Stargazers: Michael BrunDA Stargazer Pic

Stargazers: Michael Brun

We at Dancing Astronaut have realized that our readership is teeming with talent that has yet to be discovered. We’re also incredibly enthusiastic that so many of you have begun to contribute to the EDM community with your own tracks and musical styles — and the incredible amount of promos we get on a daily basis can attest to that.  Stargazers is a column that will showcase members of the DA community and recognize their talents as original EDM producers! We encourage all of you to support your fellow DA fanatics- any of you could be headlining Ultra’s Main Stage someday.

Our inaugural Stargazer selection  is Michael Brun, who hails from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Brun is 19 years old and currently pre-med at Davidson College in North Carolina. He also happens to be a DA reader for just over a year. His remix of Calvin Harris’ “Awooga” debuted on Hardwell’s Sirius/XM radio show, Hardwell On Air, and his “Raining” remix has been recognized by Kaskade himself. (If you don’t believe us, just look at the comments.)   Do yourselves a favor:  Give the track a listen,  and read our interview after the jump.

Get to know more about Brun and his music after the jump…

 

Dancing Astronaut: How long have you been producing/DJing? How did you start?

Michael Brun: I was lucky enough to have grown up around a very musical family. My dad was part of a Haitian band called Skandal, and my mom always loved to play the piano, so they taught me to appreciate music at a young age. I started producing and DJ’ing a little over 3 years ago, but I’ve played the guitar, the piano, and have sung since I was 6. EDM is a pretty new phenomenon in Haiti, but I remember that as soon as my friends showed me a house song in high school, I was instantly hooked and started making my own mixes a few weeks later.

DA: Who are some artists you have worked with and some notable experiences in your career that you’ve had thus far?

MB: I’ve had the opportunity to meet some really awesome people in my relatively short career! Paris FZ and Simo T, Pierce Fulton and Idriss Chebak are 4 guys in particular whom I’ve worked with and become good friends with in the last few months. One of the most memorable experiences so far has
been opening for Avicii’s first show in Haiti in July! I had the chance to sit and chat with Tim and his tour manager Malik before and after the show, and they are both great guys. Another big achievement was reaching the #2 position on Hype Machine’s most popular charts, back in March, with my bootleg of Big Jet Plane. It’s also been really amazing to see big names like Hardwell, EDX and Syke’n’Sugarstarr supporting my tracks over the past few months. A year ago, I never would have imagined that my music would be so well received around the world!

DA: Who are some of your biggest musical influences in EDM? Outside of EDM?

MB: There are so many to list, but I would have to say that Axwell, John Dahlback, Laidback Luke and Kaskade are some of my favorite EDM producers. Outside of EDM, artists like Michael Jackson,Coldplay, N.E.R.D and Earth Wind and Fire have alsohad a huge influence in shaping my current sound.

DA: What is an ultimate goal or something you’d consider a milestone that you’ve yet to achieve or accomplish?

MB: One of my current goals is to play at one of the big festivals like Tomorrowland, EDC or UMF. There’s no match for the crowd energy at those events!

DA: What is your DJ equipment of choice and why?

MB: At the moment, I am most comfortable with CDJ 2000s, since I’ve been using them for all of my recent gigs. Really though, I have always been a sucker for MIDI controllers like the Kontrol S4. They are so easy to carry around, and are a good match for the lifestyle of a college student like me… haha

DA:  What program do you use to produce? Any favorite VSTs?

MB: I have always used Ableton Live on the production side of things. I love the clip-based system because it allows me to juggle multiple track ideas within one session. In terms of VSTs, you can never go wrongwith Nexus and Sylenth, but I think it’s very important to remember that creativity and drive trump a long listof plug-ins every time!

DA: What signature sounds or drums from some of your favorite artists do you find really compelling and wish you knew how to make (i.e. Afrojack drums, Thomas Gold piano, Porter Robinson bass line)?

MB: Two sounds that instantly come to mind are the glitchy cuts and wobbles that Madeon and Skrillex create in their tracks. It keeps their productions fresh and interesting, and I really admire their originality.

 

After talking with Michael we got to see check out his repertoire of music and here are some of our favorite tracks from Brun. Hope you guys enjoy them as much as we do!

Here’s a DA EXCLUSIVE complements of Brun!:

If you want to keep up with Michael, visit his  TWITTER , FACEBOOK and check out all his tracks on SOUNDCLOUD.

TO SUBMIT: Email original work or remixes (not bootlegs) in the form of a YouTube/Soundcloud link to promos[at]dancingastronaut.com with subject: “Stargazers Submission”

Tags: , ,

Categories: