When it comes to building the House of Ben into a high-tech audio engineering venture, Benjamin Atchouel credits his writing career: “I used to write about music gear which helped me learn a lot about the equipment, technology, what's possible to do and how.”  

But when it comes to building his accolades as a music producer and sound designer, he credits his lifelong passion for the art of music. “My whole life I have been in love with music,” says Atchouel. “Soon enough I got interested in how it was made and that led me onto that path.” 

Atchouel recalls his teenage years of collecting basic electronic devices, instruments and multitrack cassette recorders, and continually staying abreast of new technology in the field. “Today we have insane possibilities that we could have never imagined,” he says.

But an expertise in equipment could only take an aspiring artist so far, especially one who has worked with world-famous artists like Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky and more.  

Creating a signature sound was key to standing out in a sea of aspiring producers and musical artists. When composing authentic and original scores, Atchouel fuses not only his personal and professional experiences, but his cultural identities as well. The Parisian-turned-Brooklynite combines influences from his home city and current locale, a style he describes as “The New York Sound, with a French touch.”  

“NYC is and sounds raw,” he explains. “Paris has a more refined feel but both are very no nonsense.”  

He says meshing both cultures in the sound studios is often a natural process. “Paris feels more like NYC than any other city in the US. Interesting and unique are pretty much everywhere in both cities. Always with a certain edge to it.” He adds that working with hip-hop artists like West was a wonderful way to refine his approach to “The New York Sound.” 

“Kanye has big musical ideas and gets projects done on a huge scale,” says Atchouel. “I’ve worked on various things with him from movie trailers to gospel choirs and it's always challenging and rewarding.” 

As an artistic entrepreneur, he knew he had to take the initiative to convey his creative edge—as well as his professional approach—to the world. He launched his website, houseofben.nyc, to serve as his platform for achieving this. Here, Atchouel explains what it took to build the House of Ben, and design his digital presence: 

On what it takes to succeed as an independent music producer:  

If you knock on every door, at some point you'll knock on THAT door. 

It sounds simple but there isn't really much more to it. You practice until you feel like it's good enough to make something with it, then you go out and make it happen. 

I also went to every show, every place that I thought could be an opportunity. Doing everything I could to meet people online and in real life, and show them my work. 

On what it was like to work with other hip-hop heavyweights:  

Wiz is a really nice dude, you hang out as you get things done. We spent a lot of time chatting and listening to beats. This collaboration makes working so much better. 

Rocky is also super chill, the kind of person who likes to have discussions about deep topics. It's cool to talk about life before you talk about work. 

On the most challenging part of managing a music business: 

It definitely takes work to stay on top of everything. Your music, your gear, your streams, your website, social media, shows, promo, and so on. It's fascinating how it has evolved. 

On launching the houseofben.nyc and establishing his company’s digital presence: 

My goal was to be easy to find and provide a clear and accurate representation of what I do. I want people to find my website easily whether they're looking for services I offer, me or serendipity. Presenting my work properly is key to efficiently communicate what I propose. 

On why he chose the .NYC domain: 

The music I do has that “New York Sound” and I’m in Brooklyn so it makes sense. The .nyc looks cool and is easy to remember, which is the most important part. Making sure people can remember the website address easily only supports my artistic endeavor as a business. 

On his most rewarding project to-date:  

It's hard to say because they all brought something to my career. So I'll go with the one I'm starting tomorrow. I always look forward to what's next. 

And his advice to young producers who want to make it in music and/or film: 

Besides the usual and extremely valid recommendations about hard work and discipline, I'd say being nice, on time and on point is everything.