Gryffin Will Wrap Up 2024 at LIV After a Productive Year

Gryffin returns to Miami with arguably his best year on record. In the last twelve months, the California-bred DJ/producer has performed at Ultra Music Festival's main stage, released his collaborative-heavy third album, Pulse, and taken his new work on tour, appearing at Outside Lands, EDC, and Coachella.

All his hard work will bring him back to Miami one last time this year for a DJ set at LIV at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach on Thursday, December 26.

"Expect a high-energy, fun night," Gryffin tells New Times. "It's always a great energy in there, so I'm always looking forward to it."

Born Dan Griffith, he was classically trained as a pianist from a young age. During his teenage years, he fell in love with the Long Beach band Sublime, which led him to switch from piano to guitar. He eventually enrolled at the University of Southern California just as EDM's popularity rose in the late 2000s. A fan of Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia, the mechanical engineering student started experimenting with DJing and producing electronic music.

"At the beginning of that boom, I was just a fan. I was just buying every song on Beatport and going down the rabbit hole of SoundCloud," Gryffin explains. "Then I thought, maybe I can produce some stuff and see what happens. I never thought this would be my life and career. I'm just so grateful and fortunate."

One of his earliest releases is the 2016 track "Heading Home," a collaboration with Australian singer Josef Salvat. Even a decade later, Gryffin's pulsating beat still feels fresh.

"It's been fun getting to experience Miami more and more between Ultra and LIV. Miami has more commercial stuff, and its underground scene is way deeper, unlike any city in the U.S.," he shares.
Pulse carries the spirit of "Heading Home," including Griffith's affinity for collaboration. The album's 14 tracks were made with producers like Armin van Buuren and Elderbrook and singers such as Olivia Sebastianelli.

The album's opener, "Magic," featuring the singer Babyidontlikeyou, was the catalyst for Pulse. Gryffin's trance-like production complements Babyidontlikeyou's falsetto, making it suitable for the intimacy of the dance floor or the expansiveness of a music festival.

"I love collaborating," Gryffin says. "Even if it's not a producer collaboration, I'm still very much collaborating with vocals and writers." For the 37-year-old, collaborating allows him to add his color palette while the other person brings their talents to create something better than the sum of its parts. "We use it and create something entirely different. I love hearing someone else's perspective. Sometimes when I'm in my own head when making music, there is no one to say, 'Damn, that sucks!' or 'This is fire!'"

Gryffin is amenable to teaming up with anyone — as long as the sounds match up, that is enough. "I think we're in this period of dance music where people are interested in diffident sounds," he shares. "So many cool subgenres are getting lifted up, and it's really cool. I feel like, generally, this younger generation is just down — if it sounds good, it sounds good, and I love that. I don't care how big or small you are or what style of dance music you play. If it sounds dope, I'm in."

Pulse took the better part of 2023 to record but ultimately met Gryffin's and fans' expectations. Since then, he's been on the road supporting the album both with live performances and DJ sets.

"We'll be announcing some more shows in the U.S. shortly," he says. "Admittedly, I'm already working on the next project. I do want to see Pulse go through, though; I had a really fun time doing these shows."

In 2025, Gryffin plans to ride Pulse for the first half of the year, followed by a trickle of new releases and hunkering down in the studio. He won't go into much detail about his upcoming project, only hinting that he's teased some of his unreleased material during his sets.

Gryffin will also appear at Ultra next year, alluding to a fresh set full of new IDs. "I always circle Ultra on my calendar," he adds.

As the year winds down, Gryffin takes a moment to reflect on how "Heading Home" first thrust him into the limelight.

"That's actually crazy it's been that long," he says. "I still love that record. It's been a wild ride; even when I was finishing that song, I didn't think I would have the life I have had for the last decade. I hope the next ten years are as good as the last ten."

Gryffin. 11 p.m. Thursday, December 26, at LIV, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; livnightclub.com. Tickets cost $65 to $125 via universe.com.