Michael Brun
- Not to be confused with singer-songwriter Michael "Mike" Brun, or the CEO of ClearTrial
| Michael Brun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
May 19, 1992 Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Genres | Progressive house, electro house, kompa, rara |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, producer, medical student |
| Instruments | Digital audio workstation, keyboard, synthesizers, violin, guitar |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Phazing Records, Spinnin Records, Revealed Recordings, S2 Records, Columbia Records, Musical Freedom, Kid Coconut |
| Associated acts | Hardwell, Tom Cane, Dirty South, Eden Prince, DubVision, Ben Alessi |
| Website |
michaelbrun |
Michael Brun (born May 19, 1992) is a Haitian DJ, record producer and medical student, known for blending EDM genres such as progressive house with native Haitian styles such as kompa and rara. He released one of his first singles on Hardwell's Revealed Recordings in 2011. He later went on to work with Dirty South, and Brun released his debut Gravity EP in 2013. The EP reached No. 2 on the Beatport charts, directly underneath Avicii.[1] In 2015, he released See You Soon which received over 1.3 million streams on Spotify in its first seven weeks, as well as a collaboration with Roy English entitled Tongue Tied July. Michael is also an ambassador for Paul Haggis’ Artist for Peace and Justice, a nonprofit that supports programs in education, healthcare and dignity through the arts. He frequently travels to Haiti where he mentors children in their school, The Audio Institute.
He founded the record label Kid Coconut in 2014,[2] which beyond Brun's solo releases will "seek to showcase and develop Haitian artists who would otherwise lack access to such exposure."[3] Currently based in Miami, Brun tours frequently, performing at festivals such as Coachella.[4] In 2014 he became the first Haitian to play at Ultra Music Festival, and also in 2014 he was nominated for World's Best EDM Artist at the World Music Awards.[5]
Early life and education
Michael Brun was born in 1992 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to a Haitian father and Guyanese mother and also has Chinese ancestry. Growing up in Port-au-Prince, he was exposed to music at an early age, recollecting that "I grew up listening to Caribbean Sextet and Tabou Combo. My dad was in a band called Skandal in the '90s. I'm influenced by everything that comes from home."[6] While still young he also began learning violin and guitar.[3] When he was in his teens, he began using Virtual DJ to make what he called "terrible mashups." In 2008, at age sixteen he began DJing as a hobby.[3]
He also had an early interest in being a doctor, and in his teens would volunteer at local hospitals.[3] He attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana through a scholarship program, with Brun stating in 2014 that "The stuff I learned there about discipline was so important to the way I work now. The schedule was so regimented. I have really kept that whole mentality up until now."[3] He then earned a full scholarship to attend Davidson College in North Carolina, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order, Sigma chapter. As a freshman, he began studying towards pre-med as a major, while also working on his music production.[3]
Music career
2011: First singles
On June 29, 2011, Brun released the 4-track single Shades of Grey on S2 Records.[7] Primarily styled as progressive house, Brun released "Dawn," on Dutch DJ Hardwell's Revealed Recordings on December 21, 2011. A version re-edited by Hardwell was released through Hardwell Productions as well.[8] Wrote Billboard about the track, it is "an energetic big room number that earned support from top DJs and caught the ear of Australian artist Dirty South." Dirty South signed Michael Brun to his label Phazing Records shortly after, releasing Brun's next single "Rise". Brun also joined Dirty South on tour in Miami.[3]
2012-13: Gravity EP and remixes
In 2012 he continued to work with Dirty South's Phazing Records, releasing "Rift" in conjunction with Dirty South, as well as the track "Synergy" with Special Features.
 |
Brun released his debut Gravity EP in September 2013. The EP reached No. 2 on the Beatport charts, directly underneath Avicii.[1] Also in the fall of 2013 he remixed tracks for artists such as Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris, and Armin van Buuren.[1] In October 2013 he performed at the afterparty for TomorrowWorld, among other gigs.[9]
2014: Touring, Kid Coconut imprint
In March 2014, he became the first Haitian to play at Ultra Music Festival. The Miami New Times wrote that "his main stage set channeled the energy of rara culture through the sound of progressive house."[6] Within the next several months he had also headlined gigs at clubs in New York and Miami such as Pacha.[3] In early August 2014 he performed at the Moonrise Festival in Baltimore.[10] That year he also performed at the Sahara tent at Coachella,[3] and was nominated for World's Best EDM Artist at the World Music Awards.[5]
In July 2014 he was asked to compile a playlist for Billboard Magazine, with Brun selecting EDM and Caribbean music from the catalog of his new record label, "Kid Coconut".[11] In August 2014 Brun released the single "Zenith," which was the first release on "Kid Coconut".[12] A month later, the single "Sun In Your Eyes" was also released on "Kid Coconut".[13]
2015: "See You Soon", "Tongue Tied July", remixes and Kid Coconut
In June 2015, Michael released "See You Soon" on his "Kid Coconut" imprint.[14] The track was chosen as a BPM Breaker on Sirius XM.
Following "See You Soon", Michael released a collaboration with Roy English titled "Tongue Tied July" which went into Beta BPM testing on SiriusXM.[15]
2015 saw Michael Brun increasing his touring activity with appearances in major clubs including Create (Los Angeles CA), Temple (San Francisco CA), Union Nightclub (Toronto ON), Story (Miami FL) as well as a festival appearance at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival, where he was billed alongside artists such as Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Skrillex.[16]
2016: "Wherever I Go", "All I Ever Wanted" and Haitian Heat Spotify Playlist
In January 2016, Michael released "Wherever I Go", a collaboration with Artists for Peace and Justice's Audio Institute.[17] He then embarked on his first North American Tour, titled the Wherever I Go Tour,[18] followed by the creation of the Wherever I Go Festival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.[19]
In August 2016, he released his collaboration with Louie for Netflix's XOXO, titled "All I Ever Wanted".[20]
In October 2016, he announced Haitian Heat, a Haitian music playlist curated in collaboration with Spotify.[21]
2017: "Gaya", remixes and "Easy On My Love"
In January 2017, Michael released "Gaya" in collaboration with Haitian roots music collective, Lakou Mizik, & Haitian pop artist J. Perry.[22] He followed "Gaya" with remixes for OneRepublic, Maxwell, Kesha, Major Lazer and FLETCHER.[23][24] He later released "Easy On My Love" in December 2017.[25]
Style and equipment
Michael Brun mixes a variety of electronic dance music genres into his sounds, though he is primarily classified as progressive house. He has also referenced genres native to Haiti as important influences of his sound, for example kompa. Explains Brun, "Kompa is like the Haitian equivalent of salsa, a very dancey romantic music with a touch of zouk. The snare hits on a very specific beat, like ta-kata. All the islands have their trademark dance style, and that's ours." He also incorporates the native style of rara, which the Miami New Times describes as "rally music incorporating infectious rhythms, call and response, and simple, catchy melodies blown through homemade vuvuzelas and tubas."[6]
Personal life
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category[5] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | World Music Award | Michael Brun | World's Best EDM Artist | Nominated |
Discography
EPs
| Year | Album title | Release details |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Gravity |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Prime" (with Derrick Rouseeau) |
non-album single | Versuz Essentials (April 29, 2011) |
| "Shades of Grey" | 4-track single | S2 Records (June 29, 2011) | |
| "Dawn" | 2-track single | Revealed Recordings (December 21, 2011) | |
| 2012 | "Rise" (Dirty South Edit) |
Non-album singles | Phazing (March 19, 2012) |
| "Synergy" (with Special Features) |
Phazing (April 18, 2012) | ||
| "Rift" (with Dirty South) |
Phazing (November 10, 2012) | ||
| 2013 | "Gravity" | Gravity EP | Phazing (Oct 8, 2013) |
| "Halfway" (featuring Zashanell) | |||
| "Antares" | |||
| 2014 | "Zenith" | Non-album singles | Kid Coconut (August 4, 2014) |
| "Sun In Your Eyes" (with DubVision featuring Tom Cane) |
Kid Coconut (September 15, 2014) | ||
| 2015 | "Woo" (with Dirty Twist) | Kid Coconut (April 20, 2015) | |
| "See You Soon" (with Rune RK featuring Denny White) | Kid Coconut (June 2, 2015) | ||
| "Tongue Tied July" (with Roy English) |
Kid Coconut (August 7, 2015) | ||
| "Vintage" (with Rayven & Valexx) | Kid Coconut (September 25, 2015) | ||
| "Check This Out" (with Still Young) | Size Records (October 16, 2015) | ||
| 2016 | "Wherever I Go" (with The Audio Institute) | Kid Coconut (January 29, 2016) | |
| "Omega" (with Aspyer) | Kid Coconut (April 22, 2016) | ||
| "Good Enough" (with The Ready Set) | Hopeless Records (May 18, 2016) | ||
| "All I Ever Wanted" (featuring Louie) | XOXO: The Album | Kid Coconut (August 3, 2016) | |
| "Summer Dreams" (with Marcio Lama) |
Non-album singles | Kid Coconut (September 9, 2016) | |
| "Jupiter" (featuring Roy English and Uni) |
Kid Coconut (October 15, 2016) | ||
| 2017 | "Gaya" (with Lakou Mizik & J. Perry) |
Kid Coconut (February 17, 2017) | |
| "Danse Konsa"[26] (with Strong G) |
Kid Coconut (August 9, 2017) | ||
| "Easy On My Love" (with Janelle Kroll) |
Kid Coconut (December 15, 2017) | ||
| 2018 | "Bayo"[27] (featuring Strong G, Baky and J Perry) |
Kid Coconut (February 16, 2018) | |
| "Spice"[28] (with Kah-Lo) |
Kid Coconut (August 31, 2018) |
Remixes
| Year | Title | Original artist | Release details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Awooga" (Michael Brun Remix) | Calvin Harris | |
| "Alive" (Michael Brun Remix) | Dirty South & Thomas Gold feat. Kate Elsworth | ||
| "Dancing" (Michael Brun Remix) | Delivio Reavon & Aaron Gill feat. Phatt | ||
| 2012 | "Burn Forever" (Michael Brun Remix) | Those Usual Suspects & Nordean | |
| "Nuclear Seasons" (Michael Brun Remix) | Charli XCX | ||
| "Heartbeat" (Michael Brun Remix) | Childish Gambino | Glassnote[29] | |
| 2013 | "Power of You and Me" (Michael Brun Remix) | Rune RK feat. Andreas Moe | |
| "Your Heart" (Michael Brun Remix) | Dirty South feat. Joe Gil | ||
| "Until the End" (Michael Brun Remix) | Dirty South feat. Joe Gil | ||
| "Steal You Away" (Michael Brun Remix) | Dash Berlin & Alexander Popov | ||
| "Fire We Make" (Michael Brun Remix) | Alicia Keys & Maxwell | [30] | |
| "Take Me" (Michael Brun Remix) | Tiesto feat. Kyler England | Musical Freedom | |
| "Sound of the Drums" (Michael Brun Remix) | Armin van Buuren feat. Laura Jansen | ||
| "Thinking About You" (Michael Brun Remix) | Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar | Columbia (Aug 4, 2013) | |
| 2014 | "Shadow of the Sun" (Michael Brun Remix) | Max Elto | |
| "Arkham" (Michael Brun Mix) | Lee Carter, Oliver Chang & Daniel Etienne | ||
| "Our Story" (Michael Brun Remix) | Mako | ||
| 2015 | "Arkham" (Michael Brun Mix) | Lee Carter, Oliver Chang & Daniel Etienne | February 25, 2015 |
| "Ivory" (Michael Brun Mix) | Shanahan | March 9, 2015 | |
| "What I Did For Love" (Michael Brun Remix) | David Guetta Feat. Emeli Sandé | April 16, 2015 | |
| "Love Will Never Let You Down" (Michael Brun Remix) | Eddie Thoneick & Abel Ramos feat. James Walsh | May 25, 2015 | |
| "Blue Sky" (Michael Brun Remix) | Feenixpawl & Jason Forte ft. Mary Jane Smith | June 19, 2015 | |
| "I Can Change" (Michael Brun Remix) | Brandon Flowers | September 11, 2015 (Island) | |
| "Ardor" (Michael Brun Edit) | No Regular & Pessto | December 29, 2015 | |
| 2016 | "Awakening" (Michael Brun Mix) | BAHA | March 25, 2016 |
| "Move That Body" (Michael Brun Mix) | Lee Carter, Japaroll & Funk Machine | July 15, 2016 | |
| "Lake By The Ocean" (Michael Brun Remix) | Maxwell | July 19, 2016 (Columbia) | |
| "U" (Michael Brun Remix) | Ben Alessi | December 16, 2016 (Kid Coconut) | |
| 2017 | "Lift Me Up" (Michael Brun Remix) | OneRepublic | June 8, 2017 (Mosley, Interscope) |
Radio appearances
| 2013 | Show | Episode | Date and details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Group Therapy | Episode 055 with Above & Beyond: Guest Mix by Michael Brun | Friday, Nov 29, 2013 |
Further reading
- Interviews and articles
- "Michael Brun Is A Big Time Haitian DJ: Interview". Noisey. 14 February 2012.
- "CODE Picks of the Week: Tiësto and Michael Brun, Bastille & MNEK, more". Billboard. 1 November 2013.
- "Michael Brun On Helping His Homeland & Kid Coconut Label: Exclusive". Billboard. 10 July 2014.
- "Haiti's Michael Brun Talks EDM Stardom and Launching Kid Coconut Label". Crossfade. 17 July 2014.
- "CODE Guest Playlist: Michael Brun". Billboard. 18 July 2014.
- "DJ Michael Brun put medical career on hold for music". Sun Sentinel. 24 March 2014.
- "Michael Brun looks to the future with new label, Kid Coconut [Interview]". Earmilk. 7 August 2014.
References
- 1 2 3 "DJ Michael Brun put medical career on hold for music". Sun Sentinel. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "CODE Guest Playlist: Michael Brun". Billboard. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Michael Brun On Helping His Homeland & Kid Coconut Label: Exclusive". Billboard. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- 1 2 "Michael Brun brings fresh sounds to LIV on Saturday". Miami.com. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Select nomination". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21.
- 1 2 3 Jacob Katel (17 July 2014). "Haiti's Michael Brun Talks EDM Stardom and Launching Kid Coconut Label". Crossfade. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "Shades of Grey (Remixes) - EP by Michael Brun, Remy Joel & Xpression on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "Michael Brun – Dawn (Hardwell Edit)". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2013-10-10. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "CODE Picks of the Week: Tiësto and Michael Brun, Bastille & MNEK, more". Billboard. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "Michael Brun looks to the future with new label, Kid Coconut [Interview]". Earmilk. Retrieved 28 October 2014. (August 7, 2014)
- ↑ Medved, Matt (2014-07-18). "CODE Guest Playlist: Michael Brun". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Farella, Dylan (2014-07-21). "Michael Brun – Zenith (Original Mix)". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "Michael Brun & DubVision feat. Tom Cane - "Sun in Your Eyes" - NoisePorn". NoisePorn. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ Caruso, Chrs (2015-05-29). "Michael Brun Teams with Rune RK for 'See You Soon'". DJ Times. Archived from the original on 2017-01-14. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Diaz, Jordan (2015-07-20). "Michael Brun x Roy English – Tongue Tied July (Original Mix)". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Fest: Daily Lineup Revealed". Billboard. 2015-08-04. Archived from the original on 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Rishty, David (2016-01-29). "Michael Brun Supports Arts School in Haiti With Collaborative Single 'Wherever I Go'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Barron, Michael (2016-01-30). "Listen To This Michael Brun Track Released In Support Of Local Haitian Musicians". Vice. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Leight, Elias (2016-06-10). "Michael Brun Plans 'Wherever I Go' Beach Party to Benefit Haiti's Audio Institute". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Bein, Kat (2016-08-05). "Hear Michael Brun's 'All I Ever Wanted,' Lead Single From Netflix Original Movie 'XOXO'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "Spotify Delves Into Uncharted Territory With Unique New EDM Playlist [Listen Here]". YourEDM. 2016-10-29. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Bein, Kat (2017-02-17). "Haiti's Michael Brun, Lakou Mizik & J. Perry Drop Charitable Political Anthem 'Gaya': Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Bein, Kat (2017-06-09). "Michael Brun Heightens OneRepublic's 'Lift Me Up': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Bein, Kat (2017-03-10). "Independent Artists Michael Brun and Fletcher Unite on 'Wasted Youth' Remix: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "Michael Brun Is Sweet & 'Easy On My Love' With Janelle Kroll: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ "Danse Konsa - Single by Strong G & Michael Brun on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Bein, Kat (2018-02-16). "Michael Brun Urges the World to Give Love in Celebratory 'Bayo' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ↑ Ochoa, John (2018-08-31). "Michael Brun and Kah-Lo Are Red Hot On 'Spice': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
- ↑ "Michael Brun Is A Big Time Haitian DJ: Interview". Noisey. Retrieved 28 October 2014. (February 14, 2012)
- ↑ "Michael Brun's Alicia Keys and Maxwell Mix, 'Fire We Make': First Listen". Billboard. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
External links
Authority control  |
|---|