What's it like to suddenly fall head over heels in love with house music? If there is anyone who can reliably answer this question, it is Marc Brauner.
Marc is a producer and DJ born and raised in Berlin. He started playing drums when he was five and practiced for 8 years while playing in a percussion band. As a teenager he discovered producing music with the computer and started to make his first hip hop beats. Later in 2009 he was introduced to house music and found his passion right away.
His productions range from classic house to deep house, from breakbeat to ambient or electronica. Constantly growing his catalog he has released several EP’s, LPs, Singles and Remixes both digital and physical on labels like Houseum, Shall Not Fade or Happiness Therapy and is playing his music all over the world in cities like New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Tbilisi, Mexico City, Bogota or Amsterdam.
Hey Marc, great to have you, how are you doing?
Doing pretty good at the moment, highly motivated to get new music out.
Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background, and what first sparked your interest in electronic music?
I was born and raised in Berlin, grew up with my mum who always supported my love for making music. At the age of 5 I started taking drumming lessons for 8 years and later started producing Hip Hop beats in Fruity Loops, Reason and Logic. At the age of 17 I was introduced to electronic music, especially House & Techno and found my passion for DJing and producing club oriented music. Since then I fully dedicated my life to being an artist, travelling through music and connecting with same minded people.
How do you think living in Berlin has influenced you both musically and personally?
I think thanks to the great and diverse club culture we have here I was able to explore the scene and all its assets at a young age which helped me to shape my sound. I think the best track I’ve done was made after a weekend of partying in Berlin, taking all the memories and emotions and form them into a soundtrack.
Do you have any hobbies or passions outside of music?
I'm highly into graphic design, which probably comes from me doing graffiti for many years as well as painting in my free time. Besides being interested in anything art related I like being out in nature fishing or hiking to clear my mind. I'd consider myself a gourmet, I appreciate good food so I spend a lot of time eating at all the great food options the city has to offer.
What’s a typical day in the life of Marc? Do you have a daytime job, or are you making music full-time?
I finished an apprenticeship as a media designer in 2015 and have been making music full time since 2016 after deciding that a 9 to 5 job isn’t meant for me and that I’d like to make a living off music not graphic design. Since then my days usually start with a wake & bake followed by a cup of coffee and a jam session. The progress in the jam session kind of decides if It’s gonna be me continuing the track and trying to finish it, or if I feel like doing something else instead.
Photography: Alushi Kanaan
You recently released your "Run It Up" EP on Midnight Snacks — Congratulations! How did the idea for the record come about?
Yes thank you, this is a special one because for a long time I felt 100% satisfied with the result and also received a lot of great feedback from artists I admire. The idea was to make an EP I'll be able to play on my gigs and in general is club oriented. In the past i did a lot of "home listening" tracks but currently feel the urge to create tracks that gonna fit well in the sets I'm going for at the moment which are more dancefloor heavy.
Can you walk us through the process of creating it?
Most of the drum programming was me finger drumming the parts in on the MPC Live2 using various samples I collected over the years and editing them inside Logic X. The rest of the sounds used are mostly coming from VST’s like Roland Zenology, Korg M1 or Logic’s Alchemy. The only outboard synth used in these tracks is the Nord Lead X2 which usually comes in handy for anything harsh or cold like leads or plucks. I remember that all 3 tracks were basically made in a day - it took me another 2-3 days to mix afterwards but the creation of the tracks was fast and intuitive like the tracks build themself. Not happens all the time but when it does you know you might have a good track.
How’s your studio looking, and which pieces of gear are your favorites right now? How do you typically start a new track?
At the moment I went away from using lots of outboard gear and recording synth and drum machines and currently working a lot inside Logic X using plug-ins and samples only. My studio is based on a MacBook Pro, MPC Live2, Nord Lead X2, Yamaha Rm1X, a Roland Tr8 and some outboard effect units. I got rid of other synths I used to own since I barely used them. In 2017-2018 I fully focused on making music with as little VST sounds as possible using hardware only and now going back to more computer based productions. I usually start with finding quality samples or sounds to work around on. It may be a drum loop or some catchy main melody that I build the other parts to. It varies from session to session.
Which artists have made the biggest impression on you lately, and why?
I stumbled across a video on YouTube of Djrum the other day where he showcases how to mix 3 vinyl decks from a low BPM track into a High BPM track using an ambient vinyl to transition between the two tracks. Pretty impressive stuff. His productions are also absolute class.
What methods do you usually use to discover new music? Do you still enjoy digging through vinyl crates, or do you prefer buying online?
Nowadays it’s mostly online. I used to go to record shops but I never was a real passionate crate digger that spends hundreds of euros on vinyl. I already have other expensive hobbies that prevent me from going into that field too much. I use Bandcamp a lot to find new stuff as well as getting notified on IG when my favorite artists have new music coming up.
How do you approach a DJ set? Do you plan out your playlist, or is it more spontaneous?
Since the beginning of 2024 I finally managed to categorize most of my music by genre in folders so it’s way more organized than it used to be. I usually don’t prepare specific playlists for events but if it’s for example an 1 hour set it makes sense to have a folder called "bangers only" to make sure to blast hits out for an hour straight. Every other scenario it’s me deciding spontaneously what I feel like playing. Depending on the crowd and overall feeling of the vibe.
Can you tell us a bit about the mix? Were there any specific thoughts or themes behind it?
I made sure to start it off with an unreleased one of mine that is gonna be released on vinyl & digital soon via Flipsight Records from Antwerps. The overall idea was to provide a mix for the summer time featuring tracks from my collection that come with a positive and uplifting vibe.
What do you have in store for the rest of the year, and what are you most excited about this summer?
I got another EP on Midnight Snacks we’re currently in the making off as well as the before mentioned release on Flipsight featuring 4 original racks of mine coming later this year. We also got a little Houseum Records Tour de France coming up in the begging of June roadtripping from Paris to the Basque Country part of France playing huge shows in Bordeaux, Biarritz & Seignosse with the crew. Besides it being a great team bonding experience I’m highly excited to see this part of France I’ve never been to and heard so many great things about it.