Spencer Brown – Equanimity (Album)
Mixed into one continuous piece, Spencer Brown’s third album titled “Equanimity” is 50 minutes of mesmerizing melodies and captivating beats. The San Francisco based DJ and producer released the 11 track set featuring eight collaborators from diviine, the record label started he founded in 2022.
The album consists of “Awu Wemadoda” with Wilt Claybourne and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, “SF to Córdoba” with Ezequiel Arias, “20ms” with Qrion, “Amber Leaf” with Ilan Bluestone, “Masonic & Webster” with Luttrell, and “Loccou” with Wilt Claybourne. Also included are “Papi’s Cenote” “Good Times”, “Curve”, “Little Wane” with Late Night Shri, and “Afterparty Healing” with P.O.S (also known as Above & Beyond’s Paavo Siljamäki).
Brown states that “When I wasn’t thinking about these things, life looked even worse through my phone. Every day, I saw a rapid-fire stream of contradictions: sugar-coated highlight reels balanced by extremism and negativity from the news, designed to game our emotions for attention. After enough nights driven by pain and uncertainty, I realized that all I can control is how I let external stimuli affect my being. At first, I tried to eliminate the things causing my day to worsen; then, I realized I had to be OK with them. I had to accept difficulties and let them pass through me. During this period, a friend introduced me to the concept of equanimity, describing it as “calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation.” This was the exact skill I had unknowingly been trying to find. But like a muscle, it takes time to engrain deep strength in the core. In reality, peace exists around us if we can stay unaffected by the noise. Written between 2019 and 2023, ‘Equanimity’ describes how I learned to be OK when external stimuli are out of my control. All we can do is work on how we react to the world around us.”
He continues, “‘Equanimity’ represents the biggest period of internal growth for my psyche and maturity. Like my last albums, I mixed this album into one continuous piece. The holistic form challenged me to add an extra layer of depth and creativity to my process, ensuring that everything flows into a cohesive body. In a world driven by short-form viral content, I’ve focused my last 4 years slightly shying away from the spotlight, making sure this body of work represents my authenticity. This album takes a slow-shutter snapshot of ongoing time: from pre-pandemic, to pandemic, to post-pandemic, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.”
Spencer Brown recently started his Equanimity tour in support of the album, with stops coming up in San Diego at Spin on Friday October 20 and in Los Angeles at The Vermont Hollywood on Saturday October 21, the latter of which will feature a unique diviine Inspirations live show.
Regarding the shows, Brown says “It’s always been a dream to build a live production show from the ground up. I’ve worked with an army of brilliant artists to design the stage, the lights, the visuals, and the atmosphere to create a flow aligned with my music. The show will truly be “live,” in that I do not have a setlist (as usual), and the visual artists won’t either. We’ll feed off each other to create audiovisual moments unique to each night. After debuting the prototype of this show in San Francisco last year, we can’t wait to tour the revamped version in Austin, Los Angeles, and Denver to celebrate my new album, ‘Equanimity.’”
Songs from the album have been played by the likes of Above & Beyond, Oliver Heldens, 3LAU, Vintage Culture, EDX, Farius, HANA, Hausman, John Digweed, Solomun, Paul Arcane, Sultan + Shepard, Leftwing : Kody, Chicane, and Hernan Cattaneo.
Spencer Brown – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Wilt Claybourne – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Ezequiel Arias – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Qrion – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Ilan Bluestone – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Soundcloud
Luttrell – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Late Night Shri – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
POS – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
Spencer Brown – Equanimity (Album) Tracklist:
01. Spencer Brown, Wilt Claybourne, & Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Awu Wemadoda (Extended Mix)
02. Spencer Brown & Ezequiel Arias – SF to Córdoba (Extended Mix)
03. Spencer Brown & QRION – 20ms (Extended Mix)
04. Spencer Brown & Ilan Bluestone – Amber Leaf (Extended Mix)
05. Spencer Brown & Luttrell – Masonic & Webster (Extended Mix)
96. Spencer Brown & Wilt Claybourne – Loccou (Extended Mix)
07. Spencer Brown – Papi’s Cenote (Extended Mix)
08. Spencer Brown – Good Times (Extended Mix)
09. Spencer Brown – Curve (Extended Mix)
10. Spencer Brown & Late Night Shri – Little Wane (Extended Mix)
11. Spencer Brown & P.O.S – Afterparty Healing (Extended Mix)