We’re looking forward to introducing you to DJ DRV3N. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning DJ, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Absolutely, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me! So a normal day for me right now is knowing that I don’t have normal days. I start my days the same, I have breakfast and coffee, and I check the news and sports scores because I am really into sports but I don’t have time to watch that many games. Other than the Jags. I watch them on Sundays during football season. So that part of my day is pretty normal and it gives me a chance to wake up and get the blood flowing to my brain. But after that it is up in the air completely. As an artist, everything is kind of a balance of chaos. Some days I will be doing a bunch of prep work for a new project. Some days I am just in kind of the flow of things where I am just able to do the creative elements of whatever I am working on. Some days it is all about fine tuning, doing touch ups, things like that. And also stuff like posting on socials, responding to emails, all of those things. I am pretty much always going. I try to balance, where I take a day and just relax and step back from things. I think that is crucial. But really I am going all the time. And so basically a normal day is a balancing act of those kind of things while also doing ordinary life stuff like going to the gym, spending time with friends and family, all those kind of things. But yeah, basically a normal day for me is waking up, having breakfast, and putting a game plan together for what needs to get done that day, and getting it done.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely. My name is Adam Gregory and I am an artist. A lot of you might know me from my music. And I am still releasing music and DJ sets under the name DJ DRV3N. I’ve been a professional musician for about 13 years. I’ve done a bunch of different projects and I was really into the dubstep scene for most of my professional career. But about 3 years ago, I got kind of, I don’t want to say burnt out on dubstep because there is a lot of great music out there, but I just wanted to do something different. I was putting together an EP and I made a song that was just like a normal song, and it just kind of resonated with me. And after that I just started making more music that was way outside of what I had been producing and mixing before. And early this year I started making a bunch of techno and trance mixes, and I was having a lot of fun with them, but I didn’t want to throw people off and just start making completely different music than I was making before. It would be like a heavy metal band just totally switching to nice, calm acoustic stuff you know. So back in February I thought an artistic name change was necessary to completely separate what am doing now from what I was doing before, so I changed my artist name and started mixing sets and posting them on Youtube under the name DJ DRV3N. And thank you everybody who takes the time to listen to my music or check out my art. I truly appreciate anybody taking the time to do that because there are so many great artists out there and I just really appreciate it, it truly means the world and I appreciate you all. So I am still making music and sets, and I am really having fun with it and reconnecting with what music means to me and just kind of going from there. But beyond that, and obviously music is an art, but I really began expanding what I was doing beyond music. When I would be designing an album art or merch or something like that, I started really having fun with the art and design elements. And I started to get into drawing as well. But there would be so many times when I would see something when I was driving or just out somewhere, looking at a city scape or something. Even just at a street light to be honest. Where I would just think, that looks like a painting. And so recently I’ve really moved my artistic focus to painting. And I’ve always been into art, especially abstract and surrealism. So I am having a lot of fun creating my own work in that sense. I primarily paint abstract and post impressionism. But it was one of those things where painting just was very natural for me. I was able to kind of combine all of the stuff I had been doing before, but instead of using a design program on a computer to create an album art, being able to use paint to bring an empty canvas to life. And that is really an amazing feeling. Like a calm and tranquility. Not that it is always calming there is a lot of work that goes into them. But it is well worth it and something that I enjoy doing, and it is where my focus is at this point in my career.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
That is very interesting to think about. And I can’t say that I really know. Because I try not to let the world, or people in it, tell me who to be. But I think, at least personally, even the most individualistic people are shaped by the world in various ways. You know, would I be the same person with the same morals and values if I was raised in Japan or in Mexico, or even New York or Cleveland? I think both locally and globally, there are a lot of different factors that make us who we are, and we essentially become who we are based on what our version, or our perspective of the world, tells us to be. Or we try to rebel against something and become something different, but even if we feel there is something to rebel against, would we have that same opinion if we were in, or grew up in, different circumstances? So that is very interesting to think about. But for me personally, I know there have been times where I thought I was supposed to be a certain way, act a certain way, walk a certain path, and I would try to confine myself within those kind of societal parameters. Especially when I was younger I would try to fit in, you know like dress a certain way, talk a certain way, listen to a certain type of music, things like that, But the more you try to fit in, the more of yourself you lose, or find for that matter, because fitting in isn’t always good or bad. Sometimes it can be a good thing and sometimes not. But there might be, and for me there were, things that the world, or the world I was in, tolerated or accepted or even advocated, that weren’t good things at all, so shifting those kind of behaviors or ideas aren’t bad. And there’s other things that it’s like, well that is a really important part of myself and my values and who I am. And I think that has, and is, kind of the key, is holding on to the parts of you that are really true to you, the things were it isn’t like you feel like you have to be doing something that way, that’s just the way you do things, that will shape people into who they are and help them focus on who they are and better who they are, not just do something that isn’t true to try to fit in. And I try to keep and open mind while holding onto the parts of me that are truly who I am. So I really try not to let the world tell me who to be. And I can’t say I completely ignore societal norms and just act in a vacuum, I don’t think anyone does, but just knowing that everything isn’t black and white and staying true to who you are as a person is the key to being who you are and not just who you think the world is telling you to be.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Another deep one! So I’ve been through like a crazy amount of stuff. Just to be completely honest. And one thing I learned, or at least keep in mind, is everybody has been through things that are difficult. And there are people who have been through some really crazy traumas, just like weird stuff you know. And I’ve definitely been through some weird stuff. But what I learned from it are things that I am so thankful I learned because they helped me and will continue to help me because you don’t unlearn those lessons. One of the most important, for me at least, is strength and resilience, and another is to rely on yourself. Don’t expect things from people no matter how well you think you know them. There is a lyric by the White Stripes in the song Seven Nation Army, ‘Don’t wanna hear about it, every single one’s got a story to tell. Everyone knows about it, from the Queen of England to the hounds of hell.’ And that is completely true. You learn who your friends are in those times of suffering and difficulty. You learn who was just kind of along for the ride. You learn who was just standing around with a knife waiting for a good opportunity to try to stab you in the back. And that’s where that lyric comes in. Who can you call when things are difficult? And if you have someone, congratulations, never let them go. But most people dont want to hear about it. Nobody can try to be there for everything everyone is going through, but you learn who, in your circle of people, is actually there for you and who isn’t, and who never was in the first place. And for the most part, when you are going through a difficult time, people just don’t want to hear about it. And everyone has a story to tell. But the other part of that is the everyone knows about it. And I was going through stuff and I start hearing all these things about myself, some true some just was like wait what? And it was like, everyone knows about this stuff that was going on, but if I wanted to talk with someone about stuff or needed help, I didn’t have a person in my phone I could call. Because people, some people, but a lot of people who I thought I was close with, were fine talking about me but not with me. So that was really difficult. But that was something that success can’t teach you. Because when things are good everyone is there and everyone wants to hear about how things are going and stuff. More specifically they want to hear it from you, not just talking about you while being totally MIA. So you learn to rely on yourself. You learn to be careful about who you let in. And it can be difficult because things get lonely and you don’t want to just shut everyone out, but it is by far better to be by yourself than with bad company and people who will try to bring you down while you are finding better people to surround yourself with. And now, when I have stuff going on or I start thinking about stuff, I just say to myself, do what you have to do. Forget what people might say. Don’t expect people to care. Focus on yourself. Do your best, be the best person you can. And also do your best to make sure that you aren’t one of those people who is just along for the ride when it comes to people. You don’t always get what you put in, in terms of relationships with other people. But don’t ever be one of those people who is just trying to bring people down. And learning or knowing things can help shape success and being successful, but they aren’t things that success will teach you, those are things you learn when things are difficult, and you just use them to make yourself stronger.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I’d like to say yes, one hundred percent. But no. Not like I am fake or anything. Let me start by saying one of my minors when I went to Portland State University was Communications, and my major was Political Science. So in communications, we learn about our public self, or our public selfs, our social self, which is the self we show when we are around our friends, our true friends, not like classmates, colleagues, that would be more your public self. Then there is the person you are when you are around your family, and depending on the size of your family or family dynamics, that can shift as well. Then who you are with your significant other, and after that there is your private self, or ‘the real you.’ Ideally, you don’t want to just completely shift who you are in every interaction, and you want all of those versions of yourself to be as close to your private self as possible. But in different circumstances, people will be selective in how they present themselves. That is just normal human social interaction and behavior. But obviously with the Political Science major, you learn that some people have public selves that are just complete fabrications. Basically like being an actor in day to day life. Politicians, not all but some, are going to have some of the most extreme variations in who they are versus who they want people to think they are. They’ve got a team of campaign managers saying say this to them, and this to them, and no matter what, don’t say this to them. A lot of time they are just reading speeches that other people wrote. So that is an arena with a lot of people who say one thing, mean another, and believe something totally different. But in honesty, is that different than people we meet when we are out at a club or when we meet people we want to be friends with. Is that different than your favorite YouTube star or actor or actress? Or the cashier at the store who says their day is going good when it isn’t. Or meeting someone new at a coffee shop. At church? At school? People generally want to have various levels of acceptance. Whether it is for a political goal or just to make some new friends or meet new people. So with all that being said, for all intents and purposes, I’d say that how I present publicly correlates with ‘the real me’ to a pretty high degree. Even with two different artist names! But those really are just to try to separate the work that I am doing from other elements of my life. Like people who want to see some of my paintings might not want to hear about how much I like sports cards or data science or the history channel, and they might not want to hear the new techno mix I just made. But I do like those things and I don’t necessarily share them with everybody all the time. And I would say that is more of a filter than a shift from ‘the real me,’ because like I said, my public self, at its core, really does correlate with my actual values to a very high degree. But backing on what I was saying earlier about how the world can shape you, I can’t say that has always been true. There were times where I would try to act a certain way, a way that was out of my actual character, for one reason or another. Whether it was a social group, a job, a setting, or just wanting to fit in, there have definitely been times where I wasn’t being true to myself. And people change, but I’ll even say I wasn’t being true to myself at the time. But, at least for myself, the more my public self correlates with my ‘real’ self, the easier the world is. So if your public version of yourself and your private version of yourself, or ‘the real you’, have serious discrepancies, then be yourself! As easy as that sounds. But it is important to be yourself, otherwise you won’t be happy as a person because there will be a constant pull away from who you are. And that being said, it really isn’t always possible to just ‘be yourself.’ If you are at work, you have to be who your employer is asking you to be to a pretty high degree. But with that, finding jobs that aren’t going to completely pull you away from who you are is a good idea, though again that isn’t always possible. But things that won’t pull you outside of your personality type, at least too far, like if you are shy and quiet don’t do sales, but also things that won’t pull yourself outside ethical and moral boundaries is obviously a good idea as well. But no matter what, there are times where you have to kind of just act the part, but the closer you can get to having your public, social, and private selves correlate, the happier you will be and the more balance you will feel as a person. And that was an extremely long answer but it is a fascinating question.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes. Absolutely. We live in a material based culture. And I’m not in the camp that material things are bad, but they won’t make you happy. Not in and of themselves. The weird thing, is that some material things, or ‘nice’ things, can leave you feeling sad or empty, because they can be like a drug where you are just always wanting more. Like you get a new car, and it doesn’t make you happy because someone has a nice watch, so you get a nice watch, but now there’s a newer car so you want a newer car, so you get a new car, and you still aren’t satisfied because cars don’t make you happy. Watches don’t make you happy. Purses don’t make you happy. Whatever the material thing is, it most likely won’t make you happy in and of itself. And that isn’t always true. But unless there is a reason, like an intrinsic reason, for wanting whatever it is you are wanting, it probably won’t make you happy. And what I mean by that is, say X brand shoes are expensive, so you want them because they are expensive, and you might or might not even like them that much. But say you decide to buy them, most likely by the time you actually put them on and walk out the door, you will already be thinking about your next pair of shoes. And if you are always wanting more, then literally by definition, you aren’t satisfied. And all of that being said, in my opinion, the ‘why’ matters more than the ‘what.’ If you don’t have a good reason for wanting something, then chances are you won’t be satisfied with it in the broader sense, you know. So say shoes. You might be perfectly satisfied with the actual shoe, but now you say you want a closet full of them, and when you have a closet full of them, you want a bigger closet. But if you have an actual reason for wanting something, like if it has broader meaning to you, those are things that are more likely to make you happy. And that comes back to knowing yourself, being true to yourself, to where if you really ask yourself why you are wanting what you are wanting, and have a good reason, not wanting just to want, then it is much more likely to make you happy and to satisfy you as a person. So know your why, Why’s matter more than what’s. At least that is my opinion and my experience. And thanks again for talking with me today. I appreciate the questions and it was great getting to talk with you.
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