Brannen
With over two decades in music, Brannen brings his drumming and production background into emotional electronic soundscapes. We discuss his journey, influences, “Keep Dancing With Me,” and creative vision.
1. You’ve spent more than 20 years in music, with a background as a drummer, live musician, and producer. How has that journey shaped the sound and identity you’re developing with Brannen?
I think everything I’ve done in music has naturally led me to Brannen. I’ve spent more than 20 years playing music, including around 15 years playing in bands, and being a drummer has had a huge influence on how I approach production. I’m very conscious of rhythm, groove and how a track moves, but I’ve also always been drawn to the emotional side of music.
Brannen gives me the freedom to bring all of those experiences together. I’m not trying to make music that simply fits into a particular genre. I want it to feel melodic, atmospheric and emotional, but still have enough movement and energy to work in a club. For me, Brannen is about creating music that can make you feel something while still making you want to move.
2. “Keep Dancing With Me” is built around the idea of living in the moment and holding onto meaningful experiences. What inspired that theme, and what does the song personally represent to you?
The idea came from that feeling of wanting to hold onto a moment because you know it won’t last forever. Life moves incredibly quickly, and sometimes we’re so focused on what comes next that we forget to appreciate where we actually are.
“Keep Dancing With Me” is really about that feeling of escaping everything for a moment and just being present with someone. It represents connection, freedom and those memories that stay with you long after the moment itself has passed.
There’s also something quite personal about it for me. Music has always been an escape and a way of processing things, so the track became a reminder to myself as much as anything else: sometimes you just need to stop thinking, stop worrying about tomorrow and keep dancing.
3. The track combines warm melodies, atmospheric textures, deep grooves, and progressive-house elements. How did you approach balancing the emotional side of the song with its dancefloor energy?
That balance was really important to me. I didn’t want the emotional elements to make it feel like a listening-only track, but I also didn’t want the groove to overpower the emotion.
I approached it by giving the melodies and atmosphere plenty of space, while building the rhythm underneath them gradually. The groove gives the track its physical movement, while the chords, textures and vocals provide the emotional identity.
I think the best electronic music can work on both levels. You can hear it through headphones and notice the little details, but you can also hear it in a club and simply feel the rhythm. That was definitely the goal with this track.
4. Your influences include artists such as Ben Böhmer, Marsh, Lane 8, and Yotto, while you’re aiming to create something distinctly your own. What elements of their music inspire you most, and how do you make sure your own identity comes through?
What I love about those artists is their ability to create emotion without losing the groove. There’s a real sense of atmosphere, space and melody in their music, but it still feels like electronic dance music.
I’m particularly inspired by the way they can take relatively simple musical ideas and turn them into something that feels huge and emotional through sound design, arrangement and production.
At the same time, I don’t want Brannen to simply sound like a combination of my influences. Those artists are part of the inspiration, but my own background naturally changes how I approach music. Coming from a live music and drumming background, rhythm and movement are always going to be important to me.
Ultimately, I’m trying to develop a sound where someone can hear a track and recognise that it feels like Brannen, rather than immediately thinking it sounds like someone else.
5. “Keep Dancing With Me” was recorded with sound engineer Brian Hurren and mixed and mastered by Jack Wiles at Moonshift Audio. What did each bring to the track, and were there any production choices that particularly helped shape its final atmosphere?
Brian Hurren was hugely important in capturing the vocals. Having someone who understands how to get the right performance from a vocal makes a massive difference, because it’s not just about recording someone singing the notes correctly. It’s about capturing the emotion and character of the performance.
Jack Wiles at Moonshift Audio then brought another level of clarity and depth to the finished production through the mixing and mastering process. I wanted the track to feel warm and immersive without losing the punch and energy needed for a dancefloor, and Jack really helped bring that balance together.
One of the things I was particularly conscious of was space. I wanted the different elements to breathe rather than everything competing for attention. That helped create the atmosphere I was looking for and allowed the vocal and melodies to sit naturally within the groove.
6. Your music is designed to work both in a DJ environment and as an immersive headphone experience. Looking ahead, what would you like listeners to discover about the Brannen project as you continue developing your sound?
I’d like people to discover that Brannen is ultimately about emotion and connection. I want the music to give people something different depending on where and how they hear it.
In a club, I want it to make people move. On headphones, I want people to be able to disappear into it and discover details that they might not notice on a dancefloor. If someone hears one of my tracks and it reminds them of a person, a place or a particular moment in their own life, then I feel like I’ve achieved something.
I’m still developing the sound, and that’s one of the most exciting parts of the project. I don’t want to put a ceiling on where Brannen can go. I want to keep experimenting with melody, atmosphere, vocals and rhythm while retaining that emotional thread that runs through everything I make.
For me, Brannen isn’t just about producing electronic music. It’s about creating moments that people can connect with.