Deru

Benjamin Wynn
Benjamin Wynn, on a panel at the San Diego Comic Con 2011.
Background information
Also known as	Deru
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Electronic, Hip Hop, Classical, World Music
Occupation(s)	Composer, Music Producer, Sound Designer, DJ
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Friends of Friends, Mush Records, Merck Records, Neo Ouija
Website	www.deru.la

Benjamin Wynn, known also as Deru, is an American composer, sound designer and music producer mostly known for creating the sound design for the TV series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has collaborated with composers such as Joby Talbot. He is the co-owner of The Track Team, a music and sound production company based in Los Angeles, and also produces electronic music under the name "Deru". He is the grandson of neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff.

Wynn studied electronic music at the California Institute of the Arts, where he focused on synthesis, signal processing, acoustics, music theory and composition, and earned a Bachelor's degree in music technology.

In 2007, Wynn (as Deru) collaborated with British composer Joby Talbot on the score to Wayne McGregor's ballet, "Genus", based on Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species, commissioned by the Paris Opera Ballet. The ballet premiered at the Palais Garnier in October 2007 and was commissioned for a second round of performances in November 2009. The eight-part score combines electronics with a 10-part choir and string instruments. The score is available on Ant-Zen and Dear Oh Dear Records and was featured in the 2009 documentary, "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet". Genus had its North American premiere at the Four Seasons Centre in March 2017 in Toronto, Canada by the National Ballet of Canada.

Wynn is co-owner of a music and sound design company in Los Angeles called The Track Team. He was the force behind the sound design for all three seasons of Nickelodeon's hit television show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which won a prestigious 2008 Peabody Award. Wynn was nominated for a Motion Picture Sound Editor's Golden Reel award in 2009 for his sound design work on Avatar: The Last Airbender.