Hello hello everyone and welcome back to MKQ blogs! This interview I am featuring today I’m so excited to be sharing with you. I have admired the sheer art and beauty of his Kandi making skills for a while. He truly has a unique way of taking beads and string and creating such awe inspiring and unique connections with so many people. He personifies PLUR and is a real down to earth guy. I have the honor of featuring Matthew but known to the world as The Kandi DemiGod!! 1. Tell me a bit about yourself: Where are you from? What’s your background? My name is Matthew Wells and I’m 33 years old from Miami Gardens FL. I’m the oldest of 10, I have one son, and live in Orlando Florida. I served 5 years active duty in the Navy from May 2012 to May 2017. I enjoy art, video games, Pokémon, music, and DIY projects. 2. How did you get into and how long have you been in the edm scene? I was a good boy and avoided all possible odds of getting in trouble while in the Navy in fear of harsh punishment. I got into the EDM scene back in October 2016 after being challenged by my friends in the military to go to a rave knowing I could get caught up if I got drug tested. It has been 5 years now of raving. 3. Have you ever been to an underground rave? No 4. What’s your favorite genre of edm/Favorite artist? Dubstep and trance, Zomboy is my favorite artist. 5. What does being a Kandi kid mean to you? To me after years of raving and starting with bad intentions of pulling hot girls I became a kandi kid. It’s my way to interact with so many souls in a positive manner. Kandi kids are disciples of PLUR. We attract those who seek happiness and safety at events. It’s almost like being ground support at events but rather just spreading good energy. Being a kandi kid gives me a purpose in life. Kandi is a tool used to connect me with different souls. It’s a bridge that is made from the minute my two fingers touch the person I’m trading. It’s a form of energy passed from the sender to the receiver. It’s a symbol of art used to send emotions from one person to another. I see kandi as art and I’m artistic. We all know art attracts people. 6. How did you get your rave name/persona the Kandi DemiGod? The name was given to me during my kandi prep for EDC Orlando 2017. During my grind I posted my projects in a group chat on Snapchat before i started posting on Instagram and people called me a Kandi God. I told them I’m not worthy to be a kandi god yet, the real Kandi gods are in EDC Vegas. I told them i’ll be a demigod though. During the festival at EDC Orlando I heard people shouting “KANDI DEMIGOD ITS YOU!!!!” And so it began. 7. How did you learn to make Kandi? /how long have you been making it? I learned from watching YouTube videos and studying the patterns people use to make different styles. I asked questions to open minded kandi kids such as @kandigamer and @kiddisaur and It has been 5 years now of making kandi. 8. What is one misconception you think that is made about ravers today? People believe ravers are wild and always take drugs to have a good time. Some even see us as gross sinners, weird, or irresponsible. This is false and although it may be true in some cases of individuals, this is not true to all ravers. I may self rave sober and conduct myself very professionally at events. I believe without education yes, people will conduct themselves in an irresponsible manner but for the most part we are all grown adults trying to release and enjoy life and music. We mean no harm and do no sin. 9. What is one thing many people wouldn’t know about you that you think is important to share? I’m a big sweetheart, I really am. People would not know that about me unless they got to know me. I hear it all the time, “Kandi demigod is really sweet in person” or “he gives great hugs” and so many more. It makes me smile because it’s who I am. I’m humble and do not see myself over ANYONE. You can talk to me, DM me, text me, or rave with me and see how kind I truly am. I do a lot of work to keep this going rather than going to the dark side of life. 10. Here at Ravetalks we stress the importance of Women and Rave Safety. From your perspective I would like to know what do you think can be done to further ensure the safety of attendees during and after leaving an event? My biggest advice to everyone I say all the time, “Note everyone at events is PLUR.” Be responsible, plan ahead, stick to a plan, and rave at your own risk. We all have a choice to do this. Some choose to go solo, some choose to rave in crowds, some even choose to dress a certain way. Not everyone out there is PLUR, it is the hard reality we must accept. This is where choosing a rave group, or as we say in the military “battle buddy”, come into play. I personally rave with other kandi kids to help with managing overwhelming crowds of attention. For the ladies I’m sorry, it’s tough. Not everyone will respect them and their bodies. I personally have conditioned myself to see female ravers for their beauty as beautiful energy and spirit rather than physical appearance. This is to silence negative opinions or disrespect to women rights of womanhood and freedom. Definitely encourage the ladies to be safe and stay close to someone you can trust or hold your ground out there. Once Again not everyone is PLUR. 11.  How do you feel about Kandi being a commodity that is sold for purchase? I support the cause. I can’t tell you how many people wish they could own the pieces we make. The time, money, patience, and skill may not be for everyone. I personally can’t make epic pieces for everyone so I enjoy seeing it sold to ravers as part of their rave attire. It may even inspire them to make kandi in the future. If you have the skill to produce then go for it because we all know making big pieces of kandi isn’t cheap. 12. Do you ever think there is an appropriate time to trade away Kandi that was once traded to you? Yes I do, for example if you no longer share a connection with someone Why not trade the energy to another raver at an event? The piece of kandi has done no sin but is still a jewel of energy and a person’s time. Give that to another deserving person instead of punishing it with a bad experience. I will also say it’s ok to trade kandi that you would love to pass a positive vibe to. Something traded to you may hold a special meaning and you see another person going through a tough time in life. It is totally acceptable to trade that positive energy to another for this cause. 13. What was the first Kandi piece you learned to make? The first piece of kandi I made was a Green single with a green owl and words that read “LUCKY” in reference to a small show named Lucky in Tacoma WA. 14. Is Kandi making in your opinion a “dying art form”? Sometimes I feel this way but as someone who makes big pieces and wears them at festivals I understand why people do not want to wear them or even make them. It takes a lot of time, patience, and creativity to make nice pieces. It is very taxing on the creative spirit, especially making them in mass production. I myself have contributed to revitalization of the art and this is why I do it. I do not want to see the kandi die because it’s heavy or time consuming. It’s an Art and we as humans are artistic. In summary kandi is the steel to a sword which is PLUR. The same sword to the swordsman which is the ravers fighting a war vs all negativity life throws at us. 15. Trayvon Martin. Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and now Amir Locke are a few of the countless lives lost to police brutality. Do you think there is more that those of us with a platform in EDM specifically can do to advance the conversation on police reform and gun safety? I do, so long as the approach is positive I believe so. So long as we are constructive and logical I say yes. My only concern is those who bring this topic to their platform, they must be educated because you can easily lose your audience and eventually your platform by just one wrong word. 16.  How long do you think kandi making and rave culture will be around for? So far it’s been around over 25 years. I don’t think it will die so long as we continue to grow and push new content. There are many young adults turning 18 each year who attend these events. The music is incorporated in movies, gyms, clubs, and more. One way or another people will hear the music and will find themselves at an event to see that DJ perform. 17. So what’s next… when you have the time what’s the next big Kandi piece you’ll be making? My biggest goal is to hold the world’s biggest and heaviest slinky cuff known as the GIGA Orb Cuff. Once I complete this challenge I probably will never make a massive cuff in my lifetime. After this is done I will be going full time incorporating Cosplay into the Kandi scene eventually becoming a cosplay artist. I cannot wait to see this Giga Orb cuff! You’re such an inspiration DemiGod!! As always follow us on our Instagram @ravetalks_ and on Facebook Rave Talks and also subscribe to our newsletter. Make sure to tune in to our season 3 episodes found anywhere you get podcasts… I love you all… MKQ out ☺️