Ben Dorman is on a mission.
His alter ego, the renowned Arizona DJ named Bijou, is evolving and he’s pushing his brand around the world.
In two and half weeks, Dorman performed and/or recorded in San Diego; Boston; Barcelona; Stuttgart, Germany; Amsterdam; London; Indianapolis and New York City, where he debuted at Lavo.
Coming up soon, he has Reno and Vegas — in the same day — along with Miami, Kansas City, Puerto Vallarta, Chicago, Denver and Fresno.
He’s coming to Tucson on Friday, March 31, for an 18-and-older show at Gentle Ben’s. Fans, he said, can expect a healthy dose of new music and an energetic show.
“Tucson’s always really crazy for me,” Dorman said.
“I once had a show in Tucson where I had to have private security it was so crazy. The line was around the block. I went in through the back, where there were people waiting for me. Tucson is going to be super high energy.”
The new music includes “Back It Up,” with Michael Sparks and Lyxx. Dorman has waited nine months to release the record — until fellow artist Dr. Fresch came calling.
“He wanted to sign it to his label, House Call Records,” Dorman said. “Dr. Fresch is one of my best friends. It’s been really, really cool. ‘Back It Up’ is super high energy, definitely something for the summer festival. It has a crazy vibe to it. It’s a big, fun party record.”
Changing gears
The Marcos de Niza High School graduate grew up in Tempe, near ASU.
“I was supposed to go to Tempe or McClintock, but my dad was a teacher at the middle school that fed into Marcos de Niza. I was a tad bit of a troublemaker. He wanted to keep an eye on me.”
A fan of Roberto Clemente, Dorman played baseball growing up. Left handed, Dorman didn’t find many positions he could play. He opted for pitcher and right fielder.
From there, he played ball at community colleges, Northwestern Oklahoma State and Missouri Baptist, the latter of which he said had a “great program and it was a blast.”
After playing indie pro ball in Scottsdale, he hung up his cleats to pursue music.
“The summer of 2013, I was finally like, ‘I don’t love this anymore,’” he recalled. “My last game was my only professional win. I got a job at Jersey Mike’s and basically told myself I would do that as long as I had to.
“A year and a half later, I had the opportunity to produce Kevin Federline, and that was interesting. He’s a super nice guy. It took me to a different realm. I went between Phoenix and LA for eight months.”
He signed with Relentless Beats and released his debut album, “Diamond City,” in 2020. The name was a nod to his hometown team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“The concept behind it is my stage name, Bijou, is French for fine jewel,” said Dorman, who lives in Scottsdale. “If you want to delve deeper into my personal life, I played baseball my entire life. Travis Scott coined Houston Astroworld, and I’m coining Phoenix Diamond City. I’m claiming Phoenix as Diamond City.”
Since then, Dorman has evolved and matured personally and musically.
“I’m maturing not only as an artist but as a musician and a producer as well,” he said. “We’re really focusing on club shows and building hard ticket value in different cities. We were thinking about doing another branded tour, but the one I just did with Marten Hørger was the best tour I ever had.”
Instead, he’s not going to rush it, but wait for “the right concept, the right branding, the right person.” Right now, he’s touring consistently and working on growing into bigger rooms.
Dorman is planning to release new music throughout the year. Dedicated to his craft, the prolific Dorman works on the road — and it works.
“It’s kind of nonstop for me,” he said. “I work really fast. The thing for me is if I catch a vibe with anything, then I’ll be inspired, and I could finish a song in an hour. My biggest song, ‘Chop It Up,’ I finished in one hour. It’s one of those things. You just feel it and good things come together.”
Bijou
WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday, March 31
WHERE: Gentle Ben’s, 865 E. University Boulevard, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $17
INFO: relentlessbeats.com
