercury |
| 2014 | Charli XCX | "Boom Clap" | Atlantic |
References
edit- ^ "M.I.A. Teams With Surkin's Gener8ion on "The New International Sound Pt. II"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ Lochanski, Tess (2016-03-03). "gener8ion, le porte-parole du cool globalisé de notre génération". i-D (in French). Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ surkin coachella 2008, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2019-10-03
- ^ "Fuji Rock Festival 14 - English". fujirock-eng.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ Duran, Jose D. (2009-02-13). "Full Ultra Music Festival Lineup Revealed". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Surkin, Bobmo, and Para One Unveil New Marble Imprint, XLR8R". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
- ^ http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=15137 - Surkin readies debut album, USA
- ^ Mixmag, December 2011. Album Of The Month "Surkin - USA"
- ^ "Surkin - USA Review Clash Magazine". 28 November 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ^ "Watch 36,000 Chinese Fighters Battle in the Video for M.I.A and Gener8ion's "The New International Sound Pt. II"". Vice (in Danish). 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "M.I.A and Gener8ion's new vid features 36,000 Chinese fighting school kids". It's Nice That. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ Collins, Hattie (2015-06-15). "m.i.a and generation enlist 36,000 kung fu kids for new video". i-D. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Surkin". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Prix de la Création Musicale". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Cannes Lions 2017: Wieden+Kennedy's Da Da Ding brings final Gold for India". www.bestmediaifo.com. June 25, 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Nike Da Da Ding". www.dandad.org. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Apple". Creaminal Music Supervision Agency. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ Smith, Marshall (2016-09-07). "Everything You Need to Know About the Apple iPhone 7 Event In 2 Minutes". Industry Tap. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Gener8ion: Lancement du magazine Unite Or Perish". Beware Magazine (in French). Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "Gener8ion Magazine". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "L'Album de la Semaine: Gener8ion, "G8N003 - EP"". Clique.tv (in French). 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ Dior Poison Club (Official), retrieved 2019-10-03
- ^ "Your Shot: Never Stop Improving with Mercedes-Benz, Roger Federer and antoni". lbbonline.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ "D&AD Awards 2017, Nike Da Da Ding". D&AD. June 6, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Cannes Lions 2017: India wins 7 Lions in Creative Effectiveness, Radio, and Film Craft". Best Media Info. June 6, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2019.