TheSaxMan: Blackpool Roots. A World of Possibilities.

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How a passion discovered at school became a passport to the world-and a purpose to help others follow their dreams.

For Ben Barnett, the saxophone has been a passport to the world. It has opened doors to international stages, introduced him to people from all walks of life and become the foundation of a career spanning performance, art, events and entrepreneurship.

Before the travel, the DJ sets and the businesses, there was a ten-year-old at Arnold School in Blackpool, discovering an instrument that would change his life. Today, Ben is known professionally as TheSaxMan, an international DJ and live saxophonist whose hybrid performances combine electronic music with the spontaneity of live improvisation. His story began with a musical education, a supportive family and a community willing to give a young musician a chance.

Where it all began

Ben began learning the saxophone in 1995, aged ten, with Arnold School’s music teacher, Mrs Wade. Those early lessons gave him the foundations, while opportunities beyond the classroom helped him discover what he could do with them. His parents introduced him to live jam sessions around Blackpool, where friends and local musicians welcomed him into their world. Ian Hooper, Paul Dobie and Lee Gribbon were among those who invited him to join them for a song or two. Alongside a wider collective of talented local musicians-too many to name individually-they gave him the chance to listen, experiment and find his confidence in front of an audience.

Playing alongside these established performers helped Ben discover a love of improvisation: the freedom to respond in the moment, connect with other musicians and make each performance different. It is an approach he calls “The Spirit of the Jam”, and it remains at the heart of his work today.

Blackpool saxophonist Gabor Jonas became another important influence as a coach and mentor, helping him develop his technique and confidence. The lessons taught him how to play. Blackpool’s musicians helped him discover the possibilities.

A family and a town steeped in entertainment

Music and entertainment were part of Ben’s upbringing. His parents, Danielle Barnett MBE and John Barnett MBE DL, have longstanding connections to Blackpool’s broadcasting and entertainment heritage. Their work across Radio Wave, Party House and Stardream placed him close to the creativity, energy and practical effort involved in bringing people together.

Growing up in that environment helped Ben see a creative career as something he could pursue. Alongside his family were teachers who nurtured his interest, musicians who shared their experience and a community that made room for an aspiring young player. Ben’s affection for Blackpool is rooted in those relationships. The town gave him encouragement, opportunity and the beginnings of a life in music.

The saxophone as a passport

As TheSaxMan, Ben developed a style that combines DJing and live saxophone within a single performance. Moving between his own hybrid sets and collaborations with other DJs and musicians, he brings live expression to house and electronic music.

His performances develop in response to the setting, the atmosphere and the people in front of him. With no fixed repertoire, each becomes a different musical conversation. His work has taken him from sunset rooftops and dance floors to private celebrations and international events. Among those he has been invited to perform for are Sir Richard Branson, George Clooney, Prince Harry and Meghan, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Azemah of Brunei, and the Dukes of Rutland, Marlborough and Richmond.

Across these different settings, the instinct remains the one first developed in Blackpool’s jam sessions: listen to the room, connect with the people and respond through music.

The saxophone has enabled Ben to travel extensively, experience different cultures and build friendships and creative partnerships around the world. Those experiences have also shaped how he thinks about success-and his desire to help others discover where their talents might take them.

SaxuallyActive

That creative curiosity led Ben to establish SaxuallyActive, a brand and record label bringing together music, art, fashion and events. Its distinctive idea is to give visual art a musical identity. SaxuallyActive brings saxophonists and other artists from around the world together to create original tracks for its artworks, translating colour, character and visual expression into sound.

Each track is unique, with collaboration central to the process. The ambition is to connect what people see, hear and feel, while bringing the global saxophone community together to create and express that vision. Ben created SaxuallyActive to turn the spotlight towards the instrument itself: its versatility, its influence and its ability to move between cultures, genres and communities. It gives other players a platform to contribute their own sound to a shared creative project. The brand has also produced radio shows with one non-negotiable rule: every track must feature the… sax.

With more music on the way, SaxuallyActive continues to explore how one instrument can inspire so many different forms of expression.

Active Artists Agency

Ben’s experience on stage also inspired AAA | Active Artists Agency, founded to connect talented performers with opportunities to do what they love. Run by artists, for artists, AAA provides DJs, live musicians and curated entertainment for hospitality venues, private celebrations and corporate events. The agency handles more than 250 bookings per month, working across London, the wider UK and international markets. Behind those bookings is an understanding of the work from both sides: what a performer needs to deliver their best, and what a client needs to create an exceptional experience. For Ben, creating opportunities for other artists carries forward something he experienced early in life-the difference it makes when someone recognises your potential and invites you to take part.

NETT

Ben’s next project takes that belief into technology. NETT, planned for launch this year, is the operating system for professional networks, built around human relationships and the opportunities they create. As its founder and CEO, Ben is developing a theme that runs throughout his journey: people meeting, sharing their skills and opening doors for one another. From Blackpool jam sessions to international collaborations, those connections have helped shape his career. NETT carries that focus into his next chapter.

Taking the inspiration forward

Across performance, creative projects and business, Ben’s purpose is increasingly about helping others see what is possible. He wants the next generation to find their passions, follow their ambitions and realise that a dream can become a direction-and, with learning, persistence and support, a livelihood. His own journey began with school music lessons and people willing to offer encouragement. His love for Blackpool, his family heritage and his gratitude to the town’s creative community remain part of everything that followed. The saxophone became his passport to the world. Blackpool gave him the confidence to see where it could take him.