Butter
When I first met Brian Thomas, I mistook him for Brazilian. Afterall, in the darkness of Vegas Club on Rua Augusta in Sao Paulo, Brian’s soul spoke before he did. The universal language in this case? Music, of course, uniting what I later discovered were his very North American roots with his South American audience.
Fast forward to a few months later when Brian is sitting down with us in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, explaining what very much sounds like the work of DJ turned savant. With a sharp ear for smooth sounds and an insatiable curiosity, Brian Thomas, better known as Butter, serves as a musical curator on the on the dancefloor and through the speakers, his live sets and mixes literally coming alive and becoming more complex as they unfold. Though somewhat of a nomad, having lived in various locations in California, traveled around the world, and more recently set his feet in New York, Brian brings his travels with him in his sets, which boast music from all around the world (one example: his mix was slightly delayed because some of the records he wanted to use were stuck in customs).
Though he presently works as a graphic designer by day, he never deserted his musical background. Having begun dabbling in DJing at an early age, Brian was initially influenced by DJs in local clubs, but his taste and style soon matured. Now citing producers like Giles Peterson and Theo Parrish as inspiration and managing a rotating music/art collective called The Mixtape Club, Brian sets out with the ultimate goal of letting tracks talk to one another, songs from the present hinting at times long past. In terms of time, his musical wisdom far surpasses the age indicated by the birthdate on his license. With a pension for vinyl, the patience to listen deeply, and the skill to put out mixes so smooth they can make you melt, Brian lives up to his moniker.
So take a moment and come with us to find out What’s Good? in our exclusive interview with Butter:
What’s Good? Butter (Exclusive Interview)
(click to play; click the small arrow on the right to download)
The background mix for this interview was created exclusively for Retail DJ by Butter. The tracklist can be found below:
- Retail DJ
Tags: ammoncontact, bob sinclar, brian thomas, butter, cesaria evora, fatima, floating points, giles peterson, linkwood, maayan nidam, moodymann, osborne, pepe bradock, phantom lover, recloose, sao paulo, swede:art, theo parrish, vegas club, vegas club sp, young-holt unlimited
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