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Interviews

Griff chats the art of the DJ set, the promise of new music and the pull of the world’s biggest festivals

When it comes to the DJ and festival circuit, Griff is about as well-versed as it gets. The Aussie producer has spent years taking his enriching sets and engulfing tunes around the planet, crafting crowd euphoria wherever he treads.

With new music and the homegrown desert festival Wide Open Space on the horizon, we caught up with the globetrotting selector for the latest.

griff tunes wide open space festival

A true-born disc jockey who blasts out some of the most moving sets in the country, Griff is far from your average EDM selector.

HAPPY: Hey, how are you doing? What are you up to at the moment?

GRIFF: I’m doing really well. Apart from participating in this interview I’m re-stringing a guitar to do some recording with. It’s an old, super cheap classical acoustic that I absolutely love. I’m also doing some pre- production for an album with my side project Dersu Uzala and some mixing for my other side project Scoville95.

HAPPY: It’s been a while since you last released some music. What have you been doing in that time?

GRIFF: Yeah, it’s been two years since my last album. I’d like to say that I’ve been spending the entire time working on other music, but in reality, I’ve only really been doing that over the past 12 months or so. I did a lot of travelling last year, playing shows in Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal and all around Australia.

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HAPPY: You’ve played at some of the most famous festivals in the world, have any stood out as a particular favourite?

GRIFF: There’s never one ultimate favourite festival. The ones closest to my heart are generally the ones that I get to attend with my closest friends, so Rainbow Serpent is always special for that. Shambhala Music Festival in Canada has got the most mind blowing production aesthetics and generally a lineup that I can get hyped about. I guess Burning Man always stands out as the most ridiculous testament to the amazing creativity of our species.

HAPPY: Your sets really stand out to me as this almost physical journey, they’re quite moving at times. What’s the most important part about curating a set to you?

GRIFF: Well thanks. I think I set out years ago to try and create music that is somewhere in the middle of dance music and chill music, so that people can choose their own adventure. I like to have a lot of dynamic, melodic and tempo variation in my sets and my music in general.

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HAPPY: A lot of electronic artists are shying away from LPs at the moment, but you don’t seem to think the same way. Do you still think the album has a place in the modern dance scene?

GRIFF: All of my favourite artists and sources of inspiration in the musical world still release albums. I think it’s a much more interesting story to tell if it’s a bit longer. Gives more of a chance for twists and turns. Albums are so much work, but in the end, it’s far more satisfying to present, for me anyway.

HAPPY: Any tips as to what we can expect from your set at Wide Open Space this month?

GRIFF: New music I’ve been working on! In terms of a physical journey, I hope to start on the stage and end up by the swimming pool, though I’m not sure I’ll be able to make that happen. Gotta aim high.

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HAPPY: Any other artists you’re looking forward to seeing on that lineup?

GRIFF: So many! Chimpo (never seen him before), Plutonic Lab (just phenomenal productions skills), Wonqi Rose (always a wicked selection of beats across the bass spectrum) and Karadajala Kirri-Darra (saw this fantastic group at Golden Plains Festival a few weeks ago and I think my eyes might have leaked a bit).

HAPPY: Lastly, can we expect any new music on the horizon?

GRIFF: Most definitely. I have a number of albums in various stages of production and a heaps of collaborations also in the pipeline. Bit off more than I could ever chew, so now i’m just going to keep chewing.

 

Wide Open Space Festival 2017 is from 28 – 30 April. Grab your tickets on their website.