CMTurning Up the Heat
interview Jorge Perezchica
photography Jose Reyes
Meet Cristian Barron aka BVRRN, the rising DJ, whose name may be spelled with a twist but resonates in the hearts of music enthusiasts as “Burn.” It’s a name that’s as unique as the beats he crafts and grooves that set the dance floor on fire.
Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, BVRRN’s introduction into the world of music began at the age of 10 when he first picked up a clarinet and guitar. Fast forward to today, and he’s become a dynamic DJ and producer, leaving audiences captivated with his signature sound.
It was during the solitude of the COVID-19 lockdowns that BVRRN honed his craft, spending countless hours teaching himself music production. As the world gradually reopened, his own tracks became the catalyst for his rise in the electronic music scene that accorded opportunities to perform at venues across Southern California, including a standout performance at the 10th anniversary of Splash House.
But it’s not just his name that sets BVRRN apart; it’s his determination and resilience that have allowed him to shine in a competitive industry. From self-taught guitar playing to those countless hours spent mastering the art of DJing and producing, BVRRN’s journey is a testament to the dedication and pursuit of one’s dreams.
BVRRN: It’s a hot one today. It’s hot today. <Laugh>.
Coachella Magazine: Ready?
BVRRN: Yeah. Ready.
CM: Introduce yourself and tell us about your background in music.
BVRRN: My name is BVRRN spelled B-V-R-R-N, but it’s pronounced Burn. I’ve been a musician since I was 10 years old. Started with clarinet and guitar. Then when I got to about 24 years old, I got into the world of electronic music and taught myself how to DJ. After a couple years of DJing, I wanted to learn how to produce music as well. So during COVID 2020, you know, had all this free time because everything was closed down and we were on lockdown. So I just spent countless hours teaching myself how to produce music. And then when the world opened back up again, I was able to test those records out in DJing and been doing it ever since.
CM: How did your artist name come about?
BVRRN: My last name is actually Barron. And I wanted to have a twist on my last name. So I made the “A” into a “V” and got rid of the “O” but people started pronouncing it “burn,” and I kind of just let them do that for me. I just stuck with burn right after that.
CM: Did you have any music mentors growing up?
BVRRN: I’m the first one in my whole family that’s into music. But I did take band with clarinet in sixth through eighth grade. Then after that I self-taught myself guitar and kind of did everything else on my own from there.
CM: How many years have you been DJing now?
BVRRN: Djing for about, oof, I wanna say, five years of DJing and producing for three.
CM: How did the pandemic impact you as a DJ?
BVRRN: I think for me, it was very much needed. It gave me the time to learn my craft and focus on that. I was working a lot before that and was very stressful for me to actually put in my time and effort into this world of DJing. So for me, COVID was very much needed in the sense of that, I had all the time in the world to do what I want.
CM: What’s the main challenge standing out from other DJs?
BVRRN: I think for me, the main challenge is getting my foot in the door with certain promoters, certain talent buyers. I know that DJing is very, I don’t wanna say the word saturated, but there are a lot of DJs trying to get through that door. What’s helped me, is producing my own music and getting heard through that. It’s given me the opportunity to play shows in San Diego, shows in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and now Splash House. And I think having your own music and your own style really helps you stand out in this growing market of DJs.
CM: What was your experience like when you were first starting out and trying to make a name for yourself?
BVRRN: For me, when I was starting out, it was just going to a lot of local shows and, you know, hearing the talent there and talking to some of those DJs and trying to build a network. I honestly don’t even know how I did that. I try to look back and it’s kind of overwhelming ’cause I feel like it happened so quick. But also at the same time, I feel like it didn’t happen so quick. It feels like forever ago that I was driving two, four hours just to go network and just to go support other DJs and network so that I could get those opportunities.
And I think a lot of people don’t realize that if you wanna play and if you want to be involved in that, you do have to go out and support. Doesn’t matter how far it is. I’ve literally driven to Modesto just to go network. I’ve driven to San Diego just to go network and I drive back that same night or the next morning if I have to — just to network. And then from there, you build relationships with other promoters, talent buyers, and that’s how you also get your foot in the door.
CM: Do you have a manager?
BVRRN: I am independent at the moment.
CM: How do you balance the creative and business aspect of DJing?
BVRRN: I work part-time as a fine dining server, and that’s what covers most of my expenses, my bills, my rent, and then on my off days from work, or anytime I have in between, throughout the day, I spend that in the studio honing my craft. I also have off days too, where I just take a mental break and hang out with my fiancé, my friends. And I found a balance. It was hard at first because you know, as an artist, you want everything at once and you expect everything at once, but you have to realize that it’s one day at a time.
CM: Can you share your journey into the world of DJing and how you developed your unique style?
BVRRN: My introduction to the EDM community and the electronic scene in particular was going to festivals like Coachella and hearing some of those electronic DJs, going to raves, like Beyond Wonderland, Hard Summer Nocturnal, going to shows in Los Angeles. And I always went as just a listener, loved the music, loved the vibe, and I always wondered, “How do I get into this?”
So I remember just buying my first little starter controller and having the hardest time figuring it out until I finally did. And I was a bedroom DJ for a good year, and I was just doing it in my room for fun by myself, just building up my record collection and DJing alone, having fun. And then I went to some of the local bars out here, Bart Lounge in particular, and heard some of those DJs. And that was kind of my introduction to the world of DJing.
CM: What does it mean to you to be on the line up for Splash House’s 10th anniversary?
BVRRN: It means the world to me, honestly. I remember five years ago I told myself, “How do I get into Splash house? How do I do that?” And it seemed impossible. And last year I remember my buddy that was working at the Saguaro, he took me up on the balcony when Splash House was happening, and I was looking from the balcony down to that stage at the Saguaro and I was thinking to myself, “I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna do this next year.” And I was putting it out there into the universe every day, honestly. I was like, “I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do this.”
I was able to meet the right people. One of my really good friends now Talon and my other really good friend Chasen, they both really helped put me out there to the Splash House team. And I got the email a couple weeks ago asking if I wanted to play, and I was like, excited.
CM: Is DJing at Coachella next on your list?
BVRRN: Do Lab in particular is. I feel like I could make that happen either next year or the following year, but I’m manifesting that as well. I feel manifestation for me is a big thing and I have to really, really want it and believe that it could happen. Obviously not something wild and crazy, like winning a million dollars tomorrow, but I feel like I’ve been working so hard for this. And DoLab in particular at Coachella is one thing I do really wanna play.
CM: How do you approach crafting a set for Splash House atmosphere?
BVRRN: I have a playlist. I always curate a playlist for each event that I play or each show. I kind of know these are the songs I have to play, these are the ones that I know will go off. These are somewhere I’m gonna start off slow. I feel the vibe and then bring you in, bring you back out. I can’t be playing high energy the whole time. I want to take you on a trip. Every single one of my shows, I will start you off kind of slow, get your drink, you know, get situated, and then I will bring you in, give you a little cooling period, bring you back in. And I always have a bunch of of songs on my playlist that I know, okay, “If this one doesn’t work out, I’m gonna go into this one.” And that’s kind of how I run it.
CM: Do you have any technique as far as reading the audience and adjusting your set in real time?
BVRRN: Honestly, no. Nothing in particular. I’m really good about reading the crowd. Another thing I do really focus on is having high energy up while I’m performing. If you see my sets, I’m always jumping around. I’m always, you know, trying to engage with the audience as much as I can because I feel if the DJ looks bored, if I’m just standing there and looking bored, why would I expect the audience to dance?
If I’m having fun, I’m doing it for me first and I’m doing it for you as well. That way you’re also having fun. But for me, it’s like, I need to be having fun. And if I portray that fun, I feel like you’re gonna have fun too.
CM: Have you been to Splash House in the past?
BVRRN: I’ve been to the after hours quite a bit of times, but this was actually my first year attending Splash House.
CM: How would you describe your sound?
BVRRN: I think I’m borderline upbeat, but vibey as well. I would consider my set vibey. Not too soft, but not too hard. Somewhere in between.
CM: Is there any DJs that you’re looking forward to seeing over the weekend?
BVRRN: Disco Lines, he was amazing. Wax Motif was really, really good as well. And next weekend there’s a lot of DJs I’m looking forward to. Peachy Keen, really good friend of mine as well. She played at the Renaissance and she killed her set.
CM: Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
BVRRN: Hopefully making a full-time career out of music, paying my bills with solely on music, being a professional record producer engineer, and touring. I wanna be a touring artist.
CM: Do you play much outside the Coachella Valley?
BVRRN: I live out here, but this was my first time playing in the desert in over a year. I play in San Diego all the time. I play in Los Angeles all the time, and I play in Orange County and Riverside. And I travel out there because out there, the house music scene is very encouraged. And, the crowd out there is very loving. I’m not saying that it’s not here as well, but there’s just more going on out there. A lot of networking opportunities as well. So I’m mostly playing out there, but Splash House was my first show here in the desert in over a year.
CM: Are you currently working on your own EP?
BVRRN: I’m releasing singles. I find that singles are a little more powerful for me right now, especially still growing as an artist. I feel like releasing one at a time and getting people’s attentions one at a time is a little more powerful, especially, you know, coming up. But eventually I will release an EP.
CM: How has DJ culture evolved since you started, and how have you adapted to the changes over the years?
BVRRN: I think house music in particular has been growing and evolving so rapidly. I remember going to Coachella for example, 2017, 2018, and there wasn’t as many DJs. It was a lot of live performances and live music. And I feel like now the DJ world is evolving and growing so rapidly. You’re seeing a lot of DJs on lineups, particularly house music. I think house music is now a lot more welcomed. People at first were looking at it as underground and now it’s very much becoming mainstream and I’m here for it. I love it.
CM: How does the DJ scene in the Coachella Valley compare to LA or San Diego?
BVRRN: It never stops <laugh>. In LA and San Diego, it never stops. You have DJs and house music all night long until four or five in the morning. I’ve gone to some warehouse shows in LA that are literally from, you know, sunrise to sunset to sunrise again. You know, it’s insane. And I think here, the Coachella Valley, it’s still kind of growing. It’s still new. I only see the DJ world here realistically during Coachella and during Splash House weekends.
Other than that, I feel this desert is still trying to grow the world of electronic music. And I think it has a lot to do with the community. There’s not as many young people as there is out in San Diego and LA area. Here, it’s more of an elderly crowd. So the noise ordinance is a little more strict out here, but it’ll get there. I give this town the next three to five years. It’ll bloom.
CM: How would you describe yourself in three words?
BVRRN: I would say big heart, charismatic, and show me love. I’ll show you all the love in the world.
CM: Summarize your Splash House weekend experience.
BVRRN: The best experience I’ve ever had. It was a dream. It was fun.
CM: What do you love most about DJing and the music industry?
BVRRN: That nothing in the world has given me that adrenaline, serotonin boost, like performing, like getting up on those decks, plugging in and starting. It’s like nothing in the world matters for that hour to two hours that I’m up there. I’ve even DJ’ed for up to four hours and I forget that I even need to pee sometimes. I’m just up there and the time just flies and I’m like zoned out, just vibing to the music. And I think that’s the best feeling in the world.
CM: Did you have any specific tracks or artists that you incorporated into your set?
BVRRN: I incorporated a lot of my own music, but on top of that, I’m part of a new duo project that we are launching in September. It’s called Deader Than Disco. And my friend Dylan, who also goes by the artist named BROSHI — him and I got together, we’ve produced several records and we were like, “Instead of releasing these as collaborations, why don’t we form a duo project together?” We came up with the name Deader Than Disco, and I got to play one of our debut songs that is coming out in September. It’s a rework of an old song by the band called Messages From the Stars. And I helped him produce the record and he actually sang on vocals and we reworked the entire song. And I got to play that yesterday. And the feedback from that was amazing.
CM: Anything else that you want add that we haven’t talked about?
BVRRN: Honestly, if I was to give advice to anybody ’cause I have a lot of people say, “How do you do that?” I would just say, you know what, “Keep grinding, keep networking, keep hustling, keep making those small sacrifice to succeed.” I think I’ve sacrificed a lot of things and a lot of time for my passion and I never will stop. I’m gonna always keep going.
WEB: bvrrnofficial.com
SOCIAL: @ BVRRN
LINKS: splashhouse.com