Spencer Brown is a leader in the new generation of progressive house and techno. Whether it be his releases on world-class imprints such as Anjunadeep, Bedrock, Last Night on Earth, Factory93, and his own burgeoning diviine imprint, through to his legendary DJ sets, Spencer Brown is an artist whos going the extra mile to deliver an uncompromised sound and experience to his fans.
The next step on Spencers meteoric journey is Equanimity, Spencer Browns third artist album, set for release this fall via diviine. Following his previous albums, 2018s Illusion of Perfection and 2020s Stream of Consciousness, Equanimity is mixed into one continuous piece and features collaborations with the musical elite including Ezequiel Arias, ilan Bluestone, Late Night Shri, Luttrell, POS (aka Above & Beyonds Paavo Siljamaeki), QRION, Wilt Claybourne and five-time Grammy Award-winning South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Equanimity was built on the back of a difficult period of time for Spencer, which included the global pandemic (which canceled the majority of his 2nd album tour and income), his first breakup, the death of his grandmother, publicly coming out as gay, and grappling with his out-of-control OCD (which is a mental disease fueled by uncertainty.)
When I wasnt thinking about these things, life looked even worse through my phone, he says Every day, I saw a rapid-fire stream of contradictions: sugar-coated highlight reels balanced by extremism and negativity from the news, designed to game our emotions for attention. After enough nights driven by pain and uncertainty, I realized that all I can control is how I let external stimuli affect my being. At first, I tried to eliminate the things causing my day to worsen; then, I realized I had to be OK with them. I had to accept difficulties and let them pass through me. During this period, a friend introduced me to the concept of equanimity, describing it as calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation. This was the exact skill I had unknowingly been trying to find. But like a muscle, it takes time to engrain deep strength in the core. In reality, peace exists around us if we can stay unaffected by the noise. Written between 2019 and 2023, Equanimity describes how I learned to be OK when external stimuli are out of my control. All we can do is work on how we react to the world around us.
He continues, Equanimity represents the biggest period of internal growth for my psyche and maturity. Like my last albums, I mixed this album into one continuous piece. The holistic form challenged me to add an extra layer of depth and creativity to my process, ensuring that everything flows into a cohesive body. In a world driven by short-form viral content, Ive focused my last 4 years slightly shying away from the spotlight, making sure this body of work represents my authenticity. This album takes a slow-shutter snapshot of ongoing time: from pre-pandemic, to pandemic, to post-pandemic, and the lessons Ive learned along the way.
Equanimity is led by the first single, Awu Wemadoda, featuring Wilt Claybourne & Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Completed after five years of development, the song represents the universality of music, which transcends our beliefs, thoughts, and identities. Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Spencer come from vastly different backgrounds. Still, the collaboration has brought joy to people around the world, from Sao Paulo to Sydney and from San Francisco to Mumbai. Awu Wemadoda is a record that transcends culture and highlights the artists collective goal - peace.
Spencer Brown will support the release of Equanimity with his most ambitious tour. Kicking off in August, Spencer will hit the road for a jaunt through Asia before returning to the States for an extensive run of North American dates through early 2024. Its important to note that a Spencer Brown DJ set is an entirely spontaneous and authentic music experience - no two sets will ever be the same. This is the result of Spencer living and breathing music to the point where he knows every facet of every track in his arsenal inside and out and knows how to program his sets in accordance with his audience. The tension, the ebb, and the flow to the point of dance floor explosion is a true art pained by Spencer.
Select dates on the tour will feature a unique Divine Inspirations live show that will present the ultimate Spencer Brown experience.
Its always been a dream to build a live production show from the ground up. Ive worked with an army of brilliant artists to design the stage, the lights, the visuals, and the atmosphere to create a flow aligned with my music, Brown says. The show will truly be live, in that I do not have a setlist (as usual), and the visual artists wont either. Well feed off each other to create audiovisual moments unique to each night. After debuting the prototype of this show in San Francisco last year, we cant wait to tour the revamped version in Austin, Los Angeles, and Denver to celebrate my new album, Equanimity.
Well close with one final thought from Spencer about the project
In extremely difficult periods, we may not find the silver linings until time has passed. Only then can we zoom out and reflect on what the universe was trying to convey. This album represents the beautiful state of tranquility I discovered after weathering the storm when the music was written. Tying it together as one piece closed this chapter of finding strength from inside, my path to Equanimity.
The next step on Spencers meteoric journey is Equanimity, Spencer Browns third artist album, set for release this fall via diviine. Following his previous albums, 2018s Illusion of Perfection and 2020s Stream of Consciousness, Equanimity is mixed into one continuous piece and features collaborations with the musical elite including Ezequiel Arias, ilan Bluestone, Late Night Shri, Luttrell, POS (aka Above & Beyonds Paavo Siljamaeki), QRION, Wilt Claybourne and five-time Grammy Award-winning South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Equanimity was built on the back of a difficult period of time for Spencer, which included the global pandemic (which canceled the majority of his 2nd album tour and income), his first breakup, the death of his grandmother, publicly coming out as gay, and grappling with his out-of-control OCD (which is a mental disease fueled by uncertainty.)
When I wasnt thinking about these things, life looked even worse through my phone, he says Every day, I saw a rapid-fire stream of contradictions: sugar-coated highlight reels balanced by extremism and negativity from the news, designed to game our emotions for attention. After enough nights driven by pain and uncertainty, I realized that all I can control is how I let external stimuli affect my being. At first, I tried to eliminate the things causing my day to worsen; then, I realized I had to be OK with them. I had to accept difficulties and let them pass through me. During this period, a friend introduced me to the concept of equanimity, describing it as calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation. This was the exact skill I had unknowingly been trying to find. But like a muscle, it takes time to engrain deep strength in the core. In reality, peace exists around us if we can stay unaffected by the noise. Written between 2019 and 2023, Equanimity describes how I learned to be OK when external stimuli are out of my control. All we can do is work on how we react to the world around us.
He continues, Equanimity represents the biggest period of internal growth for my psyche and maturity. Like my last albums, I mixed this album into one continuous piece. The holistic form challenged me to add an extra layer of depth and creativity to my process, ensuring that everything flows into a cohesive body. In a world driven by short-form viral content, Ive focused my last 4 years slightly shying away from the spotlight, making sure this body of work represents my authenticity. This album takes a slow-shutter snapshot of ongoing time: from pre-pandemic, to pandemic, to post-pandemic, and the lessons Ive learned along the way.
Equanimity is led by the first single, Awu Wemadoda, featuring Wilt Claybourne & Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Completed after five years of development, the song represents the universality of music, which transcends our beliefs, thoughts, and identities. Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Spencer come from vastly different backgrounds. Still, the collaboration has brought joy to people around the world, from Sao Paulo to Sydney and from San Francisco to Mumbai. Awu Wemadoda is a record that transcends culture and highlights the artists collective goal - peace.
Spencer Brown will support the release of Equanimity with his most ambitious tour. Kicking off in August, Spencer will hit the road for a jaunt through Asia before returning to the States for an extensive run of North American dates through early 2024. Its important to note that a Spencer Brown DJ set is an entirely spontaneous and authentic music experience - no two sets will ever be the same. This is the result of Spencer living and breathing music to the point where he knows every facet of every track in his arsenal inside and out and knows how to program his sets in accordance with his audience. The tension, the ebb, and the flow to the point of dance floor explosion is a true art pained by Spencer.
Select dates on the tour will feature a unique Divine Inspirations live show that will present the ultimate Spencer Brown experience.
Its always been a dream to build a live production show from the ground up. Ive worked with an army of brilliant artists to design the stage, the lights, the visuals, and the atmosphere to create a flow aligned with my music, Brown says. The show will truly be live, in that I do not have a setlist (as usual), and the visual artists wont either. Well feed off each other to create audiovisual moments unique to each night. After debuting the prototype of this show in San Francisco last year, we cant wait to tour the revamped version in Austin, Los Angeles, and Denver to celebrate my new album, Equanimity.
Well close with one final thought from Spencer about the project
In extremely difficult periods, we may not find the silver linings until time has passed. Only then can we zoom out and reflect on what the universe was trying to convey. This album represents the beautiful state of tranquility I discovered after weathering the storm when the music was written. Tying it together as one piece closed this chapter of finding strength from inside, my path to Equanimity.
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