Chances are the first time you heard the name of Ben Stevens, it was none other than Paul Glazby tipping the aspiring DJ for the top.

And in the half a decade or so since he first grabbed the attention of the revered Vicious Circle head honcho, Stevens has never had any problem living up to such high expectations.

Glazby's faith in the youngster saw him land pivotal roles in the development of the Vicious Circle stable, both in A&R and event management, and as a result Stevens has a sense of professionalism that belies his 24 years.

Regarded by many of his peers as a technical genius on the wheels of steel, beatmaster Ben has become one of the most in-demand hard house DJs in Britain, with regular slots at high-profile events such as Frantic, Polysexual, Creamfields and the Tidy Weekenders.

Ben has enjoyed many bookings in Ireland and Europe, including arguably the best festival on the continent – Dance Valley in Amsterdam.

With tours of Australia (Adelaide), Canada (Edmonton and Calgary) and New Zealand (Auckland and Christchurch) under his belt, the acclaimed DJ's international profile is consistently growing, and it was given a great boost when he deservedly scooped the illustrious Mixmag Future Hero gong at the Hard Dance Awards in 2006.

There are two superb albums which best illustrate the talented mix maestro's skills. In 2005 he effectively filled Andy Farley's shoes on the seminal I Love VC set, and a year later he teamed up with the guru, Glazby, for the devastating back-to-back compilation, A Retrospective of Vicious.

The gifted youngster has also found time to hone his skills in the studio, producing three gargantuan solo singles for the Vicious label – 'Wake-Up Call', 'Crowd Rocker' and 'Swarm – and appearing on the legendary 10 Commandments series no fewer than three times.

Some of the UK's other leading labels have also secured his services: Flashpoint, Tripoli Trax and Energy UK among them.

Ben has spent much of 2007 laying the foundations for the next phase of his career – his own Fireball Recordings stamp is set to blaze a new trail for the wizard.

The new label kicked off with the seismic Stevens double-header 'The Warning'/'Supergroover', a really strong package which sets dancefloors alight and reminds you how diverse and entertaining that hard house can be.

Ben has also just remixed the all-time Paul King classic, 'Kick It In', and he has completed fresh studio collaborations with Nik Denton, Sam Townend, Marc Johnson, Bryan Doyle and Captain Tinrib.

The abilities and talents of Ben Stevens are without question: whether producing tunes or playing them, he knows exactly how to work a dancefloor and raise the roof off a club.

1. So Ben you have played for us quite a few times now, Are you looking forward to the Big 1 on November 21st?

It’s going to be a fantastic night, there has been a massive buzz about it for the past couple of months. I’m excited to see the new venue as well, everything I have heard about it makes me think that it will be perfect for Hi Oktane.

2. Your always busy in the Studio, what new bits have you got install for us on Friday night?

I’ve been working away really hard over the past year now to improve my productions on my own. I’ve just finished a course at SSR in Manchester and this has given me a much better understanding of everything now, instead of just knowing what I want in the tracks I can actually implement it now. I am writing all the tracks I do at home now and then take a few over to Maddox for a day so that we can mix them down properly and make sure everything is as it should be.
I’m enjoying doing the tracks more than ever now.

3. What do you think of the line up we have install, do you think we have picked the right guys to throw the perfect 1st birthday party?

The lineup is fantastic, its got a great range of dj’s on there, from Sam & Deano right through to Glazby and Karim. I’ll be there all night celebrating the party! Do we get jelly & ice cream?

4. Tricky 1, Do you think you can some up your style in 3 words?

Furious, Melodic & Fun.

5. Which artists you are looking forward to seeing on the night?

Glazby b2b Adam M, Maddox, Ilogik & Tidy Dj’s

6. Are you going to be digging out any golden oldies on the night, if so have you got any in mind?

I always like to throw a few classics in there, I’ve just pulled out a couple of older Pail King tracks to get in as they always break up a harder set really well. I’ve got loads of my new tracks to test out as well so I’m really looking forward to it.

7. If there was 1 DJ you personally would like to see on a future Hi Oktane line up whom would it be?

Steve Thomas.

8. I’m glad we have got you back to celebrate our Birthday, is there anything that we can have waiting for you on the night so you can celebrate the birthday in true Hi Oktane style?

Party poppers ;)

Cheers Benjamin, shall see you tonight for some fun and games

Adam M