Wind, earth and sky
Diné producer, DJ draws upon nature for musical inspiration

Greetings, dear readers! For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I sat down with prolific Diné producer and one of my favorite DJs, Kino Benally (aka DJ Béeso.) Kino is an incredibly kind, generous being whose love and deep admiration for all things music, sound and soul are infectious. Drawing on his familial roots in Shiprock, travels to Brazil and love for dance music, Benally’s work has been featured on Seattle indie rock station KEXP, CBC and PBS, to name a few of the heavy-hitting national and international outlets promoting his work. His latest album, “Nihimá Nahasdzáán” is a soulful, electronic-leaning quest to honor and explore the place and spirit of the Southwest through sound. Find Kino’s work on Bandcamp or your favorite streaming platform or go buy the vinyl. See you on the dance floor! 

SS: How did you come to discover dance music?

KB: My father is an artist and a DJ, so he had a massive record collection and did shows. I was always helping him out, plugging in speakers, carrying amplifiers, but also when he would get shipments of records, it would always be fun for me to listen to them, too. Before the internet was really big, that’s how I discovered music.

SS: What kind of music did he play?

KB: It was all over the place. There was a time when he was really into techno, and a time when he was really into house. Then, he got really into DJing for B-Boys, so there was a lot of break dance music that he discovered. A lot of funk and disco. Then, he got really into doing shows for punks. So, just lots of shades of music.

SS: When did you start dabbling with music and production?

KB: I had some belt-driven turntables around the age of 13 or 14. On the other hand, my uncle was a person who was really into computers. He was constantly upgrading his computer. There came a point where there were enough pieces for me to make my own computer. I remember putting that together and thinking, “4 Gigabytes! I’m never going to be able to fill all of that space!”

SS: What did it feel like landing in Durango from Shiprock and finding your place as an artist? 

KB: I was living in a house that had members of Liver Down the River. So, I was learning about music they liked in the Bluegrass world. So, it was like, “OK, I can play some interesting Grateful Dead songs that verge on disco and play something that merges more into something I’m interested in.” I played a lot at the Starlight, so I played a lot of hip hop, connecting with the Native crowd. So, just playing music that was everything around electronic music. I was learning how to rock a party and how to play music to get people on your side. Some DJs have certain rules about what they play. I just wanted to play whatever worked.

SS: Let’s talk a little bit about your latest album “Nihimá Nahasdzáán.”

KB: Nihi means “our,” “má” is mother and “nahasdzáán” means “earth” but also inside of that meaning is also “woman.” So, it is definitely Mother Earth.

SS: Where did you get that concept?

KB: I started with the question of “What does the Southwest sound like?” I wanted to make a record for the Southwest but not make it sound traditional or commercial or Native. I wanted something that felt very honest to me. So, what does the Southwest sound like? There’s a lot of wind and a lot of dirt. And I was like, “That sounds like an experience of being on the earth.” So, I jumped off from there. “What does it sound like to be on the Earth in the Southwest?” Most of it was recorded in Sweetwater, Ariz., a little spot going toward Kayenta.

It was during COVID, and I was doing things to pass the time. I had been wanting to work on a record for some time. The person who produced the record was from Salt Lake and owned a label called Fountain AVM. They offered to press it to vinyl, and so all I had to do was make the music and they took care of everything else. They had a vision and believed in me.

SS: What was the influence of the Navajo language on the album?

KB: All the songs have Navajo names, and they are all different things that you experience on the earth. I was taking a Navajo language course as well as taking a poetry class, so really just getting into the beauty of words and thinking of things that could help weave the production together. The language is actually mirroring the sounds in each song.

SS: And you’re currently working on the follow up to this album. Tell us more.

KB: The concept around this new album is going to be rainbows and crystals. The idea started to come from sand paintings. There’s usually a rainbow cloud that’s around the whole image. I started to think about the diffusion of light and how whenever there is a storm a rainbow shows up at the end. I want to do something colorful and look to the sky.

SS: And you’re currently working on a film score, as well?

KB: Yes, for a film called “Remaining Native.” It’s an all-female-led production. Somehow they decided they like my music (laughs.) I’m almost done with that.

SS: Last question, Kino. What does music mean to you?

KB: A lot of it is healing. I come from a line of medicine men. The word for song is also the same word for prayer. I believe music’s purpose is to bring and restore harmony. I think that’s what my music is intended for. To bring balance back to people’s lives. To help them have a bigger, more beautiful experience. ?