MELLE BROWN: ELECTRONIC MUSIC IS BLACK MUSIC

Photo taken by NJ

London's electronic music scene has undeniably welcomed a surge of new talent over the years. A fixture in this ever-evolving scene is producer, DJ and radio presenter Melle Brown. Sitting down with WNDRLST, her playful energy matches her earnest love for her craft. The London native has cultivated a community of ravers, and captivating crowds with her eclectic sets at Glastonbury, Parklife, Drumsheds, and more. By merging neo-soul, deep house, and techno in her sound, she highlights the newfound opportunities for Black attendees to embrace the dance music domain freely. Multifaceted and innovative, Melle has carved out her niche and is committed to uplifting others who, like her, were once emerging names in the industry.

“So, I’ll start from the beginning” Melle states, “My journey started when I was 12 or 13 at the Roundhouse in Camden.” Acting as a backdrop to hone her skills, Camden’s creative-led youth space, the Roundhouse, “nurtured me to grow into the artist I am today and made me fall in love with producing music.” It is through those experiences that she composed a sound for herself.

Photo taken by NJ

Besides this, she recognises her musical household as a catalyst in her journey, “I’ve learnt a lot from the older generations in my family”. She continues to express her admiration for preserving music to connect to her heritage, “the more you connect to the past, the more you can bring into the future.” Her appreciation for the sounds that came before is shown through her sets, which aren’t afraid to pay homage to legends of previous generations.

While becoming acquainted with music production at the Roundhouse, she studied Musical Theatre at the BRIT School. However, concluding her studies she realised musical theatre wasn’t her dream career, and decided to pursue a degree in music technology at university instead. It was her dissertation - which ended up becoming her debut EP - that catapulted Melle into the music industry. “I couldn’t just release an EP and not do any networking or not send it to anyone. So, I went out in the industry to all the events I found on websites like Eventbrite and Shoobs and networked.”

Melle’s efforts led her directly to BBC 1Xtra presenter Sian Anderson who played her single ‘Bloom’ live on air. From this, Melle started a radio show called ‘Brown X Blue’ with fellow producer and DJ powerhouse Blue Canariñho, dedicated to new-age smooth, expressing how “it grew into a community and solidified my sound in the underground London DJ music scene.” Her radio show became a place to support several artists from Little Simz to Jordan Rakei. Through her passion project: Mellody Agency, a community-focused music service provider, specialising in underground radio, she could spread her impact further. 

There remains an immense gratitude towards people who open the doors and usher burgeoning talent into the industry. Receiving a cosign from Elton John, and collaborating with Annie Mac on a soulful club mix feels surreal for Melle who gushes, “I’ve admired Annie since I found out about radio, and I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to be mentioned in the same sentence as these legends. It isn’t something I take lightly because I want to use my platform to support up-and-coming artists.”

Photo taken by NJ

Melle holds London’s underground scene close to her heart, professing, “The most special thing about the underground music scene is the community and support. The underground has a special way of connecting people.” For many, the raving community is home, a form of escapism. It is a part of music that now feels disassociated from its intended audience. A disconnect noticed by Melle, “I think you do see today’s club culture notice that there is a huge lack of diversity.” However, she finds it important to emphasise the black female DJs provoking change in the scene, “people like DJ Minx, HoneyLuv, Natasha Diggs, Sherelle, Jamz Supernova, Honey Dijon, Juliet Mendoza, Jaguar, Gina Jeanz, and Selena Faider are doing amazing things. Yes, we can acknowledge and try to resolve the lack of diversity, but I also think we should highlight and support DJs who are pushing past these boundaries and, making waves in the electronic dance scene.” 

Slowly, Black communities are becoming reunited with house music. Genres like Afro-house and amapiano have made rounds within our nightlife circuits and welcomed a plethora of talent alongside them. Melle shares that there is space for a Black & Brown audience in house and electronic music, but “they also need to feel comfortable in those spaces just like we as DJs of a particular background need to feel comfortable on stage. So, there is a lot of work to do in making that visual and impactful difference across the clubbing world.” As the electronic scene grows, Melle hopes, “we get to a place where house music and tech house are seen as genres where more cultures feel comfortable existing in.”

Melle's superpower lies in her multifaceted nature. Her insight into the intricacies of the music industry, both onstage and behind the scenes, has led her to recognise that "the creative ideas I generate for other artists, I can apply those same concepts to my marketing campaigns." Now, she is leveraging her experience to shine a spotlight on new sounds. “I dream of running a label to sign artists and give them the cosign I’ve received many times. I want to try and birth my bubble of exciting, diverse talent in the electronic dance music scene and put them on the stage. Much like the support I've received from figures like Annie Mac.” 

Melle anticipates building her music catalogue, returning this year with a new track. Listen to her discography HERE.