Acclaimed Berlin-based composer and producer Ben Böhmer announces his signing to Ninja Tune alongside the release of his cinematic new single ‘One Last Call’ featuring Felix Raphael and co-written by Oh Wonder.
It marks the latest turn in a rapidly blossoming career that has seen him rise to prominence via releases such as his moving debut album, 2019’s ‘Breathing’ and most recently his critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘Begin Again’, an emotional record written entirely during a period where Böhmer and his now wife found themselves separated on other sides of the world due to the outbreak of a global pandemic.
His lauded Cercle set, recorded in a hot-air-balloon above Cappadocia in Turkey, has now surpassed 29 million streams on YouTube and is the 10th most viewed electronic music set of all time on the platform. With over half a billion streams on Spotify alone, Böhmer’s already burgeoning fan base shows no signs of slowing down. He has accumulated a massive 3.6 million monthly followers — 1 million of which were added in the past year alone.
On joining the Ninja Tune roster — where he sits comfortably alongside the likes of Bicep, ODESZA, Jayda G, Floating Points, Bonobo and TSHA — he says;
“I’ve always massively respected Ninja Tune as a label and it’s home to some of my favourite electronic artists. To get the opportunity to release music with them is a massive privilege. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank every member of the Anjunafamily who has supported and danced to any of my music over the last 5 years, your support has been life changing and I’m excited to share this next step of my musical journey with you.”
“One Last Call” marks Böhmer’s first release with Ninja Tune and arrives two years on from his critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘Begin Again’. Teased to fans during his live sets over the past year, playing to huge crowds around the world — including high profile festival slots including Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, Life is Beautiful, Awakenings, Lost Village, Lightning in a Bottle, Forbidden Fruit, Sziget, and Pukkelpop — the track, though unreleased, has sparked a rapturous reaction and its long-awaited release marks a significant moment of celebration for Böhmer.
“We’ve been working and making music together since we first met,“ Böhmer says of Felix. “After releasing “Run Away“ a few years ago I shared a first draft of the “One Last Call” instrumental with him, and Felix really responded to the energy and vibe of the melodies and harmonies. We ended up having tens of vocal recording sessions to trial and get it nailed down. All-in-all we worked for over 1.5 years on “One Last Call“, hopefully the fans think it paid off!”
Describing the sentiment of the track, Böhmer continues, “The lyrics relate to a situation we probably all have been through. A situation where we convince ourselves that it’s the last chance to do something that we feel we need to do but might not have the bravery to take it on. That situation, happens more than once. We are confronted with it over and over again. The track describes the interplay of needs, wishes, fears, insecurities in decisions, dreams and the courage to do it or not to do it. Especially the things that we might not have the courage to do or to say. “One Last Call“ is not meant to be a typical love song , although it could be perceived this way, it’s more a story of how we face life’s challenges.”
Over the past few years Böhmer has taken his lauded ‘Begin Again’ live show on an extensive sold-out world tour, selling over 75K tickets in total with stops at the O2 Brixton Academy, The Roundhouse, UFO Velodrom and Le 104 Paris to name a few. He has played shows alongside the likes of Caribou, Four Tet, Bicep, Tale of Us, Jamie xx, Amelie Lens and more.
Most recently, he took his darker, more club-focussed ‘Portraet Presents’ live audiovisual series across North America for the first time, including numerous sold-out events at venues like The Shrine Expo Hall in LA, Brooklyn Mirage in New York and Mission Ballroom in Denver, with over 50k people having a chance to see Böhmer play across the run which also included festival dates at the likes of Life Is Beautiful, CRSSD and Piknic Electronik.
Böhmer’s music has been remixed by high profile artists such as HAAi, DJ Seinfeld, The Blaze and Barry Can’t Swim, and in addition to this he remixed a track for Rostam (Vampire Weekend) in 2021.
Böhmer shares “One Last Call” today alongside a limited run of 12” white labels, with more new music set to arrive in the near future! Ben will also be playing Manchester’s Warehouse Project on the 21st October.