Producer / Mixer / Songwriter
Ben has had a storied career to-date as both an engineer and as a producer, with accolades no less-esteemed than musical "wizardry" (read Minsker's article spotlighting Youth Lagoon's latest release "Dropla" from the upcoming March 5th release of Wondrous Bughouse).
Cutting his teeth in the studios of New York City, Ben H. Allen came up the ranks in the Bad Boy camp, engineering records with Puff Daddy, Mase, Carl Thomas and Lil' Kim. After a brief stint working for pop producer Mike Mangini (Joss Stone, David Byrne), Ben moved back to Georgia, opened Maze Studios and began mixing underground rap records for artists such as Gangsta Boo, Rasheeda, and Bonecrusher, quickly becoming a fixture in the Atlanta hip hop scene.
In 2001, Ben worked his first sessions with Cee-Lo Green and a quick friendship was struck. Their mutual interest in avant garde rock as well as the more muscular rhythms of Atlanta's rap sound made for brilliant studio sessions that evolved into Cee Lo's second solo project, 2004's Cee Lo Green is the Soul Machine. The two continued their working relationship on the Gnarls Barkley project, St. Elsewhere. "Crazy", the 1st single from St. Elsewhere, was a gigantic US and international hit and the 1 single in the UK for 9 weeks. Recorded and mixed by Allen, the album went on to win a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album for 2006.
Allen continues to exercise considerable influence as a mixer and is also making his mark as a producer. Working with his writing partner, Tony Reyes, Ben produced and co-wrote "Here to Stay" on Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics, which debuted at 1. The duo also remixed the track for an international Pepsi ad campaign. For more about Ben go here www.makerecordsnotbombs.com
Ben's Most Recent Credits
Kaiser Chiefs Cults Morning Parade Youth Lagoon Flagship Delphic Animal Collective SX Erin McCarley Reptar Washed Out GIVERS Rubik Deerhunter Cee-Lo MIA Matt & Kim Gnarls Barkley Christina AguileraPress
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12518-merriweather-post-pavilion/
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15614-within-and-without/
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18324-washed-out-paracosm/
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17672-youth-lagoon-wondrous-bughouse/
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14681-halcyon-digest/
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec06/articles/benallen.htm
http://mixonline.com/recording/mixing/mixing_outside_lines/index3.html