05/08/2026
Rotterdam’s Benny Rodrigues is one of the most influential DJs to ever come out of the Netherlands. He plays a little bit of everything in his sets, choosing the perfect time and place to lean into dub, house, disco, breakbeat and other genres whilst keeping a techno cadence that is infectious and danceable.
With ROD he created space to go deep into electronic music’s heritage, from the habitual places of Chicago, Detroit, Berlin, Belgium and the UK. A broad and adventurous archive and one we suspect owes a lot to his rich Cabo Verdean roots, where rhythm is part of everyday life before it becomes a genre such as morna or funaná.
Basilar’s authenticity and Benny’s deep knowledge come together naturally for a performance that matches the unpredictable spirit of both festival and artist, with the long free-flowing slot giving room for ROD’s rhythmic experiments and obscure records he has collected since ‘94, many bought before he even thought of owning a pair of turntables. The continuous digging and sorting of his large music collection means he never truly plans a set, instead bringing a choice of music big enough to navigate and build from. He decides where to go a couple of minutes before the start, and lets it become a journey for the dance floor and for himself. Marathon sets are usual for Benny, seven or eight hours being how long it takes him to communicate everything he has to say through music.
Nowadays, Benny plays outside the Netherlands very occasionally and he chooses where he performs super carefully, making his appearance at Basilar all the more exciting for us and hopefully for you. We have followed his path over the years and studied the way he works, his long sets, deep digging and the trust he builds between himself and the crowd. This September, that trust finds a home in our forest.
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A common ground!
basilarfestival.com
10–13 September 2026
Barragem da Queimadela, Fafe, Portugal
