RB Exclusive Interview: Spencer Brown

Based in San Francisco, Spencer Brown has mastered the spirit of organic experience in harmony with nature and sound. He creates forward-thinking dance music that’s earned him a spot on Anjuna and mau5trap, support from Avicii, Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, and Don Diablo, and a consistently growing fanbase.

Earlier this year Spencer Brown released his debut album, Stream of Consciousness, and now he’s taking on North American with an accompanying tour. We had a chance to speak with him ahead of his upcoming stop in Tempe. Check it out below!

Congrats on the recent release of your second album, Stream of Consciousness. What was your vision going into this project compared to Illusion of Perfection back in 2018?

Thanks so much for having me! My vision has always been to create music for flowstate activities, whether it’s working, studying, running, driving up the coast…I love to set the soundtrack to an experience. SoC has more mature production than IoP, and thus it took a lot more meticulous editing. But the vision was very similar.

I love that it was released as a mix. Why did you opt for that vs the traditional album format? How does it play into the ‘stream of consciousness’?

I’m not a fan of rapidfiring singles just because ’that’s how the industry works.’  It’s my art and vision at the end of the day. I love mixes and wanted to create a bigger piece—each track is a part of the whole. I think the bigger piece really resonates with people, even if it’s not the most streaming friendly. 

Further…I can’t get out all my feelings, thoughts, and emotions of my life during this writing period in a few singles. Life is full of ups, downs, learning experiences, euphoria, sorrow…and by creating a mix, people can tap into my stream of consciousness over the past couple years.

You’re in the middle of the accompanying tour. How has it been thus far? What are you still looking forward to?

 Absolutely unbelievable. I am so grateful I have people who know all of my music going crazy at my shows. It really means the world to me. That’s the goal of an artist—to resonate with people and bring joy and emotion to their lives.

I’m also thankful that the crowds are so open minded—I can play anything from my deep progressive to techno to euphoric melodic high-energy stuff I’m working on, and people really vibe regardless of ‘genre.’ I love taking the crowd on a journey slowly building the energy as the night goes on, rotating between emotions and styles. 

I’m looking forward to testing all the new tracks I’ve been working on—it’s a never ending cycle that always keeps me excited!

You have been working with the Anjuna family for quite some time. What has your experience been like working with this label compared to some of the others? 

 The Anjuna family is truly a family. They only sign and work with kind souls. It’s a community based on acceptance and love, which completely aligns with my values. It really felt like a natural fit.

I know you graduated from Duke University a few years back, what an accomplishment! Was it difficult to find a balance between academia and working on your music career? What do you do for stress management? 

Thank you! It was certainly tough, but I sacrificed health to succeed in both academia and music. I’m glad I learned my lessons of how much I can push my body/health at 19, so now I know how to work/tour/party more wisely through moderation at 26.

 Finally, what can fans expect from you at Shady Park THIS Sunday?

A journey comprised of 90% my own music, a few unreleased tracks that fellow friends/producers have sent me, and a few secret weapons that I’ve discovered digging. The set will begin with vibey and chill progressive house and slowly build energy as the night goes on. There will be techno interludes. There will be big melodic moments. And I will be winging the entire set, per usual. See you on the dancefloor and thanks for all the love <3

Catch Spencer Brown at Shady Park this Sunday. Grab tickets here!