Dubstep Pioneer Benga Announces His Return to DJing After a 2 Year Mental Health Hiatus

Adegbenga Adejumo, better known as simply Benga, has announced his return to DJing after a two year hiatus. The dubstep pioneer, formerly one part of the seminal group Magnetic Man alongside Skream and Artwork, had retired in 2014 after a mental breakdown led to the producer being sectioned, or involuntarily committed.

Adejumo did throw down at Bestival this past September, but his upcoming February gig at the iconic fabric club in London marks his official return to his rightful place behind the decks. The February event is part of a Tectonic night alongside Pinch, Mumdance, Ipman and Acre, Thump reports.

Benga started tweeting video clips from the studio using the hashtag #BengasBack in late September shortly after opening up about his mental health on Twitter. In the first of many tweets, the producer stated "I might as well explain it on here. My bipolar was brought on by drugs and the schizophrenia was the result of excessive touring."

In October, Adejumo spoke out on mental health issues in clubland and more specifically about his own experiences with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia as an in-demand, constantly touring DJ with The Guardian.

When the producer announced his retirement in 2014, he had claimed family to be the impetus for the break. Now he's come clean about the breakdown that was behind what only turned out to be a temporary hiatus.

In his conversation with The Guardian, he talks about losing control of his body and therefore his actions back in 2013. For example, during a four month period of time, he gave away all of his personal belongings to strangers doing their holiday shopping.

It wasn't until he was arrested for acting-out aggressively in March 2014, and subsequently involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, that he began to realize he needed help.

In the interview, Benga links his own substance use to the beginnings of his illness. He had started using drugs when he was 17, and like many others within the club scene, the use became somewhat regular and even extensive over time.

The artist wants to not only increase the visibility of mental health problems, but also increase awareness about the very real risks involved with recreational drug use, explaining, "If I'd heard of more cases it would've made me think more about what I was consuming." He told The Guardian "I know I'm going to battle with this my whole life. I know I can't touch drugs and I can't be stupid."

Listen to Benga's epic Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 from 2008 below:

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Mental health