Carmel Valley-based DJ The Real Blue creates a relaxed, melancholy atmosphere through sound.

Music and Monterey County are in many ways synonymous. There are big events representing jazz, classical and reggae. In the past, fans similarly gathered for blues, rock and folk festivals. National touring acts perform almost nightly at area venues.

Newer venues Compact Disco, with its house and dance music, and Pop & Hiss with its regular DJ lineup, do much to support this broad genre, but electronica – especially alternative/indie – is still the least represented type of music in the county.

Carmel Valley-based producer Brendan Browne, aka The Real Blue, is one of the local artists poised to change that. His recently released EP, Goodbye Gravity, has been featured on numerous notable Spotify playlists.

His music can be described as R&B-inspired moody downtempo, where creating a certain atmosphere is the main goal. The instrumentation – samples, added guitar or keyboards – is just the means to achieve it.

“I make music I want to listen to,” says Browne, who previously went by DJ Blue. The effect is chill and slightly melancholic, as tracks such as “Any Closer” or “Psycho” prove.

Originally from Boston, Browne has been living in Carmel Valley for 11 years, getting more and more serious about his lifelong passion. He was always involved with music, from being part of a hip-hop group in high school to playing guitar in college. While living in San Francisco, he started to explore the DJ arts, experimenting with a number of styles, from trip hop to downtempo.

“It was a super welcoming community,” he says about the DJs he learned from and who one day offered for him to fill an empty slot.

That’s how The Real Blue came to be. With time Browne became curious how the music he played was being made. He bought the software and learned how to work with samples and create beats.

Goodbye Gravity is not the first project he released. It is, however, certainly the one that best illustrates where he is in his journey. Compared to his earlier work, the music is richer, with more vocal depth and layered instrumentation.

“Living in Carmel Valley has greatly influenced my sound and approach,” he says, praising cool evening fog creeping over the Santa Lucia Mountains into the Valley and stargazing on a clear night as sources of inspiration.