AN aspiring music producer is celebrating after two of his tracks were signed by a record label.

Ben Wood’s dream of making music is fast becoming a reality after Rotterdam-based record label Soave Records recognised his musical talent.

A career in the music industry has been a long-term ambition for the 18-year-old from Braintree who got a taste for dance music as a child after seeing dance music royalty Martin Garrix on MTV.

He suffered a setback in secondary school, not being able to study music at GCSE level after not enough of his peers expressed an interest in the subject.

Gazette: DJ - Ben WoodDJ - Ben Wood (Image: Ben Wood)

But with grit and determination Ben began teaching himself at home before embarking on a two-year music production course at Colchester Institute, which he has recently completed.

“I was the only person there that was into dance music and DJing. It put me in my own little zone and I think it made me work harder,” he said.

Determined Ben made it his mission to get his music in front of industry experts and he was delighted to have two tracks signed by a dance music label, the first of which will be released on August 25.

He has since entered a worldwide remix competition, securing a place in the top four. It is now down to the public to decide if Ben will take away the crown in a vote which closes on Sunday.

There is a bright future ahead for Ben who has big ambitions in the music industry.

The young DJ added: “The dream is to be able to travel the world, playing music, and doing what I love on all the major stages.

“I’d love to play Ibiza, Creamfields, Tomorrowland in Belgium, Miami – all those big places and just be able to do what I love doing.”

He had planned to go to university this year but decided to focus on his music for now.

He has done DJ sets in Braintree and Colchester and is looking forward to future bookings across Essex.

To support Ben in the remix contest, visit soaverecords.com/remixcontest.