Gryffin Announces First-Ever Live Dates, Talks Transition to Multi-Instrumental Act: Exclusive

The Hype Machine remix warrior is ready to bring his skills to the stage.

After racking up millions plays on official remixes for the likes of Tove Lo, Maroon 5, and Years & Years, New York producer Gryffin is taking the leap to live performance.

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The classically trained pianist and guitarist-- born Dan Griffin -- today (Oct. 21) announced his first three live dates at Snowglobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Los Angeles' The Roxy and New York's Bowery Ballroom, where he'll be unveiling the new live setup that has kept him sidelined from DJing for more than a year.

With forthcoming originals slated for release on Darkroom/Interscope Records, new material figures to play a significant role in the show. On the eve of the announce, Gryffin caught up with Billboard Dance to discuss the transition and his return to the road.

Why did you make the decision to focus on building a live set? Was it difficult?

I really wanted to focus on bringing the integrity of a live show to the electronic music I make.  Most of the instrumentation (guitars, keyboard, synths) that are featured on my tracks are direct-lined into the projects, so I feel the best way to capture and showcase my music will be with a live show.   It wasn’t a difficult decision, but it’s certainly a tougher road to go down in terms of preparation and performance.

What does your live set entail?

Without revealing too much, it will incorporate live instrumentation, but in a more continuous dance mix format to keep up the energy that is usually characteristic in DJ sets.  It will feature a lot of my favorite remixes, as well as unreleased music and upcoming songs to be released next year. 

What does your live show represent for you as an artist?

I think the live show for me really represents my passion and love for musicianship and artistry within music.  I grew up a classically trained pianist and picked up the guitar at an early age, so playing instruments and being in bands was what I did as a kid.  While I love to DJ and can always appreciate a good DJ set, I want to be known as a musician and artist first, before a DJ. 

How does planning for your live set affect the way you approach producing new material?

It doesn’t fundamentally change the way I approach producing new material, because I always ask myself “Will this sound good live?” while working.  I do, however, try to incorporate the live instruments (guitars, bass, piano) as much as possible so the live performance really makes sense and has impact.