Meet Kamron Bender of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kamron Bender.

Hi Kamron, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey with music started in early childhood. I grew up surrounded by great music, thanks to both of my parents, especially at church, where I would watch the band play. I never imagined I would become a music producer, but looking back, music was always in me.

When I was three years old [1999], my dad bought a computer program called Hip Hop eJay. At the time, it was just one of many discs in a booklet full of computer games we had at home. I had no idea that what I was doing was actually music production. The software was a loop-based program that allowed you to drag and drop sounds onto a grid to create a song. I kept playing this “computer game” until I was about eight years old [2004], when I started to realize I had reached the limits of what I could do with it. I didn’t want to use loops anymore; I wanted to create my own music. The only problem was that I had no idea where to go next or how to make that happen. We had a keyboard with different sounds, but no way to record anything.

As time went on, I developed an interest in drums. I would bang on laundry baskets, old pots and pans, big moving boxes, buckets—you name it. Eventually, my parents got me a real drum set, and I fell in love with playing. My interest in music grew even deeper as producers like Timbaland, Pharrell, Dr. Dre, and Darkchild started catching my ear. And, of course, I was already—and still am—a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. I would play drums along to all my favorite music until the noise became an issue. Unfortunately, that phase was short-lived.

Around that same time, my dad crossed paths with his friend, music producer Rare Kommodity, while they were working in the same building. One day, Rare Kommodity gave my dad an extra copy of FL Studio 7 and told him, “Give it to your son; he may like it.”

My dad came home with the software and started installing it on our family computer. I walked into the room, and he told me about the conversation he’d had with Rare Kommodity. When the installation finally finished, I opened FL Studio and immediately felt intimidated by everything on the screen. I told my dad, “I don’t know how to use this.”

He simply said, “Just play around with it; I’m going to the store. I’ll be right back.”

By the time he got home, I had my first beat ready.

I just needed to get better at using the software. Rare Kommodity came over a few times to teach me how to use FL Studio and sample records. He also gave me all kinds of drum packs, which meant I finally had access to the sounds of my favorite producers.

At that point, I was hooked. All the ideas I had in my head finally had an outlet. Day by day, I kept creating. I couldn’t wait to get home from school to make music, and I would transfer my beats onto my MP3 player so I could listen to what I’d made the night before. I made music every single day.

From fifth grade through my sophomore year of high school, I didn’t tell anyone about what I was doing. I kept it to myself because I wanted to surprise and impress my parents. I knew they had great taste in music, and their opinion meant a lot to me.

At the end of my sophomore year, my school counselor introduced us to career center opportunities for junior and senior year. One of the programs offered an Audio Production class, so I applied and was accepted. It felt like everything I’d been waiting for was finally within reach.

There was a full recording studio, a personal workstation for each student, and, most importantly, other people who shared the same interest in music. I learned Pro Tools, figured out how to work the mixing board, and took every opportunity I could to record in the main studio. Those two years were amazing. It was also during this time that I discovered SoundCloud.

In 2014, during my senior year, a friend from my class told me I needed to start uploading my music to SoundCloud and experimenting with remixes. So I uploaded my first song, and it got around 50 plays overnight. I WAS HYPE!

That was all the motivation I needed. Seeing that people would actually listen to my music if I put it out there gave me the confidence to keep going. After graduating, I decided against traditional college and focused on building an audience by consistently releasing music on SoundCloud and creating content for social media.

In 2015, I was approached by an independent label called Future-Everything to make an EP. That led to the release of PeaceOfMind, the first time I had ever released music on streaming platforms.

Around this time, my friend and bandmate Dom Deshawn encouraged me to start DJing. Being shy, I wasn’t exactly excited about being the center of attention, let alone standing on a stage in front of a crowd. He tried to book me for shows, but I turned them down out of fear.

Eventually, one of my friends put me on a show lineup anyway. I didn’t even have DJ equipment yet, and I had no idea what music I was going to play. Dom told me, “Play your beats, play your remixes!”

So I practiced, showed up, and gave it a shot. The moment I stepped up and started playing, I discovered a love for DJing that I hadn’t known was there. From that point on, I started creating mixes while continuing to release original tracks and remixes on SoundCloud.

As I continued to develop my sound, collectives and platforms like Soulection, Soundettique, Tree-House, and Complexion began reaching out for mixes or featuring my music on their radio shows. Through these opportunities and collaborations with other producers, my following began to grow tremendously.

Over the years, my remixes started gaining attention from artists like H.E.R., GoldLink, DUCKWRTH, Alex Mali, Joyce Wrice, and Leon Thomas, among others. I’ve also had the opportunity to create music with talented artists from my hometown, including Malcolm Westmoor, Joey Aich, N’Shai Iman, Dom Deshawn, Meg Paulsen, TrigNO, CHRIS., and many more.

I’m forever grateful for what DJing and producing have brought into my life. Through music, I’ve been able to make an impact in my city, travel across the country, and connect with people in ways I never imagined. My remixes are played by DJs around the world, my streams continue to grow, and I don’t take any of it for granted.

I’m always looking for ways to challenge myself and become the best I can be. There are endless ideas in my head, and I want to keep pushing boundaries, exploring new sounds, and creating experiences that captivate my listeners. I want to make music that makes you feel something you’ve never felt before. That’s what I strive for: perfection.

I never knew I’d grow up to become a producer, let alone a DJ. But when I look back at it all, I realize music has been a part of me from the very beginning.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
What I have learned along this journey, it’s never a smooth road for anyone. I’d say any opportunity that comes and goes, or when things don’t go the way I expected them to, is a lesson. I’ve had many of those, whether it’s working with an artist, an official remix, a DJ opportunity, etc. I’ve experienced them all, and I know I have a long way to go on this journey. So it’s more to come.

Then you have the life aspect. I still work a regular job. In 2024, I decided to start to take DJing more seriously. I started to take more initiative in taking gigs, reaching out to DJs in other cities that play my music, and creating more DJ content.

Suddenly, I was laid off from my job. I already had another job lined up, but then they put that position on hold. Eventually, I never heard back from them. So I made the decision to put my all into music, and it worked in my favor. The first place I ended up traveling to was Austin, TX.

Thanks to DJ/music producer Darius ‘thereheis’.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
A lot of what I do is dance-based. I think of the dancer when I create, especially when I make drums. My melodies come from jazz and R&B. A blend of all the music my parents listened to growing up. Gospel, Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B- really just good music. I create instrumental music, remixes, and I produce for other artists as well.

I’d say I am known for my remixes. I made a remix of Charrelle & Alexander O’Neal’s “Saturday Love” called “FEELING,” and it recently hit 300k streams on Spotify. I have over 100k monthly listeners across all streaming platforms. My goal is to create as if I produced the original song. What would it sound like? I try to find those true musical connections. Essentially mashups, but I add my own production to them and try to get as creative as I possibly can. Sometimes I find up to five songs that blend at once. I emulate this in my DJing style as well.

What I hope shows the most is my experience in music production and consistency in getting better. I always want to challenge myself to create something new and fresh, and with almost 20 years of doing this, you really do get more skilled with time. I think that’s what sets me apart from others. The hours that I have put into music, the range of genres I produce, and being able to play my own music when I DJ.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I don’t think it would be fair to say I dislike anything about Austin.

The first time I visited was in [2016] for SXSW. One of the greatest, eye-opening experiences of my life. I met so many of my favorite artists. I was able to collaborate with some other amazing producers from SoundCloud, who actually knew me!

It showed me that I was on the right path. So much music everywhere. I also came back in [2024] thanks to DJ & Producer ‘thereheis’. He invited me down to play with him at Soho House Austin & Coconut Club. Such an amazing experience, and this time I was able to really see Austin’s beauty as a city. Amazing people, great energy, beautiful views, amazing VENUES. Austin was the first time I saw 5 different DJ booths/parties all happening in one establishment.

I can’t wait to come back!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kmbsounds
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kmbsounds.
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kmbsounds
• Other: https://kmbsounds.bandcamp.com