This Week In Techno: Eli Brown
Eli Brown truly defines what it means to be a fluid producer. Despite being known for high-speed drum patterns and sounds reminiscent of 90s raves, he never conforms to any one genre. The pure power of his thick blazing drums always comes through whether it's on warehouse vibrating pure techno, like his recent collaboration with HI-LO "Industria," or club thumping tech house like the chart smashing "XTC" with Solardo. He even shines with melodic tracks like "Pulling Me Back." And gets downright funky with classic piano house sounds on "We Can Come Together," his collaboration with Calvin Harris' side project Love Generator. The British DJ and producer's ability to twist the breadth of house and techno to his whims has been tried and tested time and time again.
There are few within dance music as technically proficient and wonderfully diverse as him. Even on his debut house release, "Can You Feel It/Acid Test," released on Skream's Unsound Mind in 2016, you could tell that he was a singular talent.
His career dates back even further than that, though, and may reveal the secret sauce to his crispy clean beats. He came up in the game as part of the D&B duo Loadstar. His partner, who still carries the name, was famously a founding member of former house duo Maximono. But, in 2016, after spending a weekend at Glastonbury palling around with his close friend Eat's Everything, watching Carl Cox play the twisted metal spider-like super structure Arcadia, he was inspired to change directions.
Eli Brown - Deep Down
His upcoming EP on Drumcode will be a debut for him on the label, and Eli Brown has graced his fans with the marquee single from the EP in advance. The title track "Deep Down" has been a go-to weapon for Adam Beyer, who’s recently made it a staple in his sets. It’s a dynamic, vocal-led production driven by a squelchy psy-laced synth line.
Eli Brown - Verknipt Festival 2022
Eli Brown live is always a treat. His sets are pure uptempo madness, with smooth transitions through techno, tech house, house, and even the occasional disco hit. His set at Verknipt Festival in July 2022 is no different. He manages to bring tremendous energy to an early afternoon time slot, getting the crowd moving for two full hours.
Eli Brown - Got The Power [2017]
One of the first tracks to put him on the map, "Got The Power," maintains the now well-known Eli Brown energy. He brilliantly utilizes a vocal sample from Snap's 1990 hit "I've Got the Power" (which originally sampled Jocelyn Brown's "Love's Gonna Get You") to balance his strong upfront basslines. And while the ubiquitous sample has been smashed, remixed, and reused ad nauseam for the last three decades, it feels perfectly authentic and in its element here.