ELI BROWN | ADE EDITION

Eli Brown is not just another name in techno; he is a phenomenon that reshaped the mainstage sound without losing the grit of the underground. Born in Bristol and forged in the city’s moody drum and bass legacy, he came onto the global radar in 2016 with a raw, visceral style that carried the edge of the UK underground straight into the world’s biggest arenas. Today, he stands as one of the most-streamed techno artists alive, with over 300 million plays, millions of monthly listeners, and support from titans such as Carl Cox, Calvin Harris, and Adam Beyer. However, the real story is even deeper: two decades of evolution, relentless work, and an obsession with pushing techno to new heights.

From basements to Coachella, Tomorrowland, and even The Sphere in Las Vegas, Brown has turned every stage into a case study in scale. His sets are crafted with precision but delivered with instinct, always carrying that dark intensity that made him stand out in the first place. Now, as he prepares for his Me Gusta tour across Latin America, he reflects on the passion of those crowds, the cultural spark that inspired collaborations with GeezLy, and the unique energy that cities like Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Lima bring to his performances.

His journey has always been shaped by outside influences, from the early days of Bristol’s drum and bass pioneers, such as Roni Size, to the global collaborations that now define his catalog. Brown trusts instinct first, tests everything on the dancefloor, and only allows the sharpest five percent of his productions to see the light of day. This method has delivered some of techno’s most viral anthems, from 'Believe' to 'Wavey', while also shaping the identity of his label, Arcane, now one of the most prominent techno imprints in the world.

But Eli Brown is more than a producer, more than a DJ, more than a label head. He sees Arcane as a cultural bridge, a place where underground credibility meets global ambition. He uses fashion and visuals as an extension of his artistry, keeping mystery alive in an era of overexposure. And above all, he is driven by the same fire that lit him up as a teenager discovering Leftfield, The Prodigy, and Orbital: a belief that techno can constantly evolve, and that the most rewarding feedback is when someone says they didn’t even know they liked techno until they heard him play.

From Bristol basements to The Sphere in Las Vegas, Eli Brown’s trajectory is a case study in how to scale without losing identity. For many artists, the big stage dilutes the sound. For Eli, it’s a challenge worth embracing.

“That’s the joy of being a DJ, being able to play different places and different crowds. Each requires a slightly different approach, whilst still trying to retain what I’m all about as a DJ. There’s definitely a lot of planning that goes into my sets, searching for music, making edits, thinking about the show flow, etc, but I live for this and it’s something that I’m always thinking about.”

That constant recalibration has carried him into Latin America, where he launches the Me Gusta tour through Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. For Eli, the region is defined by something more potent than trends: passion.

“That’s what I love about Latin America, dancing is in people’s DNA, and they know how to enjoy themselves. I thrive off that energy, and it’s one of my favourite places to come in the world as a result. I love the people, the food, and the culture. I’m from the UK and coming to Latin America makes me feel really far from home, but in a good way, as I enjoy soaking up new cultures.”

Travelling doesn’t just feed his sets, it pushes their limits. In Ecuador, at the legendary Lost Beach Club, Eli was stretched into marathon territory.

“Travelling to me is inspiring; the sights and sounds of different places and cultures fill me with excitement, and I’m always trying to capture that and take it home to the studio. I wouldn’t say I’ve been somewhere in particular that has made me shift the way I play, my fans come to see me, and kind of know what they are going to get. However, I’ve definitely played some of the longest sets I’ve ever played whilst being in Latin America. Places like Lost Beach Club in Ecuador pride themselves on pushing DJs out of their comfort zone to play longer and more diverse sets. I played over 8 hours whenever I’ve been there, and it’s always fun, and the crowd’s energy really keeps you going.”

Those longform sets opened a door to riskier ideas. His collaborations with GeezLy on Papi and Me Gusta fused Latin rhythms with heavy techno, daring moves in a culture that doesn’t always welcome hybrids.

“I love the idea of merging sounds and cultures and seeing what comes out. As producers, we can often play it safe, but that’s not me. I’m looking to shape and move genres, and looking at other cultures feels like an exciting way to do this. The Latin community supports me, and I felt it was a natural progression to work with artists from that world. GeezLy is insanely talented and a pleasure to work with, and I’m most certainly keen to explore more collaborations in this space.”

This appetite for cross-pollination is not a new phenomenon. It traces back to Bristol, to the shadowy drum & bass rooms where Eli first learned that music didn’t need to be polite to move bodies.

“I can’t help the way my musical journey has developed. Bristol, where I grew up, was, and still is, so heavily rooted in drum and bass. When I was going out to clubs early on, it was dark, moody, and raw. This attitude definitely still inspires my music to date. Sometimes I wish it didn’t, but equally, I think it gives me a unique perspective, as there aren't many people in the techno space who have come from the drum and bass world. I think music, as a whole, develops and evolves due to outside influences; everyone’s backstory is different, which provides a unique perspective on things; I think that's great. If we all did the same thing, life would be pretty boring, right?”

That refusal to play it safe also defines his production process. Each sound is tested by instinct, stripped to its essentials: does it move you, and is it memorable?

“My process of making music involves what feeling it invokes in me. I trust my judgement and try not to overthink it. I make club music, so the first thing is: does it make me want to dance? Secondly, I try to think of it from a raver’s point of view. For example, if I were standing on the dance floor, how would I distinguish this track from the many others that are played that night? Fundamentally, what makes this track memorable? My tracks will then go through a lengthy testing process, often six months of me playing them, and it’s only really the top 5 percent that cut.”

That discipline extends to Arcane, his label, now the world's second-largest techno imprint. What began as a home for his own releases has become something bigger, a community that reflects his own hybrid vision.

“It’s been a very organic process, mainly set up for my own music, but it’s evolved to bring other artists through. I’m trying to push the genre forward in all aspects of what I do, and this is also true for the label. I’m heavily involved in A&R and signings, and I think it’s this attention to detail that has seen the label grow. I have strong ambitions for the label. Musically, I feel we sit in a nice place, somewhere between dark tech house and techno, which is a reflection of my DJ sets. We are building a solid collection of artists; for example, Marie Vaunt, Victor Ruiz, and Jay Lumen are helping push the sound forward. And we are now moving into the event space, which is super exciting following our big Miami Music Week takeover at Factory Town last March.”

But as Arcane expands, Eli insists the only compass he follows is his own instinct.

“I don’t think too heavily about it, my process for signing music and releasing my own is will it fit in my DJ sets and does it excite me, it really is that simple. Obviously, we want every release to be a success, but I feel if it’s working well when I play it out, then it has a fairly good chance at being successful.”

Even fashion is part of the story. Eli’s 90s rave DNA runs through not only the music but his aesthetic choices, from futurist styles to an insistence on mystery in an age of overexposure.

“Yeah, fashion and music have always gone hand in hand for me. I was super inspired by 90s rave music, which influenced my style growing up. It’s no different now. I enjoy futuristic styles and new, exciting designers who fit the aesthetic of the music I create and play. I don’t do any spoken interviews; it’s a choice I’ve made to maintain a sense of mystery and anonymity, something I feel is lost in today’s culture. However, to convey my personality, I like my sense of style, fashion, and music to really reflect what I’m all about.”

Looking ahead, his drive remains untouchable. For Eli, it’s about breaking boundaries, not settling, and opening doors for people who never thought they’d find themselves in techno.

“Fundamentally, I love this shit, I live and breathe dance music culture and have done since I was like 10 years old when I first discovered Leftfield, the Prodigy, Orbital, and the Chemical Brothers. Throughout this interview, you can sense that I’m always moving forward and evolving. I cannot stay still, driven constantly to find inspiration; I don’t think this will ever stop. When it does, maybe it’s time to stop, but that won’t be anytime soon. I’m on a mission to push techno into new places and open it up to people who may not even think they like techno. That’s one of the most powerful, rewarding things I hear from people when they say I didn’t know I liked techno until I heard you DJ, or one of your tracks.”

Eli Brown embodies the paradox of contemporary techno: an artist who commands the world’s largest stages while remaining rooted in the subcultural grit of Bristol. His trajectory illustrates not only the globalization of techno but also its capacity for continual reinvention through personal history, cultural cross-pollination, and aesthetic discipline. What distinguishes Brown is not his ability to conform to spectacle but his insistence on preserving the raw intensity of his sound within it.

The expansion of Arcane and his collaborations across Latin America signal a broader vision, one that views techno as a porous form, open to hybridization and cultural dialogue without surrendering its identity. Brown’s process, grounded in instinct yet refined through rigorous testing, reveals an approach closer to artistic research than mere production. In this sense, his work can be read as both sonic experimentation and cultural intervention, challenging the industry’s cycles of homogeneity and disposability.

Even fashion, often dismissed as peripheral, becomes, in his hands, an extension of artistic authorship, a semiotic layer that complements his refusal of transparency in interviews. By curating not only sound but also image and narrative, Brown asserts techno as a total cultural form, one that exceeds the dance floor while remaining inseparable from it.

Ultimately, his declaration “Fundamentally I love this shit, I live and breathe dance music culture” is more than effective rhetoric. It is a thesis: that love, rigorously applied, is itself a method of innovation. Eli Brown’s project is therefore not simply to entertain but to expand techno’s epistemic boundaries, ensuring its relevance for audiences who may not yet even recognize themselves within it.