A Chat with Spencer Brown at Seismic Dance Event [Interview]

After 14 months of not playing a single live set for fans across the globe, Spencer Brown made his grand post-lockdown music festival debut at Seismic Dance Event 3.3 in Austin, Texas just last week. The influential electronic producer has been climbing his way to the top of the charts by continuing to astound listeners with his unparalleled entrancing music, and there’s only more to come from him moving forward. 

The past year marked some pretty significant career and personal milestones for Spencer Brown, as he’s managed to come out more inspired and starstruck by the beauty of our world even through these unprecedented moments in time. Following the tremendous success of his 2020 album A Stream of Consciousness, the prosperous musician continues to shine his light and maintain his authenticity and creative vision intact with all of his most recent ventures. After forming an unbreakable bond with Anjunabeats bosses Above & Beyond and releasing countless projects on the remarkable label over the years, Spencer is proud to unveil his latest underground I Was Too Young for 90’s Raves EP through Insomniac’s Factory93 Records. 

Recognized globally for a uniquely curated signature sound that intertwines melodic house, stripped-down techno and magnetic progressive elements, Spencer Brown has been revolutionizing dance music as we know it through his relentless musical creations. His extraordinary sound fit perfectly with Seismic Dance Event’s jaw-dropping lineup full of other leading house and techno artists, and it was a privilege getting the opportunity to watch his soul-stirring performance as the sun was exquisitely setting on what felt like a magical day one of the festival. Read on to learn more about all things Spencer Brown during our intimate chat with him during Seismic Dance Event 3.3 below.

Nocturnal Times: Thanks for taking the time out to chat with us here at Seismic Dance Event! How was your journey into Austin from Los Angeles?

Spencer Brown: Thanks for having me! Surprisingly my flight here was great even though it was an early flight and I’m used to going to bed late and waking up at around 2 PM haha. I was just so excited to be here and play my first gig in 14 months. I couldn’t even sleep last night because of how excited I was. I’m just so happy and grateful in general.

Nocturnal Times: Aside from your Park ‘N Rave set in San Bernardino back in February, this is the first actual festival you’ve been on the lineup for since the start of the pandemic. How does it feel to be back doing what you love most in this world?

Spencer Brown: I feel like a kid on Christmas morning right now honestly. A huge part of my life was taken away from me for so long and it was extremely difficult for me at the beginning. But as things went on, I just got used to strictly making music all day again and making the best out of the situation. Now that gigs are back and packed on the calendar, I feel re-energized and ready to go! For a while I kept thinking “why am I making all this music if I can’t play it for anyone?” – but the time has come and I’m pumped.

Nocturnal Times: The events of the past year have sparked up a lot of conversation regarding mental health within the music industry. Can you share how you managed to cope with everything that went on? How did you manage to stay positive during such a strange time in our lives? 

Spencer Brown: Honestly, I turned to all the blessings already in my life and finding the simple things in life more meaningful than ever. I’m thankful that I got the opportunity to have all this free time to spend with my friends and family and simply create music. Things could have been way worse. I still managed to put food on the table and have a roof over my head. I could sit here and complain about the majority of my income being taken away from not touring but it was good to take a break and realize that we have it really good and that life is really good. With this tremendous pause on life as we know it, I’m now able to count my blessings even more than ever before.

Nocturnal Times: Last month, you shared a post on your socials regarding the magical experience you had during your trip to Miami. Can you tell us more about why you felt such a rush being in the tropical city?

Spencer Brown: Oh yeah, that’s an interesting story. You know, I consider myself a music fan before an artist that makes a living from creating it. I do this for the pure love of the music and I actually enjoy being out on the dance floor and vibing out to the music just like everyone else. I try to take a few trips throughout the year when I’m not touring so that I can just party and rave with my friends with no music career related worries at all. Its my time to enjoy the music I love so much and celebrate why I got into it in the first place, and this Miami trip with Paavo from Above & Beyond really did that for me in the most memorable and re-inspiring way. I’m taking all this inspiration and incredible feelings from the sets I witnessed straight to the studio.

Nocturnal Times: What other gigs are you looking forward to playing the most later this year now that things are opening back up?

Spencer Brown: I’m not entirely sure what management has announced and hasn’t announced, but I’m excited to play at Treehouse in Miami and at Avant Gardner in Brooklyn! All my next couple of shows are going to make up for the cancellation of last year’s Stream of Consciousness tour and I can’t wait.

Nocturnal Times: Out of all your projects and releases,  which one/ones do you hold closest to heart or do you consider to be the most personal? 

Spencer Brown: I view all my releases as personal, it’s tough to rank them. I like to have a repertoire of releasing music relevant to any occasion, so I want to have those big festival tracks like “Thanks, Guy” which I’m definitely playing today but I also want some chilled-out, sunrise on beach tracks like “Santorini”. They’re each held close to my heart in a different way based on the environment it was built on, and when the music fits the environment, that’s when the magic happens.

Nocturnal Times: Do you feel like the dance music community is going to come out even stronger and more unified than before once the pandemic is over?

Spencer Brown: Yes, everyone is going to be pumped to go out and about and just be carefree together as one again. There’s definitely a bit of a market saturation from the business aspect of the music industry now that so many shows are being announced but I think true music lovers in the industry are going to unite and come back stronger than ever.

Nocturnal Times: Last but not least, what should we expect from your upcoming set here at Seismic ?

Spencer Brown: A LOT of unreleased music. I like to surprise myself during my sets. Honestly, I don’t really know what I’m going play from start to finish, I just come in with a big crate of a ton of music that could work but for this one I only have an idea of the first and last song. The first track is an unreleased track with Yotto we made during quarantine and I’m just gonna go with the flow to match the energy of the crowd here at Seismic.

Nocturnal Times: Looking forward to your set! You’re going to kill it out there <3