Spencer Brown has spent the past half-decade as one of progressive house’s most dependable names — a regular on Anjunadeep and Anjunabeats whose productions trade in the sort of euphoric, melody-first dance music built for festival main stages. With I Was Too Young for 90s Raves, his debut for Insomniac’s Factory 93 Records, he turns his attention backwards, channelling the rush of a decade he was, by his own admission, too young to experience first-hand.
The EP wears its concept lightly, and the opener sets the tone. Thanks, Guy locks into a rolling four-to-the-floor groove with a chunky, well-rounded bassline, while airy stabs and soaring pads reference the hands-in-the-air rave breakdowns of the era without ever slipping into pastiche. It’s the sound of someone who grew up on the aftermath of the 90s rather than the decade itself — affectionate, well-studied and filtered through the clean, modern production values Brown has made his own.
I Was Too Young for 90s Raves was Spencer Brown's debut for Factory 93 Records.
ID v14 (w/ Raito) sees him link up with French producer Raito, and the pairing makes perfect sense — Raito’s harder-edged take on warehouse techno drags the record towards the floor, all driving percussion, squelching acid touches and urgent, looped melody. It’s the most energetic moment here, the pair’s contrasting styles meshing into something that feels properly peak-time without losing the EP’s melodic thread.
Title track I Was Too Young For 90s Raves closes the record in fittingly sentimental fashion. Stretched, resonant chords wash over a patient groove across its seven-plus minutes, the drums receding to let the pads carry the emotional weight before the kick returns for one final surge. It’s a celebration of the rave dream refracted through memory, and it lands beautifully. A confident, well-crafted debut for Factory 93 — and a reminder that the best nostalgia is the kind that looks forward.
