From Acid Hip-Hop to Indie Rock: A Journey Through Benjamin's Sonic Experiments
From Acid Hip-Hop to Indie Rock: A Journey Through Benjamin's Sonic Experiments
Few musical journeys are as unpredictable and raw as Benjamin's. He started out in the world of acid hip-hop and experimental dance beats—posting early tracks to Hulkshare—and over time drifted toward a more indie rock-inspired sound. What makes his path interesting isn’t just the shift in genre, but the DIY attitude he carried through it all.
Looking back, it’s clear his uploads to Hulkshare and Indiesound were more than just song drops. They were checkpoints in a bigger creative evolution. Two tracks — “Flowers” and “Memories”—really stand out and give us a glimpse into what he was going through musically and personally during that time.
The Hulkshare Days: Indie Rock Without Rules
When you listen to his early stuff on Hulkshare, you can tell Benjamin was experimenting—just figuring things out by ear. He wasn’t working in a key, didn’t know music theory, and just played guitar and keyboard chromatically. Somehow, that lack of structure gave his tracks a spontaneous, slightly chaotic charm.
One standout is “Flowers.” It’s rough around the edges but emotionally honest. The guitar melodies wander, the vocals are shaky but sincere, and the whole thing feels like it came from someone who had to make music, even if they weren’t exactly sure how. Its authenticity and rawness give it weight.
Another early song, “Don’t Know You Anymore,” followed the same pattern—raw guitar, untrained vocals, and a kind of lo-fi heart-on-sleeve energy that’s hard to fake.
Benjamin even admits some of his lyrics were “a little corny” back then, but he still finds them listenable, which says a lot. He was trying to sing more, not just rap, and that shift opened up a more vulnerable side of his music.
Even though these songs aimed for indie rock, the creative approach was still very much rooted in hip-hop: build loops, layer sounds, follow rhythm. The foundation didn’t change—it was just the instruments and mood that did.
Vintage Gear and Chromatic Riffs
A major element behind these tracks was the Boss DR-202 Dr. Rhythm — a vintage drum machine with preset rhythm banks and tweakable patterns. He used this hardware to drive his beats, adding mechanical groove to guitar and keyboard parts played entirely by ear.
He no longer owns the DR-202 and isn’t even sure how it left his studio. Still, its presence is unmistakable in these tracks. With no scales or chords guiding him, he built melodies by trial and error. That creative freedom — and chaos — defined this period.
IndieSound Catalog – A Sound for Every Emotion
By the time Benjamin started uploading to Indiesound, he was using FL Studio and experimenting with plugins, loops, and even professional beatmakers. The vibe of his tracks got cleaner, more varied—sometimes hip-hop, sometimes indie, sometimes a weird blend of both.
In other words, the tracks on IndieSound showcase a broader palette of genres and moods. Here, he began reworking earlier material and trying out new styles — from instrumental remakes to emotionally driven vocal tracks.
One standout is the instrumental remake of “Flowers,” which has the same nostalgic tone as the original but sounds more polished. There’s a funny twist though—he was using a demo version of a plugin called “Hardcore,” and since he didn’t pay for it, the guitar would randomly cut out. That glitch ended up adding to the lo-fi character of the track instead of ruining it.
One of his personal favorites from this era is a track called “Memories.” It carries a stripped-down beauty — ambient keys and reserved vocal delivery. It’s reflective and spacious, giving listeners room to feel.
Then there’s “Last Laugh” which came from a more defensive place. After receiving waves of criticism on LiveMixtapes, Benjamin turned frustration into fuel. The result was an electronic track that blends defiance with creativity, showing his ability to turn negativity into output.
Collaborations, Beat Licensing, and Lo-Fi Textures
Around this time, Benjamin also started working with other producers. Songs like “Pretend,” “Stay Down,” “Change,” and “Get It From” were produced by Sista Girl Beats, whom he found online. These tracks gave him more structure to work with and let him focus on writing lyrics and delivering vocals.
Other songs like “Still Young” and “Escaping My Fate (No Hook)” were made using beats from WeRUnicorns, who also mixed some of Benjamin’s other tracks. These outside influences gave his music a slightly more polished sound without taking away its personal feel.
So, What Was It All About?
Looking back at his Hulkshare and Indiesound tracks, it’s clear that Benjamin wasn’t chasing trends—he was chasing a feeling. He never stuck to one genre. He just made whatever felt real in the moment. Sometimes that meant a distorted guitar riff with shaky vocals. Other times, it meant a boom-bap beat with soft-spoken lyrics. And that’s the beauty of it.
He didn’t start out as a trained musician, and he never claimed to be. He made music by ear, by instinct, and by whatever tools he had lying around. Over time, he got better with his gear, learned more about production, and became more confident in his sound. But that raw, fearless spirit stuck around.
Final Thoughts
Benjamin’s body of work across Hulkshare and Indiesound is like an open diary. It’s a collection of sonic notes-to-self—some messy, some surprisingly beautiful, all deeply personal. For other artists (or just anyone trying to create anything), his journey is a reminder that it’s okay to not have it all figured out. What matters is that you make something honest.
Want to check out the tracks yourself?
Listen to his early stuff on Hulkshare and newer uploads on IndiesoundWritten by Amnah Riaz, who is available for hire on Upwork here:
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