Benny Benassi

The Olympic Summer Games of 2008 officially begin this Friday on August 8, 2008.? In celebration of this international competition and cultural event, 8 of Ultra Records' artists participated in the We8 project. The We8 project was created to foster cultural and artistic exchange between musicians and artists from around the world and express the global connections embodied in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The 8 musicians involved with We8 are Tiesto, Kaskade, Serge Devant, Benny Benassi, Jay J, JES, Lucas Prata, and Cezar, who all hail from Ultra Records, an electronic and dance-music label based in New York City.? Sponsored by Coca Cola, the We8 project was host to each artist creating a song based upon a provided theme that embodies the spirit of the Olympics.? Each song is available completely gratis, as a DRM-free download and ring tone, which work with all devices. The themes were also provided to 8 featured graphic artists in China including Joyn Viscom, MeWe and Wang Xu, who designed artwork for classic style Coca Cola bottles, each artist and their design was paired with the musician who utilized the same theme.

With people from over 50 countries already having participated by downloading the graphics and tunes, We8 is an incredible success by bridging cultures and people around the world.

Q&A with?Benny Benassi

WE8 Theme: ?Uplifting Moments?

WE8 Bottle Designer: MeWe (Liu Zhi-zhi, Guang Yu, He Jun), from China

WE8 Music: ?Happiness Factory Remixed,? by Benny Benassi, from Italy

How would you describe your song, ?Happiness Factory Remixed? (the remix of the Coca-Cola ?Happiness

Factory? commercial music track), and its meaning?

I work in the studio with my cousin, Alle. He?s a computer wizard and key musician. We really liked the idea of

associating the exhilaration of sporting success and epic achievement with our electro sound. Trance music

and electronic music in general has an epic feel to it. What could be more Benny Benassi than ?uplifting

moments?? So we wanted to take the Coke theme we?d been asked to rework and give it that surging sensation

that you get with sport and with music. It?s all about timing, rhythm, control and vision. When you have this in

sport and in music, you win a gold medal or a Grammy! But both achievements have hours of hard work and

sacrifice behind them.

What elements of the special aluminum contour bottle design most inspired you and how did you

incorporate that into your music?

The aluminum feature (and a drop of rum in the Coke bottle). It?s a metallic element that sits well with techno

music?.When Alle started applying the Benassi sounds to the main theme, I got that tingling sensation that tells

me it?s going to go down well in clubland. Like Coke bubbles!

How long did it take to create your song?

Over a few weeks, with some spaces in between and lots of testing on the dance floor.

Has any of your other music been inspired by artwork or designs?

No, it?s the first time.

What inspired you to become a musician/artist?

I?m a DJ! It?s all I?ve ever been or done since I was 16.

What other cultures, if any, have inspired your music?

I travel all around the world to DJ in clubs and festivals, and I work with a classically trained musician. There is a

host of different influences in what we do. Wherever you go and whatever you listen to, you pick up something,

process it and make it yours. And yet, we are profoundly Italian and maybe that shines through, too.

What role does music play in bringing people of different cultures together?

Music is a great leveler. It?s universal and it?s the same for everyone. Isn?t that what Andy Warhol said about

Coca-Cola? That the President of the USA can?t drink a better Coke than a factory worker, or something to that

effect? With music, it?s the same....If you?re rich or poor, Asian, African, European, American, or whatever, the

song is the same. Our electro club culture brings people together. It?s about having fun and being yourself,

without judging or being judged.