Benny Benassi
Marco Benassi, known as Benny Benassi, is an Italian DJ from Milan who was raised in Reggio Emilia and became a defining figure in electro house. His 2002 global hit Satisfaction helped establish the mechanically driven, distorted-bass sound that would become central to his public identity. As a DJ, he has taken that approach to large international festival audiences at EDC, Coachella, Ultra and Tomorrowland, combining house, electro house, progressive house and electroclash within a direct club-minded framework.
Benassi's sets are closely linked to forceful rhythmic grooves and heavily treated low end, a sound for which he is widely regarded as a pioneer. Alongside his touring, he founded Pump-Kin Music in 2005, giving him a continuing outlet as a label founder as well as a performer. His work as a remixer earned a Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording in 2008 for Bring the Noise, and he reached 26th in DJ Mag's 2009 Top 100.
His track Cinema later gained a Grammy-winning reworking by Skrillex, while Love Is Gonna Save Us with ARTBAT reached number one on 1001Tracklists. Across festival stages and club-oriented records, Benassi has remained a durable reference point for the hard-edged electro-house sound he helped bring into the mainstream.