Neon Trees – Animal (Michael Brun Rework) + Exclusive Interview

Posted by on February 8, 2012


Michael Brun bringing the heat once again. This one is a revamp of the already catchy tune Animal by Neon Trees. You guys loved the preview, you have waited patiently for the release, and now you finally get rewarded! Within this track we have smooth, perfectly pitched synths along with a complimentary bass and recognizable lyrics. A trio of excellence if you ask me. Kudos to Brun for keeping his own musical style intact on yet another interesting project. To hear more from Michael Brun, check out his Facebook and Twitter pages!

— Click MORE to check out the INTERVIEW —


JD: Michael Brun! Doing an exclusive interview with you today for Fresh New Tracks. Why don’t you start by telling us the basics: where you were born, where you are now, what you are studying, and all of that good stuff!

MB: Well I was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti in 1992, so I am 19 now. My Mom is Guyanese and my Dad is Haitian. That’s why I look the way I look! Most people think of Haitians as predominantly black, but there are definitely mixed races there too. I was born there, and then I went to French school until 6th grade, then went to an English Immersion school, and finally went to military school in 10th grade. It was called Culver Military Academy, a school recommended to us by a family friend. I knew no one there and it was my first time in the United States and in Indiana.

JD: What made you choose Culver and Indiana?

MB: Well I kinda thought Culver was an interesting opportunity presented to me where I could go to a very good school in the US. Haiti was going through some tough times and so my parents wanted me to go somewhere where I could both receive a valuable education and not worry about issues unrelated to school work.

JD: Then you chose Davidson, which is also a very good school…in the South. Tell me about that experience.

MB: Its very different haha…I love the weather there. I was spoiled by the wonderful weather in Haiti but the weather at Davidson is great too. The people are very friendly and welcoming. A lot of southern hospitality…and some good food too. But nothing beats Haitian food!

JD: Alright now lets get into the more relevant music discussion: how many DJs, or producers are coming out of Haiti right now?

MB: Umm..there are probably two or three of us. My music is very unique to me though while other producers play more traditional Haitian music…you know roots and beat heavy. But for me, growing up internationally, I was exposed to a lot of stuff. I love 80s music, and I love disco and all those other genres that influenced EDM.

JD: And I am sure that exposure has helped shape your style as a producer. Tell me a little bit about that.

MB: Well generally I feel that my sound is within the progressive category, but if you’ve looked through my Soundcloud, I’ve done everything from Moombahton, to New Disco, to UK Garage stuff. I also really like electro so that has influenced me as well.

JD: Nice man. It seems as though that is what it takes to become a major player in this EDM game now. Some people have found their sound, but it seems as though in order to really blow up within dance music, you have to be able to cross those melodic boundaries constantly in order to really diversify your music and not be automatically relegated to one genre like Tommy Trash or Dada Life currently is (in my humble opinion).

MB: I mean I really think that in terms of productions, you should try and draw from what you like the most. Because I have such a diverse music taste, I try to infuse a lot of different styles into a completely new style. And the scare is that everything will get so overplayed within the next 6 months to a year that constant chance is going to become essential in order to survive and thrive. People will always want something new so I am going to try to avoid that stagnant phase and continue to produce music where people can recognize my sound without a set list of musical parameters.

JD: Completely agree with you man, and I don’t see it becoming over-saturated right now because it’s so popular. Moving on, with some artists this hobby and passion can become a career, and it seems as though you might be one of those people in line for it. Tell me about when dance music production was just a hobby for you.

MB: Well I started producing when I was 16, and the first program I had was Fruity Loops. It was really hard. I had always played the piano and guitar, and I also sang, but I couldn’t really get this DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) when I first picked it up. So I would put it down and pick it up time and time again, and the first few tracks I was making…were shit. Like absolute shit..and yet I was so lucky to have a family that would give me good feedback regardless of the sound. I’m sure they were lying to me haha, but they were great. So I kept doing it and pushing through, and over time I realized how my sound was evolving. I’ve been doing this for 3 years now, and over the course of that time I went from posting stuff on Soundcloud and getting like 50 views, to getting some support from a few blogs, and then finally to getting an official remix commissioned (So Alive by Syke N Sugarstarr). and I think that was huge for me. That official remix.

JD: and look at you now! Animal got 6400 plays in 3 days! and that was just previews!

MB: Yea man its really exciting for me. I love all the support that I have been getting and it’s rewarding and important to me.

JD: Lets talk about blogs, what is your view on them? My opinion is that especially now, EDM is relying on the blog world. Artists with lots of blog rep are getting huge quickly.

MB: I think that is an evolution of music. Before you were producing and selling CDs and putting in all of this money into distribution just to get your songs heard, and now 10,000 downloads on Soundcloud does the exact same thing for free. And it shows how different the music scene is now than 20 years ago. My dad was a professional musician, and he can’t believe how the music scene works now because it’s so different. Soundcloud, Facebook, and Twitter are communities now filled with people who can communicate and provide feedback with such ease. Blogs help bring all of those communities together so they are essential to this industry right now (especially you guys)!

JD: Precisely. Alesso gives Sebastian Ingrosso a CD of his work and now he’s touring the world as a headliner. Skrillex was opening for Deadmau5 last year and now you could argue that he’s even more popular than Mr. Zimmermann. It’s just moving so quickly that its almost hard to follow.

MB: It’s a crazy world man. It’s evolving every day.

JD: Well I wanted to ask you about your relationship with some of these other young producers. Pierce Fulton, Fareoh, Special Features and yourself are becoming some recognizable names in this EDM game, all under the age of 22. Tell me about this community of young producers

MB: Its awesome. Its really amazing to have the connection with these people that I would normally have never been able to talk to. Pierce is from Vermont, Eden is from London, Paris and Simo are from Canada…I’m tight with them and talk with them pretty regularly. We give each other feedback, talk about problems, and share stories of our successes. Its great man.

JD: Well Michael, this interview has been quite the informative experience for me and I hope it’s been the same for you, and before I let you go tell us what’s in store for the future of Michael Brun i.e. production and touring. Is is kind of impossible with school and everything?

MB: Yes it’s been fun man thanks for having me. To answer your question, right now I’m premed, but I am taking a revised schedule for this semester. I am not full-time touring until the summer. I will be doing a few shows, some big and some small, in the near future though. Some pretty cool stuff planned. Got a bunch of new productions coming out in the future as well. Some solos and some collabs with Special Features, Paris and Simo, and more that I hope you guys will like. School makes it a bit challenging now, but the Summer should help things move a lot quicker.

JD: Well thanks again man and we here at FNT are excited for the future of your sound! Take it easy!

Tags: , ,

COMMENTS | VIEW COMMENTS

+