Mood Spins: Michaël Brun

Michaël Brun grew up in Port-au-Prince. Both his parents were involved in music—his dad even had a band called Scandal. As he told me this, he pointed to a framed vinyl on his wall: his father’s first record.

“We had a studio in the house when I was little. As a baby I was always in the studio, and my mum played piano. Eventually, I took piano lessons and I sang, played guitar and violin.”

Music wasn’t just something he heard—it was something he was immersed in. He says he loved it from early on, but the first time he really started creating from scratch was when he became a DJ at 14.

“I was playing at house parties for friends—making mashups and edits, uploading them online, and some of them went viral. Then I started opening up for, at the time, progressive house-type people—Avicii, Steve Angello—and ended up collaborating with all of the guys from the electronic scene—Tiesto, Calvin Harris… and from there I started DJing all around the world. And I never thought it was going to be a career because I was actually pre-med in school, and it just took off. And I’m really grateful.”

His first release of the year was Touchdown, a collaboration with J Balvin, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, and Tasan, produced alongside IzyBeats.

“That was a really cool combination of different artists I really respect, and I think it's like a bucket list for me to get to work with Beenie and Bounty Killer because they have been such a huge influence on what I am doing with my music.

I feel like Jamaican music in general has been such a massive influence. In particular, this song was really interesting because I worked with J Balvin, who has become one of my closest friends and collaborators, so when I pitched him the idea of doing this collaboration, he was so excited that we have the chance to work with these legends.”

Over the last two years, he’s been steadily dropping singles with artists from all over the globe. His project, at its core, is about bridging cultures—pulling from the sounds that shaped him and the places that are part of his identity.

“In Haiti, we have heritage that comes from West Africa, so a lot of my African collaborations have been from Nigeria and Ghana—working with the likes of King Promise, Mr Eazi. And from the Caribbean, it’s been artists like SAINt JHN, who is from Guyana, and Skeng or Stalk Ashley from Jamaica.”

Plans for the rest of the year? Big things on the live side. He’s playing his first major arena show—Barclays Center in New York—on June 28th - “That’s such a huge deal for me, I’m really excited!” The show is part of the BAYO Festival, a concept that originally started in Haiti.

“At the time it just started as block party, so now being able to take that to an arena like Barclays Center is a dream come true.”

He’s also producing for a range of different artists and keeping a few collaborations under wraps—at least for now.

Now let's get into his Mood Spins! 

1. What’s your go-to track for when you need to clear your head and reset after a chaotic day?

   
   

L SHAB - LW KAN

"This changes pretty often. The most recent one, funnily enough, right now for me is this Egyptian song. I saw it during a random conversation—I think it was with Jamie xx—and there was this music curator dude playing a couple of different things. I think it’s from the 80s. It feels like it should have been way bigger, but maybe people didn’t know about him. It reminds me so much of my dad’s band. There’s something about music from the 80s—right at the point where they started using drum machines but still played live instruments. Something about that intersection makes the songs feel timeless. They legit don’t feel old or aged. There’s just something about this—I really like the production on it."

2. You’re getting ready for a big event—what’s the song that helps you feel confident?

   
   

THEODORA - KONGOLESE SOUS BBL (FT. JEEZ SUAVE)

"Another tough one, wow. That one changes a lot too. The one that’s recently been really fun is this artist from France—her name’s Tia Dora. In terms of artist confidence, there’s something about Congolese artists—they’re just really confident aesthetically: fashion, musical decisions, such great direction and vibe. I love what she did with the song. It feels like confidence in a song."

3. What song reminds you of your earliest memories of discovering music? I feel like I might know this one because you mentioned your father was in a band, I imagine it might be one of his?

SKANDAL - NOUVELLE GENERATION

DAFT PUNK - VOYAGER

"There’s two. One would be Nouvelle Generation by Skandal my fathers band—it’s literally this vinyl here (he points to a framed vinyl on his wall). It reminds me of childhood. I remember my dad and his keyboard, and he was just creating beats. I didn’t even know what production was. I didn’t know music was a job or anything—I just knew it was something my dad did.

But the other one is actually Voyager by Daft Punk. I feel like those two songs really remind me of my childhood because that’s when I started figuring out I wanted to be a DJ. But I was so young—I would just play it out on loop on headphones. It was the first thing I found online, and I was just like, ‘I love this song.’ Those two songs are really important."

4. If you could only listen to one song while you travel the world, which one would you choose?

DAVE BRUBECK - TAKE FIVE

"Damn… probably Take Five by Dave Brubeck. Jazz is pretty timeless. I would pick that one—it just feels very easy to listen to at any point, very soothing. I usually don’t like flying, though. I like being in the place, but I don’t like going to the place."

5. You’re in the studio working on something new, and you're stuck. What song do you play to break through that creative block?

RADIO HEAD - WEIRD FISHES

"I feel like anytime I want inspiration, I listen to Radiohead—yeah, for real. It really reminds you to explore, especially as a producer. I feel like it’s really easy to get caught up in specific formats, and that song in particular is such a unique take. They always make interesting choices with production, and it’s a reminder: don’t be afraid to go on the journey sometimes."

6. What song do you play when you're sitting in traffic, frustrated, and need to calm your mind?

JOE DWET FILE - 4KAMPLE

"Right now—I guess 4Kampe by Joe Dwet File. This one’s just a real feel-good track. You can’t help but sing along. So if you’re stuck in traffic, you want to try and find some enjoyment."

7. You’re at a family gathering, and someone asks you to pick the song that sums up the vibe of the evening—what do you choose?

STEVIE WONDER - KNOCKS ME OFF MY FEET

"Hmmm, probably Stevie. I think one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs would fit perfectly for this—Knocks Me Off My Feet."

8. What song transports you to the beach, even if you're miles away from the ocean?

MICHAËL BRUN FT J BALVIN, BEENIE MAN, BOUNTY KILLER AND TASAN - TOUCHDOWN

"Recently, I’d say Touchdown—the song I dropped earlier this year. Literally, the music video is me being transported to the beach. The transition from freezing New York to the beaches in Jamaica—that’s what I want people to feel when they hear that song. It makes me feel like that, so I hope other people feel it too."

9. You’re stuck in a tiny room with no windows and need to escape mentally—what song do you play to take you somewhere else?

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB - CHAN CHAN

"This one’s pretty open-ended. Recently, I’d say Buena Vista Social Club—Chan Chan. I feel like that song really makes me think of Cuba, really clearly. Anytime a song can force me to picture the place, I think that’s a good one.

It was cool. I visited Cuba a couple of years ago, and it was exactly like what the song felt like."

10. What’s a song that immediately connects you with a sense of nostalgia, even if it’s not a song you listened to much back then?

BREAD - GUITAR MAN

"It’s stuff that my parents listened to, for sure. There’s a song called Guitar Man—that song reminds me of my mum. She loves soft rock, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and everything. That specifically reminds me of being a little kid with my mum."

11. If you could send a song to a loved one who's feeling down, what song would you choose?

BEATLES - MICHELLE

LAKAY - TABOU COMB

"There’s two different ones. Michelle by The Beatles—I feel like that one is such a beautiful pick-me-up, especially if you love somebody. And then, as an alternate, if the person is Haitian, there’s a bunch of beautiful songs. The one that comes to mind is Lakay. So for the rest of the world, Michelle, and for Haitians, this song talks about home. I feel like this song reminds you of all the things that are beautiful about home."

12. And lastly, If you had to pick a song that defines the soundtrack of your life right now, which one is it?

MICHAËL BRUN - ALL FOR ME

"The soundtrack of my life right now? I mean, I think probably something I’ve worked on. It’s probably the song All For Me that’s gonna drop soon. Emotionally, I made that song thinking about travel, bridging these different parts of the world together. It’s a huge part of what I do and what I believe in. So that's the one I'd pick!"