Catching up with Brannan Lane

chitrarecordings
4 hours ago
4 min read

Brannan Lane has been producing ambient music for over two decades. He is a very prolific musician and producer. It’s hard to imagine anyone in the ambient genre who hasn’t come across his work in some way or another. Brannan has released a plethora of solo albums, EPs, and singles, as well as collaborations with artists in all ranges of the ambient genre.

One of the goals of the “Catching up” interview series is to put a personality behind these artists, find out who they are, and what inspires them. Whether they show up on a playlist, on social media, or inspire fans to purchase everything they release, artists in the ambient genre can sometimes be overlooked. To the casual listener, ambient music seems easy to produce. In actuality, proper ambient music is a much more difficult genre to produce than many people think. Musical movement, subtleties, and nuances are what make the genre what it is, and no one does it better than Brannan Lane.

I wanted to know more than the basics of his discography. I wanted to learn more about this ambient composer. Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss a number of topics about life, music, and the future with Brannan. I hope you will enjoy a deeper dive with Brannan Lane.

Derek: First, let me say “thank you” for taking the time to answer some questions. Let’s start with some basics.

Thank you, Derek, for asking me to do this. I’m flattered.

Can you tell us where you are from?

I’m from Tennessee. I was born and raised just outside of Nashville.

Many people may not know this, but you are also a drummer. When did you become interested in music in general?

I’m from a family of musicians. I’m the youngest. I’ve made a living playing drums for over 40 years. The best gigs I ever had were playing on the Grand Ole Opry from 1987 to 2000. A few years later, I moved to Austin, TX. Then, three years ago, I moved to Pensacola, FL, to get more beach time. I only play once, maybe twice a week now, instead of 20 to 25 gigs a month. If you go to my Facebook page (or as my wife calls it MyFace), there are some videos of me playing with different Rock and Blues artists from Austin. Big shows, small shows, etc.

What was your first instrument?

Piano. I started taking lessons at a young age. I’m so glad I did, as it gave me a nice base to learn about music in general. Music theory, human emotions... If you can convey an emotion through music, then that is what music is all about. Right?

How did ambient music come into the picture for you?

I was listening to some World music on some New Age radio programs that also played ambient music. I loved it. I started listening to it more and recording it. I think my first album was Troposphere. Shortly after that, I met Tony Gerber. His record label was Space for Music out of Nashville. Shout out to Tony! I hope you are doing well!

And now I’m here with you, Derek. Thank you, sir, for your support and friendship.

I see from your bio that you’ve composed for Dateline NBC, Spike TV, Outdoor Channel. How did these come about? Can you tell us about that experience?

Most of the TV show stuff they used music that was already recorded by me. They found it online and started paying me to use it. Sony Music contacted me online too, and asked me to submit four short Ambient/EDM songs to them. So I did, and they bought two of the four songs from me. I asked them what they were going to do with them, and they told me they would use them in Sony PlayStation games. I asked which ones? They said they didn’t know that it would be determined later. I never found out. LOL

Where do you find inspiration for your music?

Everything I see, hear, feel, or smell. But mostly how something makes me feel. It could be from music or some other experience. For example, sailing across the water on a beautiful day. That’s a feeling.

What is your “go-to” studio gear? What hardware, Synths, VSTs can you not live without?

For reverb, I still love the Valhalla Supermassive a lot. It has huge reverb and delays that are excellent for ambient soundscapes.

How has the music scene changed for you as an artist since you’ve been releasing music?

Well, back when I started, you had to chisel your albums out of stone and then transport them on the backs of dinosaurs to your local record stores. LOL

I think it may be easier now because of one thing: the internet. The internet changed independent record labels. It gave us a better chance to be seen and heard, just like the major music labels (UMG, SME, and WMG).

Can you share with us future plans or upcoming projects you are excited about?

The future plan is to make better music for myself and others. That’s it. Pretty boring. LOL

Finally, to end on a not-so-deep topic. What are your five “desert island albums”?

I’m going to go with some classics. I get to pick five? I like to listen to different genres, so I’m going to with 5 different genres. The winners are…