For those of you who love a heavy downward spiral down the rabbit hole, there’s a name you’re going to want to quickly get to know — Brennen Grey. This rising LA-based producer is no newbie to the music industry, but fell hard into the world of techno just a few years ago and has not looked back since. This talent has been making waves on the west coast’s underground scene, and it won’t be long before he blows up on the east coast, across the pond, and beyond. This year, he’s received massive support from the industry’s heaviest hitters, like Carl Cox who dropped his massive Get Down EP at Movement Detroit, then invited him to play an unforgettable set at his PLAYGROUND stage at Burning Man. After returning from ADE last month, we had the chance to talk to Brennen Grey about his breakthrough into techno, playing the biggest set of his life this summer, new music, and what he thinks the underground techno scene in the US needs and truly wants.
To kick things off, tell us a little bit about your background and what lured you down the rabbit hole in the first place.
Brennen Grey: The truth is I’ve been listening, partying, raving to all different genres for so many years that I can’t even pinpoint when exactly I fell for Techno specifically, but I can tell you the moment I decided to start making it. At the time , I was making back end production for a major label and had been really unhappy with the bureaucracy and lack of forward thinking. I had been flown out to Paris to help a electronic duo finish their album and I was thoroughly over it. Paris was beautiful, the duo were sweethearts, but I just new that my heart wasn’t in making that type of music. After the studio sessions were over my best friend Nathan basically stole me over to Berlin for an unplanned few days and took me straight to Berghain… and my mind was blown. Over the course of the following 16 hours, we rotated between the main floor, Panorama Bar, and various levels of drunk. I knew before I left that I was going to dedicate all my time to making techno. When I returned to LA it just so happened that my contract was up for renewal. You should have seen the looks on their faces when I told the label “no, I’d rather make techno”
Now that you’ve fully immersed yourself into techno, how would you describe your sound?
Brennen Grey: Heavy but subtly emotionally. Although, I’ve always left it to other people to describe my music, because for me every song is different and everyone’s perception of each of my tracks are different, so I think it’s better to leave it to the listener to answer that question for themselves.
Which artists or labels have had the most impact on your music?
Brennen Grey: Carl Cox without question. He and his whole crew have been so supportive that I can’t thank them enough. Also, Octopus Recordings for putting my music out and truly letting me be eclectic! But in terms of artists or labels that have inspired my music, some of my early loves were K&D sessions, Underworld’s Beaucoup Fish, Nine Inch Nails, and the early Prodigy records. I love Industrial riffs, ravey throwbacks, and vocals, even if they are just subtle atmospheres.
What would be your dream label to release on?
Brennen Grey: My own haha (not kidding that’s in the works). But I think the obvious answer here is Drumcode. Not only is the label at the tops of their game, but all of their releases from over the many years are virtually timeless. With that said, there are some really amazing labels that haven’t been around for 20+ years that I’d love to release on like Intec, Second State, Terminal M, and Odd at some point – I really love their direction.
You’ve said that your set at Burning Man was the best set of your entire life. Can you describe this magical moment to us?
Brennen Grey: Wow this is a tough one. It was really emotional. Let me try to paint a picture for you… There are art cars, flames, lasers, 2,000+ of your favorite types of people in front of you (open minded burners), there’ s a stage filled with everyone from the owners and production team of Ultra / Resistance to your close friends from all over the world, and for the last hour Carl Cox has been spinning them into a literal frenzy. At one point a very well known promoter from Sydney looks at me and says, “I have no idea how you’re going to follow this.” And the truth is, neither did I . Honestly, I was nervous as hell. You can’t “plan” a set to follow Carl Cox. It’s actually impossible, the man is a Savant. All you can do is hope that at some point a song pops in your head that screams this would be perfect, and then go from there. And luckily, that’s exactly what happened.
Let’s talk music. We were so excited when Get Down EP was released! We had been waiting for it ever since we heard Carl Cox drop the title track in his set at Movement Detroit. Three months later, we’re still listening to it on repeat. But we do want to know – what other music do you have in the works right now?
Brennen Grey: First off, thank you!!! To answer the question though – so many. I have a remix coming out next month, another remix I’m going to give away for free, an EP coming out in January, another coming out in March, and an additional three unsigned tracks. Now that I’ve returned from ADE I’m feeling very inspired and I have over a month of free time in the studio to play around, so there should be lots more to come!
With roots in Berlin and Los Angeles, what do you find to be the biggest difference in the underground dance music scene between America and Europe?
Brennen Grey: This is going to get me in trouble, but the biggest difference I’ve been seeing is in the artists coming over seas’ perception of what the US underground scene wants. Almost every artist I’ve seen play in the US chooses to play softer so to speak because I think they feel the US can’t handle their normal style, the heavy shit. But they were very wrong. There is a thriving and growing underground scene of die-hard fans that are ready for the undiluted sets. With that said, I must mention that the EU has embraced the culture of techno so thoroughly, and for so long, that it’s become part of their blood. Staying up all weekend dancing and rolling straight into work is a normal thing, and that kind of passion breeds a much more open and honest experience then you will see almost anywhere else.
What’s on the upcoming agenda?
Brennen Grey: Get the new label up and running (wasn’t kidding about this earlier), make a lot of new music, sign a lot of talented artists, and continue to play as many shows as I can!
And just because we’re dying to know…. your Twitter description references 50 shades and your last name is Grey. Is this description a fun pun, or do you low-key love the 50 Shades of Grey series?
Brennen Grey: Hahahaha! It says “50 Shades of Techno,” but no, those books proved a little too “PG” for me. I read through most of the first one and thought “that’s it? That’s like an average Tuesday…” At one point a few of my friends kept calling me “Mr. Grey,” as in the character from the book, so I thought it would be a funny tag line.
Check out Brennen Grey’s Get Down EP below:
Connect with Brennen Grey:
https://www.facebook.com/brennengreyofficial
https://www.twitter.com/brennengrey
https://www.soundcloud.com/brennengrey
https://www.instagram.com/brennengrey
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