Thanks to an invite shared by our intern Kiya Gaskin, [Freshman-year student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism - ASU] who wrote the State Press preview article "EDM artist Gryffin kickstarts upcoming Whole Heart Tour in Tempe", we had an awesome feel good experience witnessing EDM artist Gryffin kick off his Whole Heart Tour!
Gryffin feels good! After experiencing live, NYC-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, Gryffin aka Dan Griffith, there is no question in our mind as to where the Whole Heart Tour got its moniker. It is obvious to the onlooker that Gryffin comes from the heart and feels the music soul-deep as he wholeheartedly weaves his melody-rich style of house music that fuses indie with dance in tasteful fashion.*
In through the Shady Park we walked. Its location ideal for the ASU EDM love family, just off the ever popular Mill Avenue in Tempe, AZ. It was just like walking into a backyard, but with benefits! Gorgeous lit trees surrounded the cobble-stoned walls and patio, nestling a “mini-treehouse” stage. It felt like we had been invited to someone’s private house party. Or maybe someone’s private petting party—some couples smooched for minutes at a time without coming up for air. Everyone was dancing!
San Francisco DJ and Producer BLU J had the Shady Park ASU college crowd primed and ready to shuffle to Gryffin’s beats as he set everyone into motion with his opening set of EDM forward thinking future House Trap.** Yes, we were all super ‘IN 2 U’ bobbing and tapping to BLU J’s vibe-y rework of pop star Ariana Grande’s “Into You”.*** The crowd was not short of an eargasm jam listening to “Hallucinating”, “I Remember”, and “Parallel Lines”. BLU J was bustin' a groove the entire time.
BLU J at Shady Park opening for Gryffin's Whole Heart Tour.
Gryffin entered the set with a palpable edge to infuse the audience with feel good groove. The depth at which he felt the emotion was visibly radiating from him and into the rhythm that pulsed through Shady Park that night. It was a prelude to the midnight hour, the EDM love vibe rippled throughout the crowd of ASU students out for a feel good time. You could see Gryffin’s ecstacy!
Gryffin played his hour-long fourth edition of his TSIS x Flight Log Series—kicking off the Whole Heart Tour with his Diplo and Friends mix opening with (hat tip) BLU J’s dancefloor jam “HDLCK”. It was comprised of uplifting future bass reworks like Illenium’s take on Flume’s song “Say It”, as well as some of his own remixes like Toye Sivan’s “Youth”.****
Throughout his set, Gryffin would switch from his signature guitar strumming (two different guitars (Was that a Les Paul?)), to rapping on drum pads, and stroking keys on synths and keyboards. Yes, we applaud his rhythmic, idiosyncratic guitar signature as he strummed midway through his tracklist playing his unreleased single “ID”. Bodies grooved on gyrating hips and thighs thudding to the beat.
You can play Gryffin’s Flight Log 004 – Diplo and Friends Mix anywhere, anytime for awesome listening. Better yet, experience him live—there’s nothing like witnessing Gryffin’s heartstrings at work in the flesh!
He wrapped up his set and sent us “Heading Home” with a “Whole Heart”. What more can we say, Gryffin feels good!
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