Botany

Despite issuing only a modest number of recordings, Texas-born producer Spencer Stephenson, operating as Botany, has traversed an expansive range of sonic territory. His pieces blend live instrumentation with weathered samples, drawing foundational approaches from hip-hop and rhythm-driven electronic forms while also nodding toward spiritual jazz, psychedelic folk, ambient music, and further strains. The results shift between the propulsive, beat-driven selections of his 2013 album Lava Diviner (Truestory) and the unbound, atmospheric textures of 2016’s Deepak Verbera, yet remain consistently reflective, affirmative, and rooted in natural elements.

Hailing from northern Texas, Stephenson began exploring production techniques during his teenage years under the influence of Four Tet, Madlib, J Dilla, and comparable figures. He commenced posting material online in 2008, leading to the 2010 release of his debut EP Feeling Today on the Austin label Western Vinyl; that comparatively accessible set included vocals from Ashley Rathburn. Botany also supplied remixes for Ryat and Cuushe while contributing a track to Lushlife’s 2012 album Plateau Vision. Following a move to a farm outside Austin, Stephenson completed his first full-length effort, Lava Diviner (Truestory), issued in 2013. The 2015 limited-edition LP Dimming Awe, the Light Is Raw ranks among Botany’s most hip-hop-focused outings and features appearances by rapper Milo and Leaving Records founder Matthewdavid.

Botany’s 2016 album Deepak Verbera ventured unexpectedly into cosmic and free-jazz realms, evoking the work of Alice Coltrane and Popol Vuh. A digital counterpart to Dimming Awe titled Raw Light II surfaced in 2017. Stephenson and Lushlife subsequently formed the duo the Skull Eclipses, which introduced itself with the track “Totality Piece” featuring Mary Lattimore; the pair’s self-titled debut appeared in 2018 and was followed by the limited, primarily instrumental cassette Penumbras. Botany resurfaced in 2020 with the half-hour ambient composition “Fourteen 45 Tails” and the sketch-oriented EP Phone Ideas. Later that year the full-length End the Summertime F(or)ever arrived, a psychedelic assembly of beats that incorporates elements of house and new age.