We had a chat with the up-and-coming drum & bass producer about his latest ‘Dreamers’ EP, styles explored in the release, plans for the future, and more.
Chippenham-bred and now USA-based, Olly Brown is a drum & bass producer who is steadily making himself a name for his seamless ability to weave across different styles of the DnB. Through his confident, infectious, and euphoric interpretation of the liquid drum & bass subgenre, Olly Brown shows how drum & bass has affected his life.
After releasing a couple of tunes through 2020 and 2021, Olly Brown has been on a run of some delightful drum & bass offerings; and the culmination of the run has now resulted in his debut EP called ‘Dreamers’ on multi-genre imprint Hot Groovers.
The ‘Dreamer’ EP is an example of how Olly Brown has been able to expand his production knowledge over the years, using the different influences of the US and the UK. We were keen to know his thoughts on the release of his debut EP, how he caught the drum & bass bug, plans for the future; and here is what Olly Brown had to say.
TFword: How did the Olly Brown Journey Begin?
Olly Brown: The music production journey got going because I was just really curious how the producers I listened to made such great tracks and once I started doing a bit myself, I got hooked! I taught myself how to make music through YouTube mostly and slowly overtime I saw big improvements. I still feel like I am relatively new to the game and I still love to learn new things about production just like when I was a raw beginner.
TF: Second release of the year and it’s a big one. What are your thoughts on the ‘Dreamers’ EP?
Olly Brown: I am very pleased with how both tracks turned out and it’s been great to have the backing of Ben and the Hot Groovers team! I love the vocals on both tracks and how all the other elements complement each other, I can’t complain with how it turned out. I didn’t try and overthink it, I just went with what sounded good and it all fell in to place!
TF: The warm and atmospheric aesthetics of the tunes epitomizes the title of the EP perfectly. Tell us more about the creative direction you took while working on the release.
Olly Brown: With Dreamer, I had heard similar Jazz Vocals in other DnB tracks and I knew that with a vocal like that alongside some trumpets and strings, I could make something that could really stand out. I put my own spin on it with the pads, reese bass and with the Jazzy elements, and they all seemed to compliment each other quite nicely.
With Desire, the aim was to create something more chill and after I got the piano riff down and the vocals fell into place, it all came together quite quickly. It has some nice sweeping FX and soothing sounds to help it progress and I am very pleased with the end product for both tracks.
TF: Who were your inspirations when you started making DnB?
Olly Brown: I take inspiration from lots of different artists across the Drum and Bass spectrum. I have listened to Hospital Records for years and artists like Netsky, London Elekricity and Danny Byrd are some of my favourites. I like a lot of Calibre’s tracks, he creates some fantastic build ups and has some nice progressions in his tunes too.
TF: Having been in the United States, what are your thoughts on the response drum & bass is getting in the country recently?
Olly Brown: Drum and Bass gets a great response over here, there seems to be a dedicated pocket of fans who really love it. I think it has grown a lot over the years and more artists from the UK and the rest of the world are doing more shows over here so it’s definitely going in the right direction.
TF: What would you regard as your best rave memory?
Olly Brown: Westfest is one of my local raves back in the UK and that always goes off. Watching artists like Friction, Eksman & DJ Hype were some of the best sets I’ve seen live.
TF: What are the other styles Olly Brown likes exploring other than his formative one?
Olly Brown: Within Drum and Bass, I would definitely explore making Jump Up – You can’t go wrong with some good jump up! Outside of the genre, I like piano house and that 90s house sound – that would peak my interest for sure.
TF: What’s coming up next for Olly Brown?
Olly Brown: I’m working on some tunes I want to release later in the year – some with a similar style to the Dreamer EP and I am experimenting with some different styles too. I’m in a place where I am really enjoying music production and I am improving all the time – Exciting times ahead!
Listen to the ‘Dreamers’ EP here:
