Spencer Brown - Forbidden Flow / 18 Min Loop

Spencer Brown is an artist who likes to live on the cutting edge of dance music without being boxed into any genre. Whether it be techno, deep house, progressive house, or a whopping 18-minute stormer, Spencer creates what he wants, when he wants, for the love of music. Throughout his career, he's explored the label system, never bound to any organization, but choosing world-class imprints such as Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth, Factory93, and mau5trap to release his diverse work. It's now time for Spencer to take the next step in his career and launch his own label...a place for dance music without any boundaries.this is diviine.

diviine officially launched on February 11th, 2022, with its inaugural double-sided release 'Forbidden Flow / 18 Min Loop.' It's astounding what Spencer is able to pack into these two tracks. 'Forbidden Flow' showcases Spencer's ability to create an emotional journey through his music. What starts as a dark and brooding techno track, reveals a softer side through the emergence of a minute-long beatless interlude in the center. It's a listening experience made for both club and home environments. '18 Min Loop' is a beast unto itself. Clocking in at precisely 18 minutes, the track is a true throwback to a time in club culture where DJs performed all night long and producers released music that didn't need to conform to any industry rules. The track is a glorious slice of progressive house music.

What was Spencer's motivation to start diviine? Why now? In his own words.

'Streaming has provided an incredibly convenient means to consume music; there's no denying it. We artists have to make a 'shorter version' or 'streaming friendly version' for every track we make. I completely understand the principle if it's a radio-friendly track. But some music isn't necessarily designed for radio. With progressive music, it's about the journey. I love to foreshadow, and elements come and go as the song progresses. It's an art in itself to keep someone's attention for an extended period of time. The art is the art. The track is the track. If it's three minutes, great! If it's eighteen minutes, great! That's what it should be.

Since when should 'the system' tell the artist how people should consume their art? Some of the most life-changing music for me was longer tracks (7+ minutes). Perhaps had I consumed this music in short-form edited versions, they wouldn't have impacted me as heavily.

In about 2015 or 2016, the music industry became hyper-focused on making music 'playlistable' - if I wrote a beautiful 8-minute track I'm proud of, I'd be forced to chop it down to 3 or 4 minutes. It feels like chopping off your baby's arms and legs! I've released music in the past (many times) whose long versions actually streamed stronger than the edited version, which we had to make.

I'm very excited to start diviine to allow myself full creative freedom. Some tracks will be long. Some tracks will be short. Some radio-friendly tracks will have an edit. But that's how it should be, at least in my mind. I currently feel artists coming together to give power back to the artists. I'm grateful to have a platform to help fight our battle!' - Spencer Brown, January 2022.