Practice 01/15/2006 in mp3 format

Darkside Fünkengrüven in mp3 Format

MIX February 25, 2006 in Windows Media Format

DJ Benz Volume 14 in Windows Media Format

For almost three decades, DJ Benz has been a creative force on the dance music scene. Under his birth name of Carter Burnette, he started as a lighting engineer for “SomePlace Else – Home of the Trammps” in 1977.The DJs who spun there were the same ones who played at Philadelphia’s most prestigious nightclub “The Second Story” and the club proved to be an excellent training ground for developing his ear.

In 1980 he served as lighting engineer for Disco Design, LTD., the parent company for “The Second Story,” “The Catacombs,” and “Sundance.” While at “The Catacombs” he worked with esteemed DJs, David Todd and Wayne Geftman.

During this time he served as secretary for “The Pocono Record Pool” which serviced key DJs in the Philadelphia market. While there he met Terri Rossi, a promoter from Philadelphia International Records, who stole him away to be the Assistant to the Director of Dance Music Promotions for this label. After his short tenure he moved to become Director of Dance Music Promotions for WMOT Records. He continues to promote music for the next 25 years and has developed communications strategies for several famous acts.

In the 1984 he moved to Houston and worked as the chief lighting engineer for “Catch One Discotheque.” He completely redesigned the lighting system for this club and served as a consultant for their Los Angeles affiliate with the same name.

Carter was a regular contributor to the Houston arts scene. He was a pioneer in the Houston Artists’ Warehouse Alliance and contributed multimedia projects to several gallery openings. He also was a fixture at Gilley’s recording studio, lending his version of the Philly sound to the Texas country music scene.

He returned home to Philadelphia in the mid 80s. Since then he has served as a songwriter, record producer and multimedia artist. He was a charter member of Philly’s OutMusic scene and performed at local gay pride events. He is a three-time recipient of the Working Fund Grant for Philadelphia Artists. Carter also exhibited multimedia presentations at WHYY for Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Shut Up & Dance,” and at the Belmont Mansion for the national black history event, “I’ll Make Me A World.” He performed management duties at The Nile Discotheque, and spun music at PA’s oldest gay bar, The Lark in Bridgeport. Additionally he is the principal of WhatEver Productions, a firm that specializes in websites and multimedia projects for a diverse client base.