Semtek’s Sonic Hustle: MusicRadar Tech Digs Into Don’t Be Afraid’s Club Alchemy

Benji Roth, rocking aliases like Semtek and DJ Persuasion, kicks things off with a trip down memory lane—think dusty school computers, janky MIDI modules, and cassette decks that only play out the left speaker. His early days were all about hacking Sibelius scoring software to bang out drum patterns when he was supposed to be doing homework. The man’s first track was so cinematic, even the record shop crew had to rib him for it. But hey, every legend starts somewhere, right?

That DIY spirit led straight to the birth of Don’t Be Afraid. Benji admits the label was partly a way to dodge the fear of sending out demos—classic move. Instead of waiting for a cosign, he just pressed up his own tunes and let the world catch up. The first releases weren’t instant classics, but he learned fast: if your track’s missing just one thing, it might flop. By the third release, he was ready to hang it up—until Mr. Beatnik rolled through with some heaters that put the label on the map. Sometimes, it’s all about who you meet at the right moment.

Don’t Be Afraid didn’t just stick to one flavor. After the Mr. Beatnik breakthrough, Semtek linked with Detroit’s M. Gunn and a crew of other wildcards, turning the label into a magnet for underground heads from Bristol to the Motor City. The tenth release hit, and suddenly all eyes were on DBA—no small feat in the world of club music.

But like any good mixtape, not every experiment lands. Semtek admits he got a little wild with sub-labels and asparagus-themed records (yeah, you read that right—Spargel tracks). The lesson? Have fun, but don’t overcook it. The label’s real magic was in connecting scenes and letting artists get weird, not chasing trends or building an empire overnight.

If you’re trying to get your beats signed, Semtek’s got some hard truths. Breaking new artists is tough, so patience is key. Don’t just send one track—drop three or four so the label can catch your vibe. And lose the heavy mastering; raw mixes let the label’s own sound shine through. If you want your demo to stand out, keep it real and let your music do the talking. No need for a science degree—just send your best, unpolished work and let the label work its magic.

Forget gear FOMO—Semtek’s latest secret weapon is Access Analog, a service that lets you control real studio hardware in Boulder, Colorado, straight from your laptop. No passport, no TSA, just pure analog juice piped into your session. He started using it when he couldn’t hit the studio in person, and now it’s a staple in every project. That’s the kind of hack that keeps your sound fresh, even if you’re stuck at home.

What’s wild is you can save presets and chains on actual hardware, not just in the box. Semtek even gets a kick out of the idea that his audio’s taking a cross-country road trip before coming back with that VIP treatment. If you want to see how this remote magic actually sounds, you gotta peep the video—some vibes just don’t translate to text.