Aka Benjamin Smith, Ben Smith, Mr Smith … Some music fans, particularly those who like to read record sleeves or Discogs, may have an image that B.J. Smith exists somewhere at the hub of a distinctly cool sub-sect of the British dance music scene. While it's true that he has collaborated with a lot of people, on an equally broad number of successful and beloved projects, this isn't really true. “I didn’t truly realise the relevance of my music…,” says the multi-instrumentalist who has played with the likes of afro-dub disco act Akwaaba, Nuphonic band FUG, Krautrock legend Holger Czukay as Bison and is currently a member of Smith & Mudd, Movedrill and White Elephant . Modest and polite in conversation but wildly enthusiastic when talking about music, the soft but confidently spoken Smith perhaps has a view of his career to date as that of a journeyman musician. But his skill says otherwise. A much in-demand collaborator who excels in both acoustic and electric guitar formats, he has confounded expectations not only with the versatility of his playing, but in the music he is capable of creating and on the instruments he chooses to do so. Since 2023 he is part of the JIM live band, playing guitar and singing backing.