Justin Hawkes, Kumarion, and Bensley Talk ‘Carry The Fire’

Justin Hawkes, Kumarion, and Bensley have been fanning the flames as they tear through the United States and Canada on a massive tour. They released their collaborative drum and bass EP Carry The Fire last week, showcasing their individual styles on four tracks. The three have a collective vision to, as Bensley put it, “break North America as underrated drum and bass producers [and] bring [their] sound to life.”

Somehow, that goal brought them to an iridescent pink couch at the Meow Wolf Convergence Station in Denver. On the heels of the release of Carry The Fire, AllTime EDM had the opportunity to catch up with the drum and bass artists.

justin hawkes kumarion bensley press — *Photo by Nathen Lane*

It was clear that an important part of the boys’ collaboration is fostering genuine friendships. Throughout the interview, the group made note of their inside jokes and laughed while recounting memories. The interview began with a simple, but necessary question:

How did the three of you become friends?

Kumarion laughed before explaining that he and Justin Hawkes, who introduced him to the online drum and bass community, became friends after playing video games. He met Bensley at a Brownies and Lemonade show in Los Angeles after losing his flash drive and asking Bensley to keep playing so he could find another.

Bensley recalled that he and Justin met at Liquicity Festival in 2017 where they were sent on an adventure to find their cardboard housing for the weekend. They agreed that they were on each other’s radars at that point, but that meeting for the first time in the Netherlands was a special moment.

kumarion bensley press — *Photo by Nathen Lane*

You guys have worked together on songs like “don’t be scared” and “I Am Here.” What was the collaborative process like with three artists?

“I would say every additional person you add into the mix makes another filter of quality that things have to go through,” Bensley said.

He continued, “There were times when we felt like individually our sounds didn’t come across in certain songs. We always, as a group, went back to correct that to make sure it was pretty balanced sonically from all our styles.”

“It can be hard but the upside to it is all three of us deeply care about this project. Not one of us is going to be like, ‘Okay, that’s good enough.’ We’re gonna take it as far as we possibly can,” Kumarion promised.

carry the fire album art — *‘Carry The Fire’ art*

They noted the perfectionism they each carry and how it translated to the project. Justin explained they decided Carry The Fire needed one more track a week before it was due, saying, “Day to night and night to day. It was intense but it was really fun and we ended up making some of the best work we’ve made.”

Kumarion and Bensley agreed, passionately discussing the work they put into the EP. The former reflected on the collaborative aspect, saying, “It helped us learn how to work together a lot better, so, the cohesion between us is so much better.”

“We know how we each operate now,” Justin added. Bensley smiled. “Yeah, we barely punch each other anymore.”

@bensley
HERE WE COME ✈️ @Justin Hawkes @Kumarion #dnb #drumandbass #dnbtok #tour #producer #dj #club #fyp
♬ All Night – Bensley

How did the concept of passing the torch, or carrying the fire, come about?

Justin explained that the concept came together organically. He emphasized the importance of sharing music and continuing the drum and bass fire.

“I think the struggle that we’ve all been through as artists on this side of the pond has fueled a fire inside of us to do the most we can for ourselves over here. We’re really thankful that there is such a new energy that we can participate in drum and bass right now,” he said.

Kumarion continued the sentiment, saying “We’re kind of taking control of our own destinies here. As friends, we’re just here like ‘F**k it, let’s do it. Let’s do what we’ve always wanted to do.’”

How has the reception been so far? Have there been any outstanding moments?

“The EP has had a really strong reaction to our friends because our friends hear our sounds but in a different context. We really divided and conquered. We tried to put something in there for everyone – every type of listener,” Justin smiled briefly as he thought about the project as a whole.

Born out of the UK jungle movement, drum and bass has gained supporters primarily outside of North America. “Our unique American experiences…bring a completely different taste to the type of tunes we’re going to make compared to European drum and bass or even oceanic,” he continued.

Carry The Fire is so hot rn ???? pic.twitter.com/ITtB3nVSMG
— BEACON (@beaconftp) June 11, 2024

Kumarion jumped in, saying, “Big shout out to Sub Focus for playing our tune at EDC. The WORSHIP guys are huge supporters of Carry The Fire.”

”The support they’ve given us individually and as a group has been just humbling. At the end of the day, we’re all working toward this interesting goal of making this music shine to as many people as possible in the U.S. and Canada,” Justin agreed.

Since the beginning of your careers, what’s the biggest change you’ve noticed in the reception of drum and bass in North America?

Kumarion looked back on times when he would “clear dancefloors” early on in his career.

“There wasn’t a lot of reception to it when I was playing and it was very hard to connect with people because a lot of drum and bass crews were either closed off or scattered across the country,” he said.

“Now, it feels like it’s becoming more and more of a national community which is what we want. The interconnectedness across the board instead of everyone having their own little drum and bass club across the country. That’s what we want. I don’t even know if it’s a second wave or a third wave anymore, it’s just a new renaissance happening.”

Carry the Fire is out today ????

This is the first single off of our EP, can’t wait to drop the rest June 14th!!

Happy Friday ???? pic.twitter.com/e2o2bbiQP1
— Kumarion (@kumarionmusic) June 7, 2024

Bensley and Justin nodded before the former began describing drum and bass growth from a festival standpoint.

“A couple years ago we also started seeing a lot of festivals hosting prominently or exclusively drum and bass stages. Seeing how many people would go to those festivals and come to see the drum and bass stage all day, was like…It really started to feel like there was interest there,” he started.

“Every year like last year and then this year there’s more and more people at those stages and it’s just growing. It’s inspiring to see.”

@itsjustinhawkes
They don’t want you to know the truth ???? @bensley @Kumarion #dnb #drumandbass #edm #carrythefire
♬ original sound – Justin Hawkes

Justin recounted having to fly across the United States to catch a drum and bass show less than 10 years ago. Going off of Bensley’s perspective, he gave kudos to festival promotors saying, “[They’re] taking more risks to showcase fresh drum and bass artists and fans are generally more open to the genre and seeing how fun it is. I’ve truly seen a change from a fan perspective where people are coming in knowing the music now, they’re able to shout it out and are excited about it.

“You’d have to be really informed to find more drum and bass parties but lately it’s really expanded. It’s given a lot more opportunities for people to experience this music. I’d say it’s a really positive change over the last couple of years.”

You have a lot going on right now but have teased that there may be more things coming soon. Do you have anything that you can share for now?

All three are playing Lost Lands and agree that right now, the sky is the limit for them.

“All I can tell you right now is that we don’t plan on stopping working together. We’ll do more things in the future. As of right now, we’re just trying to see how this thing goes and taking our time,” Kumarion said, “We want this to go somewhere where none of us have been before.”

Any final thoughts, comments, anything?

“I just wanna say I love what this movement is about and what banding up with these guys has been. It’s truly been some of the most fun I’ve ever had, despite it being tremendously difficult in ways that most people would not understand,” Justin began.

“Behind the curtain, we have grown so much as people doing this. I genuinely can’t wait to take on more of what we are trying to do here in North America with Carry The Fire.”

Kumarion nodded, agreeing that this is only the beginning for them.

“Carry The Fire is a verb,” Justin finished.

Carry The Fire is out now on all streaming platforms. The trio will be on tour for the remainder of summer and are not showing signs of stopping anytime soon. Get a feel for the wave of drum and bass in North America and listen to Carry The Fire by Justin Hawkes, Kumarion, and Bensley.