DeForrest Brown, Jr.

DeForrest Brown, Jr. is an Alabama-raised, Ex-American rhythmanalyst, writer, musician, and curator. His written works focus on a diagnostic exploration of electronic music through considerations of applied metaphilosophy. His current research, Rhythmanalytics, investigates electronic music through “techno-vernacular expression,” while seeking to construct a myth-scientific modal logic informed by his experiences of synesthesia and cross-disciplinary practice. Under the name Speaker Music, he has released a series of albums on Planet Mu, culminating in Synoptic Audio (2026).

Brown’s debut book, Assembling a Black Counter Culture, was released by Primary Information in 2022. The book traces the history of techno through the history of Black experiences in industrialized labor systems, repositioning the genre as a form of Black musical and cultural production. In 2023, he co-curated HOPE, an international group exhibition presented by Museion Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Bolzano-Bozen as the final installment of the TECHNO HUMANITIES trilogy.

He has presented work at the Venice Biennale Musica, Somerset House, and Rewire Festival, among other international institutions and festivals. Brown has also taught courses and lectured widely, including at Simon Fraser University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and the School for Poetic Computation.