The Sound of Self-Acceptance: Spencer Brown’s Story of Coming Out

The Burning Man Influence on Spencer Brown

Spencer Brown: Balancing Duke University and the Avicii Tour

Spencer Brown: Trusting the Heartbeat of the Dance Floor & Igniting the Flow

How Spencer Brown’s Coming Out Journey Elevated His Sound

From Dubstep to Melodic House/Techno: The Story of Spencer Brown

The Come Up: 5 Tracks from Early in Spencer Brown’s Career

5 Spencer Brown Tracks You Should Know

Spencer Brown Goes Against the Grain With '18 Minute Loop' NFT Launch

Spencer Brown, based in San Francisco, is a prominent figure in the progressive house and techno scenes, known for his unique and versatile  sound. Drawing from a diverse drumming background in jazz, soul, funk, and metal, Spencer’s love for music from a young age has shaped his successful career.

Spencer's journey in music began early, with his initial foray into drums and other instruments by the age of two. By his teenage years, he was producing hip hop beats and exploring electronic music. His breakthrough came at 18 when he opened for Avicii at the Hollywood Bowl and released his debut EP, Chalice/Double Down, on Avicii's LE7ELS imprint. This pivotal moment marked the transition from a promising young talent to a professional artist in the electronic music scene.

Chalice / Double Down

Brown’s evolvement over the last 15 years has been nothing short of remarkable as he consistently stayed true to his roots with dance music while making groundbreaking power moves within the industry. Throughout his years at Duke University, Brown toured North America with Avicii on his True Tour, while juggling several other responsibilities such as producing music, maintaining good grades in school, and attempting to balance a social life.

In 2018, Spencer released his debut album, Illusion of Perfection, through Above & Beyond’s Anjunabeats, which solidified his position in the industry. His ability to blend melodic progressive house with other electronic subgenres earned him widespread recognition. Following this, his track "Windows 95 on Acid," signed by deadmau5, topped Beatport’s techno charts and showcased his versatility.

Spencer Brown brings back the horde back to 'Windows 95 on Acid' - available worldwide!

▶︎ stream & download the EP here: http://smarturl.it/W95OnAcid

▶︎ read about Spencer Brown on Nest HQ: https://nesthq.com/spencer-brown-windows-95-on-acid

Spencer Brown online: 
https://facebook.com/spencerbrown
https://twitter.com/spencer_brown
https://instagram.com/spencerbrown

mau5trap online:
http://mau5trap.com
http://facebook.com/mau5trap
http://twitter.com/mau5trap
http://instagram.com/mau5trap

subscribe to mau5trap on YouTube: http://bzz.is/ytsubm5

[MAU50191] Spencer Brown - Windows 95 on Acid by mau5trap

Spencer’s live performances are renowned for their unique journey through unreleased tracks, hidden gems, and catalog favorites, creating an engaging experience for his audience. His intuitive understanding of crowd dynamics has been honed over years of DJing, making each set distinct and memorable. He has performed at major festivals worldwide, including Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), and Creamfields.

Additionally, he has headlined club tours in diverse locations such as India, Brazil, and Australia, further establishing his global presence. Reflecting on his tour in India, Spencer said, "My recent tour in India blew me away. All shows were vastly different, but I chose to share this set from Goa because of the unconventional progression. I try to tell a story every night, and the story is steered by the crowd.”

In 2022, Spencer launched his own label, diviine, to gain full creative control over his music. The label's debut release, "18 Min Loop," exemplified his belief in the power of minimalistic and emotive compositions, emphasizing quality over quantity. Spencer’s label focuses on high standards and exclusivity, allowing him to push creative boundaries without conforming to industry trends.

Forbidden Flow / 18 Min Loop

Beyond his music, Spencer has been a significant advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Coming out as gay in a 2020 Billboard op-ed, he highlighted the importance of representation and authenticity in the dance music community. His openness has inspired many and reinforced his commitment to remaining true to his principles.

Spencer’s discography includes releases on esteemed labels such as Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth, Factory93, and mau5trap. His sound, described as a progressive journey through house, techno, deep house, and trance, defies simple classification and continues to evolve.

Aside from wearing his artist hat when producing his wide range of avant-garde music, Brown also switches off to his business hat. After spending months researching blockchain technology and the innovative art space it provides, he released his first “18 Min Loop” NFT. As NFTs are traditionally developed into short clips or static images, the artist decided he was going to apply a musical twist and publish something based on his double-single release. 

“I have been really deep into blockchain and Web3 and the technology behind it since 2015 while I was at Duke. The beauty of it is that an NFT can be anything. It’s just like a digital certificate of authenticity. I wanted to put it up on auction and see what would happen.” His approach to pioneering the NFT world sustains his message of liberation through creativity for artists. Brown received support from other world-renowned DJs and producers such as Paco Osuna, Marco Carola, Above & Beyond, and more.

For those interested in the progressive house and techno genres, Spencer Brown is a notable artist to follow. His work consistently impacts the scene, influencing both fans and fellow musicians.

United States

melodic house

progressive house

progressive trance

Spencer Brown

uk dance

uk house

Franky Wah

Luzi Tudor

Paige

SHÈN

Debut

Knockdown Center

SHÈN USA Debut with Franky Wah, Spencer Brown, Luzi Tudor, and more

classic progressive house

John Digweed

HVNLEE

99 Scott

John Digweed with Spencer Brown

south african house

south african pop

Shimza

Mikey Lion

Lee Reynolds

Wakyin

Luna Mar

Earth Signs

Robidio

deep disco house

house

raw techno

Eats Everything

BLUE

Under The K Bridge

Blue: Shimza, Spencer Brown, Mikey Lion, Lee Reynolds, Wakyin + MORE

The Roof of Superior Ingredients

Spencer Brown Diviine Tour New York

Analog Brooklyn

Spencer Brown [SBxID Tour]

Ben Böhmer

munich electronic

Innellea

latin tech house

melodic techno

microhouse

minimal tech house

minimal techno

Maceo Plex

tribal house

Victor Calderone

dark disco

Avision

electronica

hamburg electronic

organic electronic

pop ambient

Christian Löffler

italian techno

puglia indie

Giorgia Angiuli

german house

Henrik Schwarz

Jaguar

tech house

Kevin Knapp

Konstantin Sibold

detroit techno

ONYVAA

SHADED

SOHMI

Alan Nieves

Francis Mercier

SOEL

gardenstate

Avant Gardner

Cityfox Transcend Festival

Hymn

South Africa

DJ Merlon

Oscar N

Cabo Verde

Anane

United Kingdom

IMOGEN

Eyezic

KREAM

afro house

Kotiēr

San Francisco-based DJ & Producer Spencer Brown is a true visionary at heart. Not afraid to challenge "the system," his sole purpose in life is to create whatever he wants, for the love of music. This mentality has played a considerable role in his success, especially with his most recent announcement. Ready to take on the next step of his career, Spencer Brown has officially launched 

 his own artist label. But how did his journey lead him to his biggest achievement yet?

"Music has always been my number one passion," he tells Gray Area.

Born with music coursing through his veins, Spencer Brown picked up the drums and other instruments at only two years old. About a decade later, he dabbled with producing hip hop beats. But, before he entered the realm of house music, he explored the opposite side of the musical spectrum: dubstep. 

"Early dubstep really inspired me to make electronic music...it was really inspiring to see people coming together."

Even at 14, Brown got major support for his early dubstep tunes from artists like Rusko. He had started to hone in on his progressive house sound by high school. And after Avicii played one of his tracks on his podcast, Spencer Brown knew he found his calling. 

However, his journey wasn't necessarily a breeze. In 2020, he came out as gay via an op-ed for 

. Although he faced many challenges along the way, he knew the dance music community would greet him with open arms after he made the announcement. 

"Dance music has always been my safe haven since I was a teenager," Brown explains. "I just really think it's important for me to come out publicly so I can be someone to look up to, for people who are really struggling. I never had someone to look up to who was gay."

Beyond being a role model, Brown also strives to remain faithful to his principles and values in everything that he does. "I think the more authentic you can be," he says, "the better your music is."

In addition to representing the LGBTQ+ community, Spencer Brown advocates breaking musical barriers. Unable to be classified by a single genre, his receptive mindset drives his diverse musical style. 

"I would say my sound is a progressive journey through house, deep, techno, trance, just a little bit of everything kind of mingled together."

Brown is a jack of all trades, with a sound that gorgeously weaves together the multi-colored fabrics of house music. Although he's released music on prominent labels such as Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth, Factory93, and mau5trap, he's never bound himself to a single organization. 

He also avoids making "playlistable" or stream-friendly tracks. Instead, longer tracks (seven or more minutes) resonate with him as a listener. His label allows him to operate outside the traditional model, releasing music with no boundaries. 

"I want the music to be divine on the label, like I want that to define the music...I want every release to be phenomenal, something that I would play out all the time, something of extremely high quality. I'm not going to be doing that many releases… I'm really going to be focusing on finding the very best music that I've made, and my friends, and keep it very, very exclusive, very high quality."

Spencer Brown plays a livestream extended sunset set on a San Francisco rooftop as a fundraiser for a fan, Greg Cohen, who passed away from cancer.  Sadly, Spencer's show in Washington DC ended up being the last show of Greg's life. Spencer raised money and donated half to  Sarcoma Foundation charity and half to Greg’s wife and newborn twins.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGx9RZNxr3o

Tracklisting:
1) Jody Wisternoff ft. Mimi Page - For Those We Knew (Spencer Brown x Wilt Claybourne Mix)
2) Sebastian Sellares - Far From Home
3) Qrion & Jordin Prost - ID
4) Spencer Brown & Wilt Claybourne - ID
5) Luttrell & Spencer Brown - ID
6) Zaki - Love Is In The Air (Anton Dhouran Mix)
7) Spencer Brown & Ben Bohmer - SF to Berlin
8) Spencer Brown & vision logic - ID
9) Spencer Brown & Wilt Claybourne - ID
10) Paneoh - Punto Des Control
11) Spencer Brown - 5th & Concord
12) Tranquility Base - Surrender (Tinlicker & James Grant Mix)
13) Spencer Brown - Love & Pain
14) Petar Dundov - Synesthetic Flow (Patrice Baumel Mix)
15) Spencer Brown - ID
16) Ben Bohmer & Spencer Brown - ID
17) Spencer Brown & Qrion - ID
18) Spencer Brown - Always Do You (Spencer Brown Private Mix)
19) Spencer Brown - ID
20) Yotto & Spencer Brown - ID
21) Bonobo - Kong (Spencer Brown Private Mix)
22) Spencer Brown & Qrion - ID
23) Spencer Brown & Wilt Claybourne - waves.wav
24) Spencer Brown - ID
25) Spencer Brown & ilan Bluestone - Pooperling
26) Radiohead - Everything in its Right Place (Dezza Bootleg) [Spencer Brown Re-Tweak]
27) Above & Beyond - Sun In Your Eyes (Spencer Brown's Never Will Be Released So Stop Asking Mix)
28) Ben Bohmer - ID
29) Spencer Brown - ID
30) Spencer Brown - ID
31) Spencer Brown - ID
32) Motez & Qrion - ID
33) Spencer Brown - ID
34) Spencer Brown & ALPHA 9 - Ariel
35) Spencer Brown - ID
36) Spencer Brown & Liam Hathaway - Audio
37) Spencer Brown - ID
38) ilan Bluestone & Spencer Brown - Gatekeeper
39) Spencer Brown & Raito - ID
40) Sam Paganini vs Pryda - Chocolate Covered Europa (Spencer Brown Bootleg)
41) Spencer Brown & ALPHA 9 - ID
42) Paavo (A&B) & Spencer Brown - ID
43) Spencer Brown - Bill Graham
44) Above & Beyond x Spencer Brown - Long Way From Home
45) Spencer Brown - Nightwalk
46) Spencer Brown - Windows 95 on Acid
47) Spencer Brown & Raito - Star Allies
48) deadmau5 - fn pig (Spencer Brown Mix)
49) Alberto Ruiz & Oscar Aguilera vs Eminem - Forgot About Transmission (Spencer Brown Bootleg)
50) Weska - EQ64
51) Spencer Brown - Arps n Crafts
52) Spencer Brown & Qrion - What U Feel
53) Andrew Bayer ft. Alison May - Tidal Wave (Spencer Brown Private Mix)
54) Spencer Brown - Leaving Newcastle
55) ilan Bluestone & Maor Levi - Will We Remain (Spencer Brown Mix)
56) Spencer Brown - Resilience
57) Spencer Brown - ID
58) Porter Robinson & Mat Zo - Easy (Spencer Brown Mix)
59) Above & Beyond - Slow Buchla Sunshine (Spencer Brown & Wilt Claybourne Private Mix)
60) Jon Hopkins - Abandon Window (Spencer Brown Private Mix)
61) Spencer Brown - Will I Ever Find Love

You can still donate to Greg's wife and twins: https://www.medgift.com/were-cohen-to-beat-this-once-and-for-all?fbclid=IwAR0dhHYCtr-drm7tsdCOpy1jdPCtXNCdLrBrET5bSPFBfqfjPdOWuEQNOKc

And donate to Sarcoma Foundation of America: https://www.curesarcoma.org/donate/

Spencer Brown Extended Sunset Set Fundraiser @ SF Rooftop 2020 by Spencer Brown

The official launch of diviine comes with its debut double-sided release, "Forbidden Flow / 18 Min Loop." 

"Forbidden Flow" showcases Brown's ability to create an emotional journey through music. Listeners are greeted with a dark, ominous techno track that transitions into a softer, progressive vibe. 

Forbidden Flow

"Music needs a yin and yang…even if it's a really happy light song, there should be some darkness in there too. I'm a very happy person. I live a great life. But there's definitely dark periods and darkness from [my] upbringing that you can't just ignore. So I think it's important to have dark and light in music."

Every song has its unique writing process. When producing "Forbidden Flow," Spencer recalls it was an effortless experience. 

"I ended up chopping up some vocal I had on my computer, made an interesting pattern, wrote some chords…I chopped up some other group elements from other stuff I had lying around. And then I didn't even know that a track was made. At the end of the night, I went to listen to the project, and I was like, yeah, this is pretty sick. So it was really low pressure. But the best music I think is written in low-pressure environments."

"18 Min Loop" clocks in at precisely 18 minutes long. It acts as a work that's "frozen in time," recalling an era when there was no need for DJs and producers to conform to industry standards. A time in club culture where there were no rules on the length of tracks. 

18 Min Loop

"Apple Music, Spotify, stuff like that, their algorithms and their editors are not going to support an 18 minute track, but I know putting that out, I'm already aware of that. And so I know, it's not going to "stream very well" or whatever. Honestly, for me, creative freedom is more important than catering to what people are looking for."

You may think it would take countless hours to produce a masterpiece of this magnitude, but for Spencer Brown, it took quite the opposite. 

"I opened up Logic and I just kind of remember it took maybe like an hour or two…so in one sitting, I made the whole track. But I didn't even think it was a track that I would release because it was long…and then I was like, you know what, I'm gonna put that as the second track on my first EP because I don't care."

Both of these tracks shed light on Brown's core values. By having complete creative freedom with his label, he now has a platform to share his beliefs with the rest of the dance music community. In the end, diviine has one ultimate goal; to give power back to the artists. 

San Francisco-based DJ & Producer Spencer Brown is a true visionary at heart. Not afraid to challenge "the system," his sole purpose in life is to create whatever he wants, for the love of music. This mentality has played a considerable role in his success, especially with his most recent announcement. Ready to take on the next step of his career, Spencer Brown has officially launched diviine his own artist label. But how did his journey lead him to his biggest achievement yet?

"Music has always been my number one passion," he tells Gray Area.

Born with music coursing through his veins, Spencer Brown picked up the drums and other instruments at only two years old. About a decade later, he dabbled with producing hip hop beats. But, before he entered the realm of house music, he explored the opposite side of the musical spectrum: dubstep. 

"Early dubstep really inspired me to make electronic music...it was really inspiring to see people coming together."

Even at 14, Brown got major support for his early dubstep tunes from artists like Rusko. He had started to hone in on his progressive house sound by high school. And after Avicii played one of his tracks on his podcast, Spencer Brown knew he found his calling. 

However, his journey wasn't necessarily a breeze. In 2020, he came out as gay via an op-ed for Billboard. Although he faced many challenges along the way, he knew the dance music community would greet him with open arms after he made the announcement. 

"Dance music has always been my safe haven since I was a teenager," Brown explains. "I just really think it's important for me to come out publicly so I can be someone to look up to, for people who are really struggling. I never had someone to look up to who was gay."

Beyond being a role model, Brown also strives to remain faithful to his principles and values in everything that he does. "I think the more authentic you can be," he says, "the better your music is."

In addition to representing the LGBTQ+ community, Spencer Brown advocates breaking musical barriers. Unable to be classified by a single genre, his receptive mindset drives his diverse musical style. 

"I would say my sound is a progressive journey through house, deep, techno, trance, just a little bit of everything kind of mingled together."

Brown is a jack of all trades, with a sound that gorgeously weaves together the multi-colored fabrics of house music. Although he's released music on prominent labels such as Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth, Factory93, and mau5trap, he's never bound himself to a single organization. 

He also avoids making "playlistable" or stream-friendly tracks. Instead, longer tracks (seven or more minutes) resonate with him as a listener. His label allows him to operate outside the traditional model, releasing music with no boundaries. 

"I want the music to be divine on the label, like I want that to define the music...I want every release to be phenomenal, something that I would play out all the time, something of extremely high quality. I'm not going to be doing that many releases… I'm really going to be focusing on finding the very best music that I've made, and my friends, and keep it very, very exclusive, very high quality."

The official launch of diviine comes with its debut double-sided release, "Forbidden Flow / 18 Min Loop." 

"Forbidden Flow" showcases Brown's ability to create an emotional journey through music. Listeners are greeted with a dark, ominous techno track that transitions into a softer, progressive vibe. 

"Music needs a yin and yang…even if it's a really happy light song, there should be some darkness in there too. I'm a very happy person. I live a great life. But there's definitely dark periods and darkness from [my] upbringing that you can't just ignore. So I think it's important to have dark and light in music."

Every song has its unique writing process. When producing "Forbidden Flow," Spencer recalls it was an effortless experience. 

"I ended up chopping up some vocal I had on my computer, made an interesting pattern, wrote some chords…I chopped up some other group elements from other stuff I had lying around. And then I didn't even know that a track was made. At the end of the night, I went to listen to the project, and I was like, yeah, this is pretty sick. So it was really low pressure. But the best music I think is written in low-pressure environments."

"18 Min Loop" clocks in at precisely 18 minutes long. It acts as a work that's "frozen in time," recalling an era when there was no need for DJs and producers to conform to industry standards. A time in club culture where there were no rules on the length of tracks. 

"Apple Music, Spotify, stuff like that, their algorithms and their editors are not going to support an 18 minute track, but I know putting that out, I'm already aware of that. And so I know, it's not going to "stream very well" or whatever. Honestly, for me, creative freedom is more important than catering to what people are looking for."

You may think it would take countless hours to produce a masterpiece of this magnitude, but for Spencer Brown, it took quite the opposite. 

"I opened up Logic and I just kind of remember it took maybe like an hour or two…so in one sitting, I made the whole track. But I didn't even think it was a track that I would release because it was long…and then I was like, you know what, I'm gonna put that as the second track on my first EP because I don't care."

Both of these tracks shed light on Brown's core values. By having complete creative freedom with his label, he now has a platform to share his beliefs with the rest of the dance music community. In the end, diviine has one ultimate goal; to give power back to the artists.

Spencer Brown

Past events

Other artists