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Surkin

French DJ and music producer (born 1985)

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Benoit Heitz (born 1985), known by his stage name Surkin, is a French musician, composer, record producer, DJ and art director. He is also known for his electronic music under the project name Gener8ion.

01Life and career

Surkin was born in Arles, the south of France. He studied contemporary art at Villa Arson in Nice before moving to Paris to start his music career.

He first gained attention in 2006 with his first releases on the French Institubes music label, DJ performances in clubs and music festivals such as Coachella, Fuji Rock Festival and Ultra Music Festival, and remixes for artists like Paul Johnson, Justice, Chromeo, DJ Mehdi, and Kavinsky. During this time, Surkin's productions are notable for their use of heavily modified vocal samples and the use of cut-up.

In 2011 he launched the independent record label Marble along with Para One and Bobmo.

In late 2011 Surkin released his first album "USA", which was called by dance magazine Mixmag "one of the most exciting concept albums of the 21st century". The album is influenced by Detroit techno, 80's electro and Chicago House, featuring vocals by Ann Saunderson (from Inner City) and Marshall Jefferson collaborator Kevin Irving.

In 2015 he released the E.P. "The New International Sound Part II" featuring vocals by M.I.A, under the name GENER8ION. The subsequent music video, directed by Inigo Westmeier and executive produced by French director Romain Gavras, was shot at the Chinese fighting school of Shaolin Tagou and featured a synchronized choreography by 36,000 of their students.

In 2016, Surkin composed the original music of the Nike campaign 'Da Da Ding' which won numerous awards at international advertising competitions and scored the launch video of the iPhone 7 "Don't Blink" which was shown in September at the Apple keynote in Cupertino. In March 2016 he released a visual magazine called "Unite Or Perish" and a new EP under the name Gener8ion called "GN8003" on French label Bromance.

In 2017 Surkin collaborated with fashion brand Dior to create the music of their campaign Poison Club and composed the music of the global Mercedes-Benz campaign "Never Stop Improving" featuring Roger Federer.

On 24 April 2026, Gener8ion releases the dual single named "Storm" featuring the Swedish rapper Yung Lean. It was accompanied by a seven-minute music video filmed at a boarding school in England set in 2034, directed by Romain Gavras and choreographed by Damien Jalet.

02Awards

  • 2017: D&AD Awards, 'Nike, Da Da Ding', Wood Pencil - Use of Music for Film Advertising
  • 2017: Cannes Lion, 'Nike, Da Da Ding', Bronze Lion - Use of Original Music

03Discography

Albums

  • Action Replay (2007, Institubes/Klee)
  • USA (2011, Marble/Ed Banger/EMI Japan)
  • USA Club Mixes (2012, Marble)
  • Love & Tears (2026, Iconoclast)

EP and singles

  • Ghetto Obsession (2006, Institubes)
  • Play Do / I Joke On You (2006, Arcade Mode)
  • Radio Fireworks (2006, Institubes)
  • Fireworks Refired (2007, Institubes)
  • Next of Kin (2008, Institubes)
  • Next of Kin, Mark II (2008, Institubes)
  • Silver Island (2010, Institubes)
  • Fan Out Remixes (2010, Institubes)
  • Ultra Light (2011, Marble)
  • Lose Yourself (2012, Marble)
  • I Want You Back (with Todd Edwards) (2012, Sound Pellegrino)
  • Advanced Entertainment System (2013, Marble)

Production

  • M.I.A. - Bring The Noize (2013, Interscope)
  • Gener8ion & Yung Lean: STORM (2026, Iconoclast)

Remixes

Year Artist Title Label
2005 M.I.A. "Sunshowers" (Surkin vs. M.I.A.) Institubes
2006 Para One "Epiphanie Teaser" (Surkin Megamixx) Institubes
Para One "Midnight Swim" (Surkin Drowning Mix) Institubes
2007 Boys Noize "Don't Believe the Hype"
(Surkin Remix No. 1) & (Surkin Remix No. 2)
Boysnoize Records
Chromeo "Fancy Footwork" (Surkin Rogue Teens Remix) Vice/Turbo
DJ Mehdi "Lucky Boy" Ed Banger Records
Foals "Hummer" Transgressive Records
Goose "Low Mode" (Surkin Mode) Skint Records
Justine Electra "Killalady" City Slang
Kate Wax "Catch the Buzz" Mental Groove Records
Klaxons "Golden Skans" Because Music
Paul Johnson "Hot" Blackjack
Spencer Parker "Open Your Eyes" Cr2 Records
Teki Latex feat. Lio "Les Matins de Paris" Virgin
VHS or BETA "Burn It All Down" Astralwerks
Yuksek "Composer" Relish Recordings
2008 Justice "DVNO" Ed Banger Records
Nacho Lovers "Acid Life" Scion Audio/Visual
2009 The Juan Maclean "One Day" DFA
Street Fighter IV "Bionic Commando"
2011 Canblaster "Totem" (Surkin 'Gravity' Edit) Marble
2012 Mademoiselle Yulia "Bam Me" EMI Music Japan
Drop the Lime "Bandit Blues" Ultra Records
Usher "Scream" RCA
M.I.A. "Bad Girls"
2013 Kavinsky "Odd Look" Mercury
2014 Charli XCX "Boom Clap" Atlantic
2015 Röyksopp and Jamie Irrepressible "I Had This Thing" Dog Triumph
2016 They "Motley Crew" Genius Records
Watch videos about SurkinExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Surkin, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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