Benny Benassi (born
Marco Benassi on July 13, 1967
) is an
Italian disc jockey and
producer of
electro house music. He is best known for his 2002 summer club hit "
Satisfaction". Benny Benassi ranks as the 13th most popular DJ in the world according to the The DJ List website,
. On October 28, 2009,
DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, with
Ultra Records artist Benny Benassi placed #26, 13 spots higher than the previous year.
Biography
A native of
Reggio Emilia, DJ/producer Benassi started DJing alongside cousin Alle Benassi in the late 1980s in their hometown, before moving to
Larry Pignagnoli's Off Limits production studio in the mid 1990s, creating music for various acts, including
Whigfield, J.K. and Ally & Jo. Benassi first hit the dance floor with his own projects in 2001 with the single "I Feel So Fine", released under the name KMC with vocals by
Dhany, the track first stormed the charts in Benassi's native
Italy, and soon became a number one hit in the
United Kingdom.
After moving from eurohouse to electro, "
Satisfaction" took Benassi's success worldwide a year later with high-profile DJs like
Carl Cox,
Darren Emerson, and
Roger Sanchez singing its praises. This reached Number 2 in the
UK Singles Chart after the
Ministry of Sound record company replaced the original video (an almost still picture of the band overlayed with graphics) with a video of models using power tools. Released in 2003, the campy and quirky
Hypnotica was Benassi's solo debut. At the end of 2004, he won the European Border Breakers Award for
Hypnotica, which racked up the most sales for an Italian album outside of Italy. Benassi often works with vocalists Paul French and Violeta, who are collectively known as The Biz.
