Behind the DJ Booth: Browncoat’s 26-Year Musical Journey

Mason Vera Paine

With over 26 years as a DJ and Producer Browncoat has made not only an impact in the EDM industry but a cultural impact in the underground India music scene. Take as a listen to my latest conversation with him as he speaks about his journey in the music scene. Follow Browncost on “X” at: Twitter.com/nawedkhan_Follow and Like Browncoat on Facebook at: Facebook.com/browncoatmusicFollow and Like Browncoat on Instagram at: Instagram.com/browncoatmusic https://75dc83.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/4.-Browncoat-Longevity-in-the-music-scene.mp3 Mason Vera Paine and Browncoat Transcription 0:00-Mason Paine: Brown coat has been in the music industry for over 26 years. Find out how he stays motivated and the impact he has made in India developing the EDM scene there. Thanks for joining me. Browncoat. 0:13-Browncoat: Hi there, Mason. Thank you so much for having me. I've been really looking forward to this conversation. Really happy to be here. 0:18-Mason Paine: You've been creating music for 26 years. What first drew you into EDM? 0:24-Browncoat: While I wouldn't necessarily call my music EDM, I try and make more deep house, melodic techno and house and slightly more underground than conventional EDM. And it's been 26 years, but it's still a struggle in India because India has such a deep and rich musical culture that it's very difficult for anything which is non-indian to cut through. And that's probably the main reason where I wanted to showcase more of the international and electronic music because that's not what you get in still date. There's not a single radio channel or tv show or anything which can be considered mainstream that showcases international music. And that's the best part about it. You're running against the tide and showcasing music that people are not used to. That was the biggest draw for me. 1:12-Mason Paine: So you've been going against the grain for many years. But when you first started in the scene, what genre did you spin? 1:19-Browncoat: In the beginning, it was just a fight and struggle with the venues to allow us to play international, be it top 40, hip hop, r and b, or even basic pop. It was just that difficult because everybody just wanted you to play what's being broadcasted everywhere, the typical hindi film music or the punjabi music. And at that time, we would just be happy to play top 40s because that was the struggle for us. 1:42-Mason Paine: Wow. So you had a history of just fighting to be able to play certain songs in the style that you wanted to. But as of today now, what's the particular genre that you spin nowadays I. 1:55-Browncoat: Play a lot of melodic techno, indie dance, deep house, progressive. That's also because I produce a lot of these genres and it gets an amazing response from the floor. It's really progressing beautifully and I love where the music is right now. 2:08-Mason Paine: What is the EDM music scene like in India? 2:11-Browncoat: The electronic scene in India is amazing. The crowd that turns up for our events is just beautiful. The response that you get from the audience is incomparable because I've traveled and played around the world and I still prefer playing to an Indian audience because they really give you their all when they're dancing, the screaming, the shouting, the smiling. And even though it might not be the mainstream genre in India, but because they're such a populist nation, a small fraction also makes up for big numbers. So the scene in India is amazing. You can ask any touring dj. The love that the dance flow in India gives is incomparable. 2:45-Mason Paine: You talked about how it was an uphill battle to be a dj 26 years ago and how now the scene is like, really amazing. But have you had to navigate any big challenges while promoting your music in India? 2:59-Browncoat: It's a little tough because we still are a conservative society and clubbing and partying are still considered more of a weste...