Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Greinke.
Hi Steven, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have been an avid listener of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) since high school (approximately 2010). I attended my first live event in 2013, at which point my passion for the music grew exponentially. I started attending larger events and festivals and quickly became immersed in the culture and community. The EDM community was a substantial part of my life until the COVID-19 quarantine lead to everything shutting down. This happened to coincide with a very busy period of my life when I needed to take a step back from the scene to focus on finishing my degree.
I graduated with my Bachelors of Pharmacology in late 2018, and began Nursing school around the start of the COVID shut-down. I just so happened to be finishing up my Bachelors of Nursing around when things started to open back up again in 2021. At this point, it had been a few years since I had been to any EDM event, and I was itching to return. I took my girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife) to see Boogie T at 45 East. Even though we had to wear a mask the entire time, it was such a breath of fresh air to be back in the same setting that had been such an important part of my life for nearly a decade.
There was something extra special this time around, however. We began to meet more and more amazing people every time we went out. Everyone we met was so loving, caring, and accepting of others. While the music had always been special for me, the community was even more amazing than I had remembered. We started to befriend people at this time who are some of our closest friends to this day.
In 2022, I was at a dubstep festival called Bass Canyon at the Gorge Amphitheatre. By this point, I had gotten a bit more interested in learning how to produce EDM, and had taken the time to download the software, but had not gotten too serious yet. Then I met someone at Bass Canyon who had been producing for years. I was chatting with him about producing at his camp and he mentioned he had just released a song. His campsite had a DJ setup, so I enthusiastically asked if he would play the song for me, and he did! After his new song finished, he kept DJing and playing more music. After dancing for a good 10 minutes, I turned around and saw 60-70 people had came over to the campsite and were all dancing and having a blast. In that moment, I knew this was something I wanted to do more seriously.
That was the big turning point for me. I went from casually learning how to produce to it becoming my full time obsession. I spent any and all free time I had learning the intricacies of EDM production. I wanted to also learn how to DJ, but I was adamant about waiting until I felt confident enough in my own music to be able to play a few of my own songs during my set. After about 3 years, I hit a point where I felt like the quality of my music was sufficient enough to fit into a set, so I bought some low end gear and started learning. Last summer I played my first live set. It was under a bridge in Portland, and we had about 50 or so people come out. The adrenaline rush of controlling the crowd’s energy and euphoria of hearing my friends sing along to songs I had created from scratch was unmatched.
Now, I have played at multiple local venues, opening for large artists like RZRKT, TYNAN, CHASSI, and VLCN. I played out-of-state for the first time just a few weeks ago at a festival in Kansas City called Dancefestopia. I am very proud of how far I’ve come over the past 4 years! I also feel so incredibly thankful for all of my friends who have been so supportive over the years. I have so many amazing friends who have enthusiastically attended almost every single event I have played at. I know I would not have the same drive and would not be where I am at currently if it weren’t for their love and support!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey was definitely not a smooth road. I spent thousands of hours over 3 years learning how to produce EDM, and there were many points where I felt like I was making zero progress. Every time something would start to make sense, I would find 3 new things that I absolutely did not understand. There have been many projects that I would spend days working on and end up completely scrapping because I was not content with the result or would hit writers block. I would compare my music with the professional’s and would want to give up entirely. What kept me going was noticing the small improvements between each of my songs, as well as the support and love from my friends.
Additionally, DJing had its own challenges and struggles. I had attempted to get booked to play for months and kept getting left on read or completely ignored. It was also tough seeing my friends getting booked during this time. I was so proud of them and happy for them, but it was also hard to not get envious of their successes. I noticed this internal struggle was impacting my mental health, and I had to take a step back for a few weeks and consciously work on shifting my mindset. Now, I am at a much better balance and I can separate the two emotions much easier.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Outside of EDM I am an Emergency Room nurse. I work at Providence St. Vincent, which is the biggest and busiest ER in the Portland area. I have been trained to work every role in the department, and can do any of the skills nurses are allowed to do. I do really enjoy my job, and I have a phenomenal team. I also feel very fortunate that my job provides excellent work-life balance. Since I work 12 hour shifts, I get a 4 day weekend every week, which allows me to work on music and attend EDM events.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is seeing others having a great time. I pride myself on helping others, and my friends like to call me “Rave Dad.” I try to always have little things people may need like ear plugs, water, gum, a fan, etc. My favorite moments are when I am at events and I take a step back and look around and everyone is having the time of their life. Ill look to my left and two of my friends who hadn’t met prior are chatting and both have a big grin on their face. Ill look to my right and my wife is with another group of friends and they’re all dancing and laughing. Ill look both in front of me and behind me and I see a sea of friends who are all truly enjoying themselves and I can tell that this night is going to be one everyone will remember fondly.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vtachmusic/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/v-tach
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5CvZ7j8BjxdbIxDpTORPhY
