From London, UK, Darren Brandon is a DJ turned music producer who has just released a song to remember “There For You.” Initially, Darren spent most of his time working at radio stations and gaining fans as a DJ. His tunes and DJ style was inspired by DJ red, Ant rusher, and the brain killers. Around the year 2000, he was scooped up by label Pluto, who noticed his knack for music production for an extensive London tour. Since then, Darren Brandon has been making waves in the music production world with his new single. Kicking off with a simplistic 808 trap beat, “There For You” soon pulls a 180 as Darren begins to add his flavor with various percussion sounds. The beat is quick, yet subtle. Eventually, the backtrack embraces the soulful aspects of multiple instruments, including a keyboard and trumpet. Not only does Darren display his ear for music by incorporating many instruments, but he also prefers teamwork and takes advantage of the unique talents of other artists.
With “There For you,” Darren Brandon collaborated with vocalist Alix Robson, whose warm voice is ideal for the song’s supportive lyrical message. Alix Robson shows off her personal flair with vocal trills and a broad range. The highlight of “There For You” is songwriter Anita Traci’s tender lyricism. By including phrases of empathy and encouragement, Anita’s lyrics reveal a tone of security. Offering herself as a personal safety net, the listeners are inspired to chase after their dreams without any fear. Darren Brandon’s real gift is his ability to mix the best aspects of multiple artists and instruments into one song. After listening to “There For You,” Darren Brandon will be leaving fans with a boost of motivation and a sense of belonging.
Discover "There For You" here.
Hi Darren, and welcome to BuzzMusic! We loved your latest creation "There For You." Can you tell us more about your collaboration with Alix Robson and Anita Traci? How were you able to produce a song that perfectly matches Anita’s heartwarming lyrics?
I connected with Anita online, hearing some of the tracks she had already made so I had an idea of her songwriting skills. Luckily, when I sent her some of my soulful house demos, she came back with great lyrics. We had talked about the back story of the lyrics and I loved that it resonated with me. Anita had worked with Alix previously and said she has the powerful vocals to bring the lyrics to life and deliver the emotion it deserved. The rest is history as the saying goes… With your natural ear, it is clear that music has always been a large part of your life. What made you decide to pursue a career in music production? Like all musicians, music has been a huge part of my life since I was a child. I was always really intrigued by how songs came together and wanted to know how the instruments were blended together. My first foray into music production was at college; we used Atari computers with Cubase (showing my age now!) which was something that felt so different and made music more accessible to me. I probably focused more on music production than djing after I made some songs on a PlayStation game called Music 2000. My friends were amazed at what I had been able to create on what was quite a basic game. They really encouraged me to take my music more seriously and I’ve been figuring out new tracks ever since. How has your history as a DJ benefitted your career as a music producer?
The biggest benefit is being able to read a crowd and know your audience. Watching people taught me what listeners are looking for and how to structure music in terms of build-up, and drops. It also occurred to me that especially in bars and clubs, listeners rarely hear the end of a song so the start is very important. Being a DJ also taught me how to structure a song in terms of how it could be mixed or turned into a radio edit. What can we expect to see from you throughout 2020?
I have an EP coming out soon which will have some Deep/Soulful house instrumentals. If anyone hears it and would like to collaborate, get in touch! I also have more collaborations with Anita Traci. I’ve also been working on some Chill Hop, and I’m wondering if I’ll emerge from quarantine with a new sound!