HeadlinerHIGHLIGHT: Kevin Brandenburg

It’s always worth repeating: Insomniac fans, the real Headliners of the show, are the reason we stay up late doing what we do—and why get up early. Doctors, soldiers, teachers, yoga instructors, chefs, baristas—you name it—our Headliners might grind and roll their way through life along different paths on their way to the dancefloor, but they’re like family once they’ve arrived. In celebration of their uniqueness and the music and lifestyle that connects us all, we give you HeadlinerHIGHLIGHTS, an ongoing series profiling the diverse individuals that make up the Insomniac community.

Name: Kevin Brandenburg
Profession: Army combat medic (7 years)
Currently living: El Paso, TX (soon to be Colorado Springs, CO)
First Insomniac show attended: EDC Las Vegas 2015
Spirit animal: Honey Badger
Currently listening to:

Let’s start off with a little about you and dance music.
I guess what got me into the rave culture was the video for Daft Punk’s “Revolution 909” back in 1997, when I was 13. I had always been into countercultures since I grew up in a small town in East TN, where the norm was church every Sunday and to play football. I was big into death metal at the time. The video just spoke to me, like, “This is where you need to be.”

From there, I started making a few connections in a city an hour away that had a small rave scene. I met a good friend to this day that is still a junglist. She introduced me to a remix by Dieselboy called “The Messiah.” It was like the metal of electronic music for me, and at that moment, I knew I was going to be a junglist for life. Eighteen years later, here I am—still listening to the hardest and grimiest D&B on the planet.

My favorite thing about rave culture is the acceptance that it used to represent. It’s still there, but it’s also not there at all with a lot of the new generation of ravers, in my opinion. I find myself becoming the stereotypical “jaded raver” the more I go out. I know I was once just a little kandi kid, too, and new to the scene, and will never forget my roots.

If I had any words to say to all the ravers out there, it would be to expand your horizons in music and cultures—don’t just listen to what is big, don’t just go to shows to get fucked up—and search out those obscure, small DJs. You’ll find genres of music you didn’t even know existed. Also, never let people get you down about raving or what genre you like. I was bullied for years being the only raver in my town. Now look at the scene; it’s massive.

As far as the Army and raving goes, everybody just thinks I go to do drugs. This is a big reason I keep my work and personal life separate—because it couldn’t be further from the truth. For a while after I got back from Afghanistan, I stopped raving due to anxiety and such. I fell out of love with raving; the scene wasn’t the same for me for a few years. Then I attended my first EDC in 2015, and the bassPOD stage reminded me of who I was and will always be: a junglist. I can truly say that music saved my life.

How would you describe an Insomniac event to someone at work who has never been?
Utterly insane, and definitely something you should check out at least once in your life.

Do you go out and party with coworkers?
I keep my personal life and work life separate for professional reasons.

What’s a typical day like for you at work?
Usually my days now consist of helping manage 60 nurses and making sure my surgical ward runs smoothly.

What do you like to do outside of dance music?
Hiking, listening to music, working on my dancing, whitewater rafting—anything outdoors.

If you could have one magical/superpower, what would you want?
To know whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to.

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