Sean Branton returns to his own Oberres Records imprint with ‘State of Mind’ EP: two tracks of progressive, melodic house heavy on quality and packed full of emotional punch.
Over the past few years, Sean Branton has released on a slew of leading labels including Hot Creations, Swerve, fryhide, and W&O Street Tracks. His music is always meticulously produced and incredibly impactful, with an emphasis on gorgeous, swelling synths and patient progression, resulting in dancefloor-focussed cuts that are never anything short of breathtaking.
After a short break from production, Sean is now back on the label he founded in 2019, Oberres Records. Both tracks on his new ‘State of Mind’ EP are superb: expansive, melodic house cuts with intricate drum programming, memorable hooks, and breakdowns of truly epic proportions.
We caught up with Sean Branton to talk about his latest projects and the new ‘State of Mind’ EP.
Electronic Groove: Hi, Sean, it’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How are you doing? How have you coped these past few months? We know things are starting to look up a bit in the UK. What’s the situation like now?
Sean Branton: Hello there, thank you very much for having me. I am well, thank you. It’s been a strange time for everyone. There has been a lot of re-adjusting and time to think, this has been a positive step in music, I believe. Time to focus on music and put everything into it. It’s good to see the UK Government is taking steps to open things back up.
Electronic Groove: Let’s dive right into your background. Did you grow up in London/Brighton? What were your first interactions with electronic music like? Was it something you had ‘easy access’ to?
Sean Branton: I grew up in a small town between London and Brighton, so I’ve had easy access to both of the cities. They both have a great music culture so I was always able to experience their nightlife from an early age. From around the age of 17, I first stumbled into The End, London, and the rest is history from there.
Electronic Groove: And production-wise? When did that itch come about? How did it all start for you as a producer?
Sean Branton: First and full most I am a DJ first and I love DJing. I love making music and have done since I was young, I always need a creative outlet. It’s my release and escape and keeps me sane. I don’t think there is anything that gives me more fulfillment than making music for people to enjoy.
Electronic Groove: And now you even run your own label, Oberres Records. Why did you decide you’d set up your label? What inspired the name, and aspects of the brand did you pay the most attention to?
Sean Branton: So Oberres Records started life as a party in Brighton, we threw parties at The Arch & Patterns along the seafront. Naturally, we progressed to a record label, we just wanted an outlet to put our music out there, it was a slow steady burn and we were focused on making music. The parties were always successful and that’s when we decided to turn it into a label. We always want the quality to be there so we don’t want to release unnecessary music, the quality has to be there.
“I love making music and have done since I was young”.
Electronic Groove: How would you define the Oberres Records sound? What are the next steps for the label?
Sean Branton: The Oberres sounds is all things electronic music, house, melodic techno. If it’s good we will put it out there, but it has to have emotion, and it has to have meaning and give you a feeling, We will continue to grow but as I said, it needs to feel right and not rushed. We are always listening and experimenting with new music.
Electronic Groove: Now you’re set to release your ‘State Of Mind’ EP. Can you tell us more about it and its meaning? It does feel like you’re exploring a bit of a different direction on this one compared to some of your previous releases. Do you feel the same way about them?
Sean Branton: I am always exploring new sounds and my music is quite diverse, I think you can see that with my catalog of music. ‘State Of Mind’ comes from an experience where I worked with an amazing live quartet. I used live parts of the recording with them. I never want to be put down to one specific sound, I enjoy exploring.
Electronic Groove: How did you go about these two new songs, creatively speaking? Do you follow certain processes in the studio? Or does each track demand a completely different process? Would you consider yourself a gearhead? Or do you do most of your work ‘inside the box’?
Sean Branton: Yes, I have a few processes but I try not to always follow them as I try to be as creative as possible. Sometimes I like to start with a synth for a lead string/pads and build a track around that or I might just start with my drums. In order to let creativity flow you need to be open to trying new things and trying different equipment, etc. I do a lot of my work in Logic since plug-ins are so good now, but I still use my hardware a lot, so a bit of both.
Electronic Groove: How do you feel about the concept of ‘finding your own sound’? Do you think there is such a thing? Or are we just constantly changing as individuals, and thus, our sound?
Sean Branton: I think when you listen to some artist, you straight away go ‘that’s one of their tunes’…there are so many artists like that. For me, personally, I still feel like I am developing my own sounds. I appreciate this takes time, and I have another alias I have been working on, which I feel passionate about as I believe this shows me under a different light and explores my sound. It a specific niche sound and I am focused on keeping it that way. But for Sean Branton, it’s very diverse, selective and that’s maybe from years of djing that I am able to bring these sounds from different places. I do believe when you get to a certain age though your sound becomes more set in stone, but this develops over time and with age.
“I still feel like I am developing my own sounds”.
Electronic Groove: So, what’s in store for Sean Branton for the rest of the year? Do you have anything lined up for when things go back to ‘normal’? Do you think they will?
Sean Branton: I’m always an optimist so I’m confident it will, it’s just going to take some time and I’m not 100% sure how that will look over the next 6 months. But when restrictions ease, we want to throw more parties and bring the people together again. In the short term for me, it’s to release as much music as possible, getting back into the clubs, and having the support of the people. As ever, remain positive and stay focused!
Electronic Groove: Thank you for your time, Sean! We wish you all the best!
Sean Branton: Wicked, thanks so much for having me, and good luck for the rest of the year. Look forward to catching up again soon!
Sean Branton’s new EP ‘Unbalance’ is out now in Oberres Records. Grab your copy here.
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