BRIO (US) is a 25 year old producer from Los Angeles known for his infectious drum patterns and deep groovy baselines. He began producing back in 2015 and has played at many clubs in the Los Angeles area, leading to his biggest club debut at Avalon Nightclub. He began producing back in 2015 and has been busy honing his craft, leading up to his debut release on Unlearn Records – two moody, hypnotic tech house rollers that mark him out as one to watch.
Welcome to DMC BRIO – please can you introduce yourself to our readers…
Well to start off, my name’s Adrian, I go by the artist name BRIO, I produce a variety of types of house music from Tech to Deep. I’m from West Covina, a little city not too far from Los Angeles
You’ve been making music for a few years now but this EP on Unlearn will be your first official release right? Was it always your intention to spend a good amount of time in the studio before launching your productions?
Yeah, so Unlearn is actually the first label to ever accept any of my demos, so they are my first official release. I also post a lot of my music on SoundCloud as well, so you can check out some of my unreleased stuff there. I do spend a lot of time in the studio, and with this whole pandemic that we’re in, I’ve had a lot more spare time to really sit down and work on tunes as opposed to how it was pre-covid.
Do you think there’s a lot of pressure in the music industry to perhaps put stuff out before you’re really ready?
I think for upcoming artists like myself, I think the biggest pressure we have aside from trying to perfect our craft, is the networking aspects of being a DJ or producer. You really got to get out there and go out to events or shows and meet with new people, start building a network to help you get out there. This can be intimidating sometimes you know, as an upcoming artist, I’ve met plenty of DJs I look up to, and promoters and just all types of people from the industry going to events and shows; and sometimes it can be nerve wracking to go up to them and try to build a network or connection with them. You really got to sell yourself because the truth is not everyone is so open to helping upcomers. In terms of music releasing, I say even if you’re still just sending demos out and nothing getting signed, there’s nothing wrong with getting your music out on SoundCloud or MixCloud to get it heard.
How did you hook up with Doc Brown and the label on the release?
I actually have been following Doc for a while now. I’ve been a long time listener of his radio show, Unlearn Radio and to be honest when I found out he started the label; I jumped right on it by sending demos. I’ve probably sent at least over 15-20 different demos before these two got picked. He told me he was really digging “W.F.I” and so it was just going to be a single release. Later on though, I sent him “Let It Be” and he offered to either save that for a later release or drop an EP, and I’m forever thankful for the opportunity, I’m super honored to be a part of his vision for the label.
Have you managed to pick up any gigs post pandemic? Any in particular you’re looking forward to?
Officially, no, no official gigs yet as far as clubs go. Like I said the networking part is tough especially with the covid restrictions we have out there. booking is just at a tight spot right now. I’m hoping to land some in the near future though, I’m talking to a couple people right now to try and land a spot but nothing is set and stone yet.
You’ve played alongside some pretty huge artists… any gigs that stick in your mind more than others?
My debut at Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood is definitely a milestone or even Catch One LA, those were two shows where the energy of the crowd was really there and probably the biggest crowds I’ve played so far.
Can we expect more releases from you this year?
It feels awesome, you know as a DJ or producer that’s always the goal, you want to get heard, you want exposure. This is definitely opening more doors for me and it’s only the beginning you know. Like I mentioned earlier I still release my stuff unofficially on SoundCloud, but it definitely feels amazing to finally have an official release, and like I said this is only the beginning, there’s only more to come.
Finally, who would you dream collab be with, and why?
Aw man that’s on the spot, that’s tough because I have so many. If I had to drop it down to one main person, I would probably go with Mark Knight. He’s been an inspiration to me and my style of producing even my DJing in so many ways. My dream label to get signed by is Toolroom, so I mean to ever get the chance to work with him, that would be awesome.
