Meet Matthew Burns in this week’s #IDSpotlight!
Name: Matthew Burns
Rave Name: Grizz
Age: 32
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Current City: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Database Administrator
Facebook: Matthew Burns
What was your first electronic music event?
Dada Life at Echostage in, Washington D.C. back in August of 2015
What/who influenced you to attend your first event?
Friends at work who were into the whole raver culture, so I went along to check it out!
What is one moment from an event that was special and why?
Probably EDC Las Vegas 2016. It was my first massive and it was EDC’s 20th Anniversary. Man, I wish I could describe the feelings I had as I walked through the gates. As the day turned to night, all the lights came on, the stages came alive and the speedway got packed.
It was so surreal actually BEING there after planning for months and months and watching a bunch of sets on YouTube. The fireworks were insane.The highlight of that day was definitely Eric Prydz’s set at circuitGROUNDS and the opening ceremony at kineticFIELD.
What is your favorite festival or event?
EDC Las Vegas, hands down.
What is your favorite electronic song and why?
I think it would have to be Above & Beyond – We’re All We Need. Having listened to only Daft Punk, deadmau5, Infected Mushroom, Fatboy Slim, and Pretty Lights in the electronic music sphere before, this one was completely different. I discovered it in their EDC Las Vegas 2015 live set and it was the song they opened with.
After watching that set and seeing what a party EDC was, I knew I had to go anytime that I could in the future. Right after I got back from my first Dada Life show a few weeks after watching Above & Beyond’s EDC set, I booked my hotel room in Vegas. This set, combined with actually experiencing an electronic music show and seeing what everyone was raving about (sorry, pun intended), I was hooked and the rest was history.
This song and their set changed my “music life”, and I’ve been a fan of theirs ever since listening to all of their songs going way back to Tri-State and all the way up to their newest tracks and albums.
Who are your favorite artists?
Oh man, I could write a book here. I love all kinds of genres of electronic music and am not a genre snob by any means.
My favorites are: Eric Prydz (Pryda & Cirez D, as well), Above & Beyond, Illenium, Porter Robinson, Louis the Child, Tycho, Daft Punk, Deadmau5 (and testpilot), Carl Cox, Lane 8, Seven Lions, Jason Ross, Ilan Bluestone, Andrew Bayer, Mat Zo, Pretty Lights, Dada Life, Kaskade, Rufus Du Sol, Cosmic Gate, Deorro, Solomun, Gesaffelstein, Madeon, Fatboy Slim, Richie Hawtin, Nicole Moudaber, Luttrell, San Holo, JOYRYDE, Rezz, Cubicolor, Moon Boots, Feed Me, What So Not, RL Grime, Flux Pavilion, Infected Mushroom, Justice, Kill The Noise, MGMT, The Glitch Mob, Swedish House Mafia.
What are your favorite genres?
Again, I like a lot of different genres. Electro House, Deep House, Progressive House, Techno, Trance, Dubstep, Drum & Bass, Tech House, Psy Trance, Glitch, UK Garage House, whatever genre REZZ falls into, some Trap.
What do you feel your “Identity” is in the electronic music community?
I feel like I am a warm and welcoming person at shows and always extrude good vibes. Lots of people come up and talk to me because I’m usually just chilling and vibing and doing my own style of “dancing”. I call it the bear blob.
In addition to my show persona, I also moderate the /r/electricdaisycarnival subreddit on Reddit, as well as the corresponding Facebook group. I’m an old head, so I love to plan everything out, especially my EDC trips, so I love sharing tips and tricks with those communities as well as help out people find information, discover new artists, or answer questions about the festival or electronic music in general.
I love raver culture, my only regret is that I discovered it later in my life, so I’m trying to make the most of it while my kids are still little!
Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself for the readers?
I am proof that there is still a future for raving after you get married and have kids! I have a wonderful support system, and my parents are awesome and supportive of what I do in my free time, as is my wonderful wife.
She’s even come with me to a couple of shows and is now hooked on several of the artists that we’ve gone to see! I’m always positive in nature and a very laid back kind of dude, so if you see me at EDC Vegas or any shows out on the East Coast, come say what’s up!
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