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Artist Spotlight: Braxton
In the wake of his new 'Bloom EP', his first release on our sister label Reflections, we sat down with Braxton to uncover his softer, more ambient side...
Hey Danny! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Danny (Braxton). I’m originally from the north of England but for the last 20 years, I’ve been living down by the beach in Brighton. It’s a sunny party town but I spend most days in my studio in the dark, lol. I’ve been making music for many, many years but I got signed to Anjunadeep about 5 years ago, which is where some people might know me from. I’m also a massive Arsenal fan so feel free to stop reading here :/
What were your musical beginnings?
My dad got me into music really young, playing cassette tapes of Depeche Mode in the car, which has influenced my sound a lot, it tends to be quite moody and nostalgic, even in my upbeat tunes. When I was about 14, I discovered Sasha and (John) Digweed, which got me onto making electronic music, and then I joined a metal band in my teens – that’s when all my different influences properly came together. When I heard things like Boards of Canada and other Warp artists, I really started to play with different sounds. So I went to Brighton Uni and did a degree in Music and Sound Art.
How has this impacted your sound now?
In a lot of different ways I think. Studying Sound Art during the day and DJing at night helped me see the connection between the noises we make and the emotion people feel when you turn sound into songs. I’ve always been more drawn to instrumental music and when I listen to music with lyrics, it tends to be stuff like Cocteau Twins or where the lyrics are so vague that they work as additional melodies rather than obvious stories. I think that’s the same with my stuff – whichever genre I’m compositing, I like to play around with tones and textures rather than jump in with pure melodies. I try and let the hook find itself through experimentation, it's more interesting to me that way.
You’ve released a lot of music with Anjunadeep, but what inspired you to start working on more ambient music?
I’ve been making ambient music for a decade or so, working a little bit with film and TV, but Reflections has given me the chance to release my own ambient tunes for the first time, which I’m really grateful for. I think my stuff has always had that kind of feel, even some of the clubbier ones. A lot of my music on Anjuna is made for listening to on the train or something, on the move, staring out the window. That’s where you get to focus on the sounds.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the ‘Bloom EP’?
Some of these were started during lockdown so they started quite melancholy, and I reworked them recently. Lockdown seems so long ago, and socially it seems like we were almost completely different people. I think you can hear that in these songs. There’s optimism, but also a bit of melancholy. I think thats more of a reflection on where we find ourselves today, rather than where we were four years ago. Something terrible united the world back then, and, despite this - we developed the ability to live in hope. But i don’t know where that hope has gone now….Sorry. That’s pretty depressing isn’t it?? IT’S AN EP ABOUT SUNFLOWERS AND VUVUZELAS AND LEMON FANTA AND PARTY RINGS. How about that? Just use that instead.
How do you hope someone feels when they listen to the new EP?
I just hope they feel something. I’ve always thought artists don’t get to dictate how people should feel when they listen to music. I can only suggest what the song is about, and what it means to me. It’s up to them to add their own mood or meaning to the song, it’s theirs now. I start it and they get to finish it.
Who are some of your favourite producers / composers of downtempo and ambient music?
Johann Johannsson, Max Richter, Grouper, Steve Reich, Tim Hecker, Julianna Barwick, Sakamoto.
Do you have any tips / advice for anyone starting their music production journey?
Make the music YOU want to make. Have patience. As long as you’re doing it for the right reason you’re starting in a good place. Find something interesting to you and explore it. Don’t worry too much about everyone else. Don’t give up. Experiment. Have fun. Surround yourself with good eggs. Don’t take it all too seriously.
What are some of your favourite ways to unwind and relax when life gets busy and stressful?
What I’m probably supposed to say is ‘going for a nice long walk across the South Downs’ but in reality, it’s sitting in bed watching really REALLY trashy TV. Like, Below Deck. I bloody love that show. It’s terrible. It’s the best.
What’s coming up for you this year in 2024?
Well, I have a big horrible knee operation in a couple of weeks so i’m gonna use that time off the road to finish a mountain of new music :)
Click the button below to listen to the new 'Bloom EP'.