Brian Cid: “The purpose of my music is always to empower people”
Brian Cid, a Brooklyn-bred, Berlin-based DJ and producer, has become a formidable force in the underground electronic music scene. His distinct style seamlessly blends melodic techno, deep house, and progressive house. Cid’s innovative, genre-defying tracks have found homes on respected record labels, propelling him to perform at renowned venues worldwide.
Photo credit: Brian Cid – Facebook
Known for infusing his forward-thinking productions with profound spiritual messages, Cid has become a regular at boundary-pushing events from New York to Berlin. His global tour résumé spans over 35 countries and 65 cities, including headline shows at iconic venues like Heart Ibiza and Stereo Montreal.
In this exclusive interview with EG, Brian Cid discusses his latest release, ‘Mind Game,’ and shares insights on his creative process, the impact of AI on music production, and his exciting future projects.
EG: Hi, Brian! Welcome back to EG. It’s always a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you right now?
Brian Cid: Thank you! It’s great to reconnect after our big EG anniversary celebration in Amsterdam a couple years ago. I’ve been great, enjoying the summer and keeping myself creative. I am currently home in Berlin.
EG: How is your summer going so far? Any particular highlights?
Brian Cid: For the first time since moving to Berlin 3 years ago, I am spending a bit more time here this summer, instead of the usual long travels. So, it’s been very interesting. Tons of things to see and experience, it’s a very inspiring city.
Highlights so far have been Stereo in Montreal back in July, one of my favorite venues. It was the perfect setting for the new sound I have going on. Groovy, celebratory, deep and intimate.
EG: By the way, congratulations on the release of your latest EP, ‘Mind Game’. What has the initial reception been like so far? Do you remember the first time you played these cuts live?
Brian Cid: Thank you, it’s a very exciting one. I consider Mind Game to be more of an experimental track, due to its long and unusual composition, so I was very surprised to see how well it has been received by the DJs and the community so far. This shows how we never as artists really know what is going to work the best. There is no formula, it’s always a surprise.
First time I played Mind Game was actually in the great Flash club in Washington DC, at the DISTRIKT Sounds record release party we did recently. The track did very well on the dancefloor, I was very pleased. It’s perfect for a big sound system in a dark room.
As far as the other track ‘Aladanza’; I’ve been playing it for some time and it is always a bomb on the dance floor. It brings a great uplifting energy to the floor, the groove is just undeniable, this one is a DJ friendly track for sure and I know it will be in many playlists very soon.
EG: There’s a really powerful message behind ‘Mind Game’. Can you tell us more about it and how ‘Mind Game’ came to be?
Brian Cid: Mind Game came from a voice note by my good friend Diego Dorothy. It was such a deep and powerful message that I thought the world needed to hear it, so I took the message and turned it into a track.
I envisioned a gritty vibe of haunting drums and big electric guitar fused with synths. I did not edit the message, it’s as is on the track. Just created space between the phrases. It all worked very smoothly and there it is. It’s time to reconnect to ourselves because it’s the only way to change the world. It starts through us.
“The music has to speak as loud as the message and it needs to add drama to its life”
EG: And what was the process of turning a “message” into a music track like? How does one choose the elements that best convey that message?
Brian Cid: The music has to speak as loud as the message and it needs to add drama to its life. Very different from writing for a movie where the picture is the one that supports the words; when you write to spoken word, the music needs to be the support, so it needs to be as powerful as the message itself. It needs to compliment it, like an eye-to-eye conversation. The drums create the heartbeat and the instruments set the tone of the message, it gives emphasis to the punch lines.
EG: This release also heralds DISTRIKT Sound’s first foray into the more progressive side of electronica. What does DISTRIKT Sound mean to you?
Brian Cid: It’s a big honor to have been part of the DISTRIKT family for many years, one of the biggest, oldest, and most respected music camps in Burning Man. I’ve been playing in various events with them in and out of the playa.
As soon as Ben Seagren opened the label, he had the idea to have a more melodic side to it, so he reached out and asked me to prepare something special. I wanted it to reflect the camp’s vibe and I wanted to come with a message that I knew would reach thousands of people in the burner community. So, I made these two tracks catered to the big DISTRIKT Sound in my own original style.
EG: By the way, you also celebrated the release of ‘Mind Game’ last week in DC’s Flash. What was that particular experience like? What would you like for the listeners to take away from this EP?
Brian Cid: Flash has one of the best sound systems in the US, so it was the perfect setting for it, plus the crew and the people that go there know their stuff. Proper venue. We had a great night, the vibes were on fire. I played a set full of originals including a big batch of my new unreleased music. The response was superb, better than expected. When I dropped Mind Game the record was able to transform the room and get everybody into a deep hypnotizing state. The message was loud and clear.
The purpose of my music is always to empower people with uplifting energy and a deep accompanying story. It gets one to connect deeper within and hopefully cause a positive change in you.
EG: Now, on to one of those hot current subjects…What’s your stance on AI? Do you see it driving the scene forward or is this one of those innovations that just take us backwards? Has any form of AI been applied in your recent productions?
Brian Cid: I think of AI as an expansion of our collective consciousness as humans. I believe it should not be looked at as a threat, but instead as a way to get closer to a higher consciousness as part of our evolution. When used correctly it gives us access to a new world. It will also create new challenges, but this should be looked at as part of our growth as humans.
In my recent productions, I have experimented a bit with extracting the stems of some old records and sampling them. It’s fun, but the AI sound is not great yet. Too many artifacts. I know of many interesting AI-infused projects at the moment that can actually bring positive change to this fast-paced world.
“I think of AI as an expansion of our collective consciousness as humans”
EG: Finally, what can we expect from Brian Cid in the next months? Where can your fans catch you playing live next?
Brian Cid: I will be releasing a lot of the great music I’ve been working on in the past year, expanding my sound a bit more. Trying different things, keeping it fun and interesting for me. We will also be building a tour around it. In the next few months, I will be back in the US and hopefully South America soon. We will announce the details.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Brian! We wish you all the best for the future. Take care!
Brian Cid: Thank you, always a pleasure and proud of what you are all doing. Big hugs!
Brian Cid’s ‘Mind Game’ is now available. Stream and download here.
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