Dean De Benedictis has earned credits, and a small international fan base as a musician, artist and producer. There are a few handles Dean has used through the years, but he is mostly known to the electronic music community as Surface 10.

 

Dean is primarily established as an electronic-ambient music producer, but his body of work and his musical skill straddle unspoken borders between opposing genres. Beginning his true exploration of music in the 80's, Dean built the foundation of his understanding by working with hip hop artists, radio DJs, progressive rock and fusion bands, and producing source music for network television. Later, Dean began incorporating and developing additional skills and approaches in an attempt to market his music properly; skills such as videography, illustration, literature and conceptual art.

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    Specializing in music the majority of his life, Dean consistently attempted to utilize a broad spectrum of styles and cultural influences to help promote enlightened thinking through the breaking of aesthetic conventions. His body of work aims to locate an essential thread between outwardly opposing genres, as well as draw from them a natural sense of emotion, expanse and mystery.

    Like other artists, much of De Benedictis’s music is composed as a dedication to, and a utility for, his own life experiences.

 

In his earlier years, many of Dean's pieces were created in part to carry with him and listen to at specific outdoor locations (e.g. deserts, mountain regions, coastal regions, natural locations in general), thus permanently marking the area with the music in his mind. Upon purchasing his first laptop in 2008, and literally putting the power of a full studio in the palm of his hands, Dean soon began making music live at those same outdoor locations, additionally filming and sharing the performances online. As such, he was likely one of the first adventuring mobile musicians of the contemporary age.

 

    Dean dedicates his work to people, places, events and experiences as much as to feelings, concepts and other inherent affects. To some degree, he intends to communicate a similar functionality within the personal narratives of his audience.