Benja at Café del Mar Phuket — Friday, May 8, 2026

Amsterdam has been producing some of the most distinctive voices in electronic music for decades. Benja is one of the most interesting of the current generation — an artist whose Afro-house sound sits at a specific crossroads between the organic rhythms of West Africa, the melodic depth of European electronic music, and the groove that makes a dancefloor move without being pushed.

On Friday, May 8, 2026, Benja plays his Club Room debut at Café del Mar Phuket — doors open at 10:00 PM, and what follows is described as an evening to "lose yourself" in.

Benja's Afro-House Legacy

Benja is a Dutch DJ and producer based in Amsterdam, whose sound is built around what the official Café del Mar Phuket description calls "deep, groovy Afro-house with melodic textures, blending organic rhythms with touches of melodic techno."

"The track that defined his career: Benja's breakout moment arrived with 'Yamore' — a defining moment in the Afro-house scene, earning global recognition."

That combination — the warmth and humanity of Afro-house percussion rooted in West African musical traditions, merged with the harmonic sophistication and emotional depth of melodic techno — is a specific and demanding creative position. It requires a producer who understands both traditions deeply enough to blend them without flattening either.

Benja's breakout moment arrived with "Yamore" — a track featuring an extraordinary combination of collaborators: Salif Keita (the legendary Malian griot and one of the greatest vocalists in African music history), Cesária Évora (the iconic Cape Verdean singer known as the "Barefoot Diva"), MoBlack (the Italian-Nigerian producer and one of the most important figures in Afro-house), and Franc Fala.

The fact that Benja assembled those four voices and producers on a single Afro-house track and made it work is itself a statement about the depth of his musical understanding.

His live footprint before Phuket includes:

• Club Wintercircus (Ghent, Belgium) — one of Europe's most highly regarded underground electronic music events, held annually in a historic circus building and known for booking artists of genuine credibility in the deep house and electronic scene.
• Pacha Munich — the Bavarian outpost of the legendary Ibiza club brand, where Benja has played to European club audiences.

Club Room Debut: May 8, 2026

Confirmed event details:

• Date: Friday, May 8, 2026
• Doors open: 10:00 PM
• Venue: Club Room, Café del Mar Phuket
• Address: 118/19 Moo 3, Kamala Beach, Kathu District, Phuket 83150
• Tickets: Limited tickets and VIP tables available at phuket.cafedelmar.com and megatix.in.th
• Age: Club Room events at Café del Mar Phuket are 20+

"The Club Room is where the most serious DJ bookings in the Café del Mar Phuket calendar are presented."

The Club Room is Café del Mar Phuket's dedicated indoor/covered nightclub space — separate from the beach club and pool terrace that define the venue's daytime and sunset identity. It is where the venue runs its late-night electronic music programme from Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 PM to late, and where the most serious DJ bookings in the Café del Mar Phuket calendar are presented.

The Club Room has hosted some of the most significant names in electronic music over the 2025/26 season — including Carl Cox (first-ever Phuket appearance, January 8), Marco Carola and Ilario Alicante (January 14), Ben Böhmer live (January 25, sold out with 2,000+ attendees), Nicole Moudaber (February 25), and Claptone (February 26). Benja's May 8 Club Room debut is one of the final major bookings of the 2025/26 season, which runs November 2025 through May 2026.

The days immediately surrounding Benja's appearance fill out the end-of-season programme:

• Tuesday, April 29: MK.SANTO — Club Room
• Wednesday, April 30: EKANAN — Club Room
• Thursday, May 1: K.O.B.A. — Club Room (free entry)
• Friday, May 2: ARYMÉ — Club Room
• Sunday, May 3: Zoo del Mar: Daytime Party (Zoo del Mar May series)
• Friday, May 8: BENJA — Club Room debut

Kamala Beach Vibes

May marks the closing month of the Café del Mar Phuket 2025/26 season — the eight-month programme running from November through May that brings international DJ talent to the Kamala Beach venue for the Club Room and the outdoor stages.

"For Benja specifically, the energy of an Afro-house set is a natural fit for a beachside venue in the tropics."

End-of-season at a venue like this has its own specific atmosphere. The regular Phuket crowd who have been attending events since November know the rhythm of the space. The international visitors still on the island in May — as the shoulder season transitions toward the green season — arrive at a venue that is running at peak confidence and familiarity.

For Benja specifically, the energy of an Afro-house set is a natural fit for a beachside venue in the tropics. The organic percussion, the vocal textures, the movement between groove and melody in his sets — all of it lands differently in a room built on a beach in Southeast Asia than it would in a northern European club.

Tickets & Contact

How to book for Benja, May 8:

• Official event page: phuket.cafedelmar.com/events/benja-may08
• Ticketing: megatix.in.th/events/benja-cafe-del-mar-phuket-080526
• VIP tables: Reserve via the official site or by emailing reservations@cafedelmar-phuket.com
• Limited tickets and VIP tables — the Café del Mar Club Room has hosted sold-out events this season; book in advance

Venue contact:

• Address: 118/19 Moo 3, Kamala Beach, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
• Phone (restaurant and beach club): +66 (0) 93 580 4486
• Phone (hotel): +66 (0) 96 879 9950
• Email: reservations@cafedelmar-phuket.com
• Website: phuket.cafedelmar.com
• Instagram: @cafedelmarphuket

Getting to Café del Mar Phuket on May 8:

• Grab (ride-hailing) from Patong: approximately 15 to 20 minutes
• From Phuket Town: approximately 30 minutes
• From Phuket International Airport: approximately 40-45 minutes
• Kamala Beach is on the west coast of Phuket, approximately 10 kilometres north of Patong

Club Room hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 PM to late

Event Snapshot

• Event Name: Benja — Club Room Debut at Café del Mar Phuket
• Event Category: Electronic Music / Afro-House / Club Night
• Date: Friday, May 8, 2026
• Doors open: 10:00 PM
• Venue: Club Room, Café del Mar Phuket
• Address: 118/19 Moo 3, Kamala Beach, Kathu District, Phuket 83150, Thailand
• Artist: Benja — Amsterdam-based DJ and producer
• Genre: Deep, groovy Afro-house; melodic textures; organic rhythms; touches of melodic techno
• Signature track: "Yamore" featuring Salif Keita, Cesaria Evora, MoBlack, and Franc Fala — described as "a defining moment in the Afro-house scene, earning global recognition"
• Previous notable venues: Club Wintercircus (Ghent, Belgium); Pacha Munich
• Context: Final weeks of Café del Mar Phuket 2025/26 season (November 2025 to May 2026)
• Tickets: Limited — phuket.cafedelmar.com and megatix.in.th/events/benja-cafe-del-mar-phuket-080526
• VIP tables: reservations@cafedelmar-phuket.com
• Phone: +66 (0) 93 580 4486
• Website: phuket.cafedelmar.com
• Instagram: @cafedelmarphuket
• May weather Kamala: 27-32°C, transition to green season, warm evenings