In an overcrowded music world where thousands of songs are released daily, it’s easy to not “get your break.” In the chance that you do get a break, though, sometimes you’re ultimately forgotten. Today, we bring you some insight into the mind of Spencer Brown, an artist who doesn’t seem to be having either of those problems. Brown initially broke into the music world after being handpicked by Avicii as the support act on his ‘TRUE‘ tour.
It’s fair to say that Brown had some big shoes to fill. After constant releases on some of dance music’s biggest labels – including Armada, & more frequently Anjunabeats – it’s easy to see that he’s done just that.
Spencer Brown took to Twitter to talk about an affliction that seems to be causing a lot of turmoil in the music world these days: anxiety. In the screenshot below, you can read his thoughts on anxiety and music. He also plugs in an interview he did with one of his best friends over at Texas Monthly.
Tension and Release
Throughout the article, Spencer’s rise from a Top-40 playing, EDM-crazed, Avicii mentee is chronicled. Today, the Anjunabeats jetsetting prodigy wows crowds all over the world. There’s a point in the article in which the author speaks on how Anjuna fans seemed like a “benevolent cult” at time. If you’ve ever been to one of the Anjunabeats label parties, I’m sure you can agree. Anjuna neck tattoos, Anjuna gold chains, cape flags and all.
The interview continues on to explain how Spencer saw “how fame can mangle someone who already suffers from anxiety (Avicii)”. He explains how in 2016, Avicii was “beset by the stress of being in the limelight, retired from touring at age 26.” It must be tough seeing your mentor go through the stress. This all played a large role in the state of mind that Spencer has found himself these days.
Wake Up Call
“Health has to be the first priority. You have to take care of yourself mentally and physically.”
Spencer Brown states that:
“Writing music is easiest when I’m anxious or distressed . . . but that year [2016] was a big wake-up call for me,”. Following that up, Spencer opened up a bit more and chose to discuss a rather tender topic, being Avicii’s suicide. He states: “When Tim passed away, it really, really affected me. Health has to be the first priority. You have to take care of yourself mentally and physically.”
Spencer’s Flow State
Spencer speaks about how DJing puts him in a “flow state”. In this state, all of his nervous energy is channeled into a mood that allows him to fixate on the crowd. In this flow state, he hyper-focuses on the mood, and pays close attention to “scanning the crowd and building the right sequence of tracks”.
He focuses on “the fans’ smiles and moves when he’s auditioning his unreleased tracks, and he builds his sets around tested songs that he knows will make everyone dance.” As any good DJ can tell you, being able to connect with the crowd is key. This is what is known in DJ circles as “crowd control“.
“It’s just getting the frequencies of the song that I programmed on my computer to bring love to other people,” “And along the way, it brings euphoria to me. Once you’re in that flow state, that anxiety is gone. That’s what I do this for.”
SPENCER BROWN ON HIS “FLOW STATE”
Earlier in the interview, the author speaks about how he can physically see Spencer dealing with anxiety. This is because he sees the buildup of emotions he feels in the lead up to his show. With his methods, he managed to overcome these emotions and demolish the crowd at his show.
Little did he know, he was later booked to open up for Anjunabeats label heads, Above & Beyond. This show was later that night to a crowd of over five thousand people at the RC Cola Plant. It goes without saying that Spencer was able to utilize his anti-anxiety methods. In doing so, he further destroyed that crowd of dance music lovers, beautifully.
If you’ve yet to check out Spencer Brown live, the man is a MUST see. For more news on Spencer Brown, be sure to check out his official website here. You can check out the full interview from Texas Monthly here.
EDMTunes also recently had the chance to catch up with Spencer Brown in Montreal. You can read that here.
