Garvin
Learning It the Long Way
Before Any of It
Garvin grew up in a suburb north of Philadelphia, in a house where everybody had a soundtrack.
“I just remember that the artists coming out from the time I was a young kid to when I left for college were top tier. We just thought it was normal but obviously it wasn’t.”
The music at home ran in every direction.
“All of my family was into music growing up, spanning a wide spectrum. My parents were hippies back in the day, big on folk music and classic rock. My sister caught a great wave of alternative music given she was born in the late 70s, primarily gravitating to classic rock at the time also.”
His mother’s influence went well past the record player.
“I grew up playing Suzuki violin primarily due to my mother’s influence, which taught me to play by ear. It is a helpful method because you go one piece at a time, and you have to master all of the dynamics before the teacher lets you move on.”
Unfinished Business
Vinyl is what eventually pulled him back in.
“DJing on vinyl for years gave me confidence to purchase a controller at the start of the pandemic to put together some mixes. I didn’t really see much of a risk in that sphere.”
The events side of the music world looked different from the outside than it did once he was in it.
“I thought you have a room, and X amount of bodies can fit in it at X amount of money per ticket, and you wash rinse and repeat. I definitely underestimated the time it takes to build healthy connections and put one foot in front of the other, get good at your craft, be seen as a reliable business affiliate in the sector and now throw parties at a greater frequency.”
Looking back, he reads that controller purchase as something bigger than a hobby.
“I am a firm proponent of the power of the subconscious, so when I look back to four or five years ago and purchasing that controller, I think I just had unfinished business that I knew I had to tend to. I generally think that in my life I have been rewarded for gloving up and grinding. I don’t think this is any different.”
The Slow Way
Production was the harder climb.
“The early days were filled with frustration and relying on sessions with teachers to try to watch their workflow so I could internalize how to manipulate the software. I would basically schedule weekly sessions and then just grind throughout the week and try to come up with a track. Now I try to come at the tunes from a more cerebral and concept guided place.”
Some of that first stretch of work is still sitting on his SoundCloud, and he has made peace with that.
“Those were some of my first tunes. They go back about three years at this point. When I sold my company I just decided that I was going to go in and try to learn the craft, so I made those about 10 months into the three year journey so far. I’ve thought about taking them down and then I just decided they are emblematic of where I started and it is what it is.”
“I think it would be blasphemy to take down tracks that sample Joyner Lucas and Lil Dicky.”
Track that Holds Its Own
The remix of “Party At The Ritz” has a longer backstory than a single release. Its one of those tracks that proves that trusting the process and pushing boundaries is what makes tracks stand out.
“It would always be humbling to hear somebody of Jesse’s caliber signing and mixing a tune of mine, but for Jesse to do it himself is flattering in the deepest respect. The whole origin of our relationship is due to my friend in Philly Oscar N telling him that he thought there were similar elements in our music and I should hit him up. In hindsight I was probably sending him subpar tracks from the outset, but he took the time to listen to them and give me some feedback as I was getting a skill set underneath me.”
The payoff came at one of his own events.
“We actually booked him for one of our parties and he unveiled it there, and I remember being in the crowd like oh sh*t that’s the tune. It felt great.”
Labels have followed the work, and his outlook on them has shifted along the way.
“In the beginning I think you strive to make somewhat of a name for yourself and obtain membership to that club of people that are getting music signed. It feels great that other people of some stature find your music appealing. My attitude has since changed where yes I would love to get future music signed to labels that I really value and love their discography, but I genuinely don’t really stress out about needing a prominent label to take my music at present. I think it’s going to continue to happen based on my work ethic and I am solely focused on increasing my skill set and knowledge to advance my craft.”
Do Not Disturb
DRESDÔN is the Philadelphia events brand and label Garvin runs with Calvin Khaytin. The idea behind it was not complicated.
“It was very simple really. We just wanted to book artists that we thought were dope and either hadn’t been out here or were too underground for the bigger rooms just based on their sound.”
Three years and a third season of Do Not Disturb later, the standout nights are easy to name.
“We have obviously grown over the three years we have been running, so I’d have to say that the season finale of season 2 with Daniel Orpi was a scene, any of the Slugg shows, and this year’s opener with Locky. Also the back to back during the monsoon with Daniel Orpi and Latmun. The vibes were just immaculate, and the general mood of the parties were viscerally positive.”
Running the nights has changed how he approaches his own sets.
“We take the shows very seriously in terms of what we play. The mixing has to be on point, the tunes have to be a mix of tracks that I have put together and those being rinsed around the world that are deemed to be qualitatively superior. I try to give people a balance stylistically so that things don’t get stale. I try to use my experience of hearing sets that are too static as a reference for what to try to avoid.”
Weight of Each City
A set from just the other night gave him a read on where the city is heading. The direction is one where music is the leading force.
“I just played a set the other night and knowingly took risks in terms of track selection and how long I mixed the tunes. The room responded very well and they were skewed younger, so I think it’s just people being inclined to bring newer sounds to Philadelphia and it’s only a matter of time until everyone catches the bug. There are a lot of different promoter groups and people producing solo and collaboratively.”
Miami Music Week was a different test.
“Mother Nature was not on our side that night so unfortunately, it impacted some people hanging around, but it was a blast. Daniel Orpi headlined that event and threw down. Vibes are different just based on the time of night and the city, not to mention the competition from other esteemed Miami Music Week events going on.”
Off the Clock
Away from the decks and the studio, the schedule looks a lot calmer than the music might suggest.
“I get up fairly early and go to sleep earlier than I ever had before unless it’s like a show weekend or we’re throwing an event or something. Spend time with my wife, my kids, my dog, hit the gym, watch shows and movies, read a Kindle, but that’s about it. We travel around a lot for these shows and for leisure now so I definitely enjoy that immensely.”
Big Poppa
The first record to really move him showed up on a ride home from a party.
“The first song that really shook me and shifted my perspective was probably when I was being driven home by a friend’s mother from some teeny bopper party, and Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Big Poppa’ came on. The beat, his sultry flow, the melodics, the sub, everything really. I don’t even know what the sh*t meant at that time but I f**ked with all of it in its entirety.”
Bedroom Decks, Stalled Software
Loving music and making it turned out to be two separate things, and the second one took a while.
“I always had an ear for music, and could remember beats and lyrics, so I threw the idea around while I was a bedroom DJ spinning jungle and drum and bass in college.”
The first real attempt did not last long.
“When I graduated and was living in the Philadelphia suburbs getting ready to attend grad school I bought a version of Logic Express, but after taking one course and not being able to make anything sound the way that I wanted I just kind of stopped. I was definitely frustrated at the time because I had a vision for what I would have wanted to create but just felt fully stifled. I mean this was way before YouTube tutorials and everyone and their mother knowing something about DJing and producing.”
Funky, Stripped Back, Driving
Three years in, the sound has a shape.
“At this point I would say funky, stripped back, and driving. I’ve incorporated some turntablism and mixed some tunes like a hip hop DJ, and recently I’ve just rediscovered my drum and bass and UKG roots with some of the house music adaptations I’ve been creating. Something about that dancehall, reggae influence has me gripped at present.”
A good share of the catalog runs through one name.
“I met him through his best friend and he would sample a lot of hip hop at the time, so I really didn’t look further than that. We have since developed a solid friendship and cranked out a good amount of tunes. First of all he’s just got a great spirit, he’s diligent, and really tries to produce a superior product. He also had a history with more classical music so I feel like we’re able to synergize and speak each other’s language effortlessly. He also works fast as sh*t so it balances out by speed.”
As for what a session with J. Park looks like day to day:
“We both really like to play basslines from keyboard and get into a groove. I think we also both have a similar ear for samples. He’s quick with it, so if we were on a Zoom he typically drives. He’s well rounded so it’s usually a good balance of both of us directing and arriving at a finished product we can live with and feel comfortable shopping around.”
Slow Burn
Not every record lands the first time out. It takes patience and trust that good music always finds its way around.
“Well when it was first released it was the B side to my EP for B1 Records and it really didn’t do much. Then the guys at B1 chose it to be represented on their top 100 tracks of the 15 years they have been running and it caught steam once it cycled back around. That also felt great because I loved that EP at the time and still do, and having it have a rough run from the beginning stung.”
“The Funky Man,” and its starting point came from his studio partner. The track came from an idea that held its own and kept snowballing.
“The origin of that track was J. Park showing me a Kendrick Lamar sampled ID played at an Elrow show. The result was The Funky Man.”
Still on the List
The travel list is not finished, and neither is the collaboration list. Garvin has shown us a lot, but he still has more fuel in the tank.
“I somehow still have not made it out to Amsterdam so I want to go to ADE and mill around for a while. I’d love to make it to Sun Waves in Barcelona in terms of festivals, I just want to keep scaling up the clubs and cities where I play.”
In the studio, his ears are pointed in a very specific direction right now.
“Probably some Kingston style vocalists for some ideas that I am looking to arrange. I’d love to produce some tunes with any of the guys putting together those stripped back, UKG’ish house tunes in Europe. It’s like miniature DNB and Jungle to me, and I’m kind of obsessed with it at present.”
What Comes Next
The rest of the year is already filling up.
“I have a release with a Miami label coming up in a couple of weeks that I am extremely excited about and then a couple more releases from the UK and Colombia before year’s end. I have some collabs that are nearing completion and stylistically I am just expanding the repertoire. We also have a couple DRESDÔN shows with notable talent.”
There is a lot more to come from Garvin, and we are here for all of it.