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GRiZ

GRiZ

Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

News
GRiZ Gives Back To Detroit With 12 Days of GRiZMAS griz-gives-back-hometown-detroit-fifth-annual-12-days-grizmas

GRiZ Gives Back To Hometown Of Detroit With Fifth Annual 12 Days of GRiZMAS

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The DJ and producer will be giving 100 percent of proceeds to support music education in local schools
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 26, 2018 - 1:02 pm

Electro-funk DJ and producer GRiZ, who always keeps it upbeat, especially when he plays the saxophone during his live sets, is sharing his positivity with his hometown of Detroit this holiday season. Now in its fifth year, the "12 Days of GRiZMAS" kicks off on Dec. 4 with a variety of community-focused events around the city, culminating with live shows from GRiZ and friends on Dec. 13-15. In true holiday spirit, all proceeds will go back to Detroit's public schools to support music education.

https://twitter.com/Griz/status/1064563896562806786

Ho ho ho merrrrrryy GRiZMAS!! 🎄@12daysofGRiZMAS https://t.co/48DnUFK0Ik pic.twitter.com/Gn8Dssermo

— GRiZ (@Griz) November 19, 2018

The full calendar of events include caroling downtown with GRiZ himself, a community service day, open mic night, and a roller disco party, plus three nights of shows, one of which includes his 15-peice live band. A special pop-up shop will be open each day for participants to drop off donations for the toy and coat drive, participate in arts and crafts activities and share in the very-special GRiZMAS cheer.

The 28-year-old artist wrote a touching, personal letter coming out to his fans—and the world—last year, sharing the importance music has always played in his life, especially when he struggled to accept himself as a young person.

"I played sports, was dedicated to my school work, had friends, loved Britney Spears, and discovered a deep interest and safe haven within music," he wrote. "But, as you may or may not know, even in the most stable of environments, the struggle of coming to grips with your sexuality can dominate your world. And for me, it did."

DJ/Producer GRiZ Talks Big Gigantic & More

GRiZ is truly a role model for fellow established artists and aspiring young musicians alike, and hopefully more young people in Detroit will be able to find a safe space within music as he did through the music education programs he's helping support at local schools.

You can visit the "12 Days of GRiZMAS" website for tickets and more info on all events.

Envision Festival 2019 Is Dance Floor Ready: Bedouin, Griz, Tycho, Lee Burridge & More

GRiZ at Bonnaroo SuperJam

GRiZ & friends at SuperJam

Photo: FilmMagic/Getty Images

News
GRiZ Honored Dr. John During Bonnaroo SuperJam griz-friends-honored-dr-john-and-other-music-legends-during-bonnaroo-superjam-set

GRiZ & Friends Honored Dr. John And Other Music Legends During Bonnaroo SuperJam Set

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"His style of writing—without that I wouldn't exist. There's this badassery to it. His breaking rules paved the way for people like myself to do similar things with music," the saxophone-toting DJ/producer told Rolling Stone
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 18, 2019 - 12:49 pm

During Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this weekend, DJ/producer/saxophone master GRiZ offered two very different sets. Both showcased his energetic sax playing, but one saw him as the bandleader of the dozens of performers he brought together for the fest's annual SuperJam event.

This year's late-night jam session, which is curated and executed by a different artist every year, was titled "G.O.A.T.: A Celebration of Music Legends SuperJam with GRiZ." The 90-minute set was dedicated to late musical greats including late GRAMMY winners Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Prince, GRAMMY nominees Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle, and others. A powerhouse house band and specials guests, all chosen by GRiZ, filled the stage and brought the music to life.

This @Bonnaroo SuperJam is about to be WILD! Added more friends to the lineup. See you out there next weekend!! pic.twitter.com/JsCfTSEJok

— GRiZ (@Griz) June 6, 2019

Rolling Stone reports that the Dr. John tribute, which came in the form of his 1973 song "Right Place, Wrong Time," with GRiZ assisting the house band on his sax, was worked into the set list, following his sudden passing on June 6. They spoke to GRiZ and Stu Brooks, SuperJam's Music Director, who worked on the program for five months, organizing its music and plethora of incredibly talented musicians. The pair emphasized it was important to both of them to work Dr. John's magic into the performance.

As the outlet explains, not only does the festival's name comes from Dr. John's 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo, but Brooks performed as member of his touring band in 2015 and GRiZ is deeply influenced by the late New Orleans' jazz/funk legend.

Related: Dr. John, New Orleans Music Legend, Dies At 77

"We obviously had to pay tribute to Dr. John," Brook's told Rolling Stone. "It's a great way to process loss of someone's life—by celebrating at this [festival], it's serendipitous to the max."

"It's a really morbid situation to be in," GRiZ added, "but also kind of a blessed situation—that we had a platform that we were able to celebrate his life." The Detroit-native also spoke to how Dr. John's joyously experimental music inspired his own risk-taking in his sound and style:

"His style of writing—without that I wouldn't exist. There's this badassery to it. His breaking rules paved the way for people like myself to do similar things with music…That 'free and easy' thing—that makes me feel like I don't have to be worried about what my heart feels about this music and the way it should sound."

One simple yet poignant piece of wisdom Dr. John shared with Brooks during their time touring together, "Be free and easy," served as the thesis statement for the sprawling set. "I feel like that's the ethos of this entire SuperJam," GRiZ added.

 @Bonnaroo #SuperJam practice pic.twitter.com/XpI1oBULEH

— GRiZ (@Griz) June 12, 2019

Rapper/animator ProbCause, a regular GRiZ collaborator, and singer Chrishira Perrier, a backing vocalist for Trombone Shorty and GRiZ, were two members of his SuperJam house band who helped bring the show to life, along with a stage full of instrumentalists that included the Naughty Professor's horns.

Perrier helped lead the salute the Franklin, Prince and Rick James and Miller with respectively, "Respect," "1999" with help from K.Flay, "Mary Jane" and "Dang!," which ProbCause supported. Prob also rapped "Grinding All My Love" for Nipsey, and K.Flay channeled her inner- Kurt Cobain for Nirvana's "Lithium." Activist singer/songwriters Nahko Bear and Nattali Rize sang Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved."

Avicii's "Wake Me Up" was also on the 25-song set list, as well as Bowie's "Let's Dance," Queen's "We Will Rock You," in honor of Freddie Mercury, as well as their collab "Under Pressure." Walk The Moon frontman Nicholas Petricca helped lead the glam-rock classics.

While the loss of Dr. John and the other transcendent musicians has left a void in our hearts and in the music world, their powerful music will allow their legacy to live on for generations. As GRiZ told the outlet, the power of performing the songs was palpable:

"Every time we get a featured vocalist or a featured [musician who played with the artist we cover], the energy explodes. You can close your eyes in that moment and feel like you're in the presence of that person performing that song."

GRiZ Talks Pride, Snoop Dogg Collab, Detroit's Music Scene, Giving Back & More

Griz

GRiZ

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

News
Envision Fest 2019: Bedouin, GRiZ, Tycho & More envision-festival-2019-dance-floor-ready-bedouin-griz-tycho-lee-burridge-more

Envision Festival 2019 Is Dance Floor Ready: Bedouin, GRiZ, Tycho, Lee Burridge & More

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The eco-conscious music festival returns in February 2019 with a stellar lineup of house, techno and bass dance music plus art, yoga, speakers and more in the jungle of Costa Rica
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 9, 2018 - 12:50 pm

As Envision Festival prepares to return for a ninth year of bringing its environmentally and socially conscious dance music and arts festival to beautiful Costa Rica, festival organizers recently announced even more DJs to get you dancing in the jungle. The incredibly stacked house, techno and bass music lineup now includes Bedouin, Tycho, Nicola Cruz, Lee Burridge, GRiZ, Random Rab and many other artists ready to get you dancing.

The festival takes place on Feb. 28 to March 3 near Uvita, Costa Rica at Rancho La Merced, which Envision describes as "perfectly perched at the junction where the rainforest connects with pristine tropical beach."

If the location alone isn't enough to entice you, the artists chosen to play the festival are sure to offer a great soundtrack to dancing in the jungle and on the beach, including San Francisco's Tycho and London's Lee Burridge, both known in the house music scene for the dreamy sunrise sets they have been doing for years at Burning Man and other events. Brooklyn-based duo Bedouin and Ecuador's Nicola Cruz are also favorites of the underground house music scene, with Detroit's Griz and Oregon's Random Rab big players in bass music.

The event's organizers clearly have "envisioned" a special musical journey in the jungle for their attendees. The festival's founder, Josh Wendel says that it was important to also bring in some more up-and-coming talent, hoping to expose participants to new artists they may love.

"Our favorite aspect of creating a lineup is watching the crowd react to fresh, unexpected sounds," said Wendel, via Mixmag. "This year, we went bigger with our top headliners and took more risks on up and coming artists. We also intentionally plan to throw a few curveballs into the schedule to keep guests on their toes not knowing when their next favorite artists might be playing."

Mixmag highlighted the importance of this diverse lineup, which includes "a plethora of Costa Rican locals and neighboring South and Latin American talents who have spearheaded the meteoric rise of dance music culture in and around the southern hemisphere for years."

The four-day event also includes plenty of other offerings including yoga, art and talks, with the event organized under eight "pillars:" permaculture, spirituality, movement, art, music, community, health and eco building. More information and tickets are available on Envision Festival's website.

Miami's Winter Music Conference Is Back With Revamped Plan Announcement

KAYTRANADA at ACL 2019

KAYTRANADA at ACL 2019

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/FilmMagic/Getty Images

News
LiB 2020: James Blake, Kaytranada, GRiZ, More lightning-bottle-2020-lineup-james-blake-kaytranada-doja-cat-bob-moses-four-tet-griz

Lightning In A Bottle 2020 Lineup: James Blake, KAYTRANADA, Doja Cat, Bob Moses, Four Tet, GRiZ & More

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The beloved lakeside California music festival returns with an epic phase 1 lineup: Jon Hopkins, Sylvan Esso, DJ Shadow, Nina Kraviz, Justin Jay, DJ Holographic and Empress Of are also slated to perform
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jan 14, 2020 - 1:53 pm

Today, Jan. 14, Do LaB announced the Phase 1 lineup for their flagship California music festival, Lightning in a Bottle, featuring James Blake, Jon Hopkins, KAYTRANADA, Bob Moses, GRiZ, Four Tet, Sylvan Esso, Nina Kraviz, Stephan Bodzin and many more of your favorite artists across the electronic spectrum.

The beloved long-running festival will return for the second year at its new, sunny lakeside Central California home at Buena Vista Lake, during Memorial Day Weekend, May 20–25. Purity Ring, Eli & Fur, Doja Cat, Empress Of, DJ Shadow, Justin Jay, DJ Holographic and Justin Martin are also slated to bring the vibes to the three main stages of the eclectic event.

Watch: James Blake On 'Assume Form' Collabs: "A Dream Come True" | GRAMMY Museum

https://twitter.com/LIBfestival/status/1217144613615685634

Presenting your #LIB2020 Phase 1 Music Lineup 🎶 ⚡ We can't wait to boogie with you on the dancefloor this May! pic.twitter.com/YFOg81fRIk

— Lightning in a Bottle (@LIBfestival) January 14, 2020

The sunset-hued lineup poster also reveals details for special extended opening sets from San Diego's Desert Hearts squad and Joe Kay of Los Angeles' Soulection, taking place on Thurs., May 21 for early arrival campers. The colorful poster also notates the event's three main stages—the big-name, all-genre Lightning, the bass-heavy hitter haven aptly called Thunder and the fan-favorite underground house and techno Woogie.

Poll: Who Will Win Best Dance/Electronic Album At The 2020 GRAMMYs?

Current 2020 GRAMMY nominee Blake, who got his start as a DJ/producer making glitchy, vocal-less dance tracks, will be throwing down a special headline Thunder set. Experimental Brazilian trip-hop producer Amon Tobin will also headline the same stage, with his Two Fingers project.

Past GRAMMY nominee Hopkins, known for his cinematic soundscapes, along with electro-R&B king KAYTRANADA and jazzy house experimenter/proud Ariana Grande fan Four Tet will all be getting the Lightning stage lit. Dreamy Aussie dance trio Crooked Colours, Wajatta—comedian Reggie Watts and house stalwart John Tejada—along with Portland-based ambient DJ/producer Emancipator.

Lighting in a Bottle 2019

The Woogie at Lighting in a Bottle 2019 | Photo: Juliana Bernstein

The Woogie, pictured above, will not only feature a triumphant return from past GRAMMY nominees Bob Moses, who will play a club-inspired set, along with Russian techno queen/St. Vincent-remixer Kraviz, Ukranian house kings ARTBAT, Berlin techno forefather Bodzin and rising London melodic house duo Eli & Fur.

More artists for all stages will be revealed at a later date; please visit LiB's website for the complete lineup and ticketing info. Tier 2 ticket options are currently on sale now.

Ariana Grande To Perform At 2020 GRAMMY Awards On Jan. 26

GRiZ

GRiZ

Photo: Jason Siegel

News
GRiZ On Pride, Snoop Dogg Collab, Detroit & More griz-talks-pride-snoop-dogg-collab-detroits-music-scene-giving-back-more

GRiZ Talks Pride, Snoop Dogg Collab, Detroit's Music Scene, Giving Back & More

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"Be loud, be you, make some noise about it. And be of service to other people when they're in need," the DJ/producer said in a conversation with the Recording Academy
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2019 - 2:17 pm

Funky-bass DJ/producer/saxophone player Grant Kwiecinski, better known as GRiZ, has been getting people grooving to his joyful brand of dance music for quite some time now. He self-released his first LP, End Of The World Party, in 2011 and, most recently, released his sixth album, Ride Waves, in April 2019. GRiZ's latest not only features his quintessential upbeat sound, but also an epic, somewhat unexpected list of collaborators, including Snoop Dogg, Matisyahu, Bootsy Collins and DRAM.

We caught up with GRiZ before he performed at the It Gets Better Project Pride party in Los Angeles to learn what Pride and being part of the LGBTQ+ means to him, among other topics. We also learned more about his career beginnings in Detroit, why giving back is so important to him, and the magic behind the collabs on Ride Waves.

The collaborators on Ride Waves are amazing. How did you choose this group going into the album?

I feel like I fell into some of these people's spaces. The Matisyahu thing, I stumbled into that because the bass player, this guy Stu Brooks who is music directing [our appearance at] Bonnaroo and SuperJam, he played with Matisyahu in their band. He's like, "We got to link you guys up." It's like, "Cool. Awesome. Yeah, that sounds great."

The Snoop Dogg thing, that was more calculated. As a kid, [I was] a major hip-hop fan.

I really love that track; what was it like working with Snoop? How did that collab manifest?

It was really, really trippy too, we got the collaboration and I got the vocals back from them. It was just the weirdest thing, it was like an email that had treasure inside of it. It was like, there's these vocals that are in this email and you open it up, it's like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. You're like, "Oh my God."

Then working with DRAM was super awesome because I've been a huge fan of his since a few years ago; he's fresh on the scene right now. I had a chance to talk with him, talk through the collaboration with him and spin him the idea. When he sent back the work that he did on it, it just felt so right.

Sometimes you work with collaborators and stuff and you feel like you're forcing this thing to happen. You're like, "I don't know how these puzzle pieces are going to fit together but maybe we can make them work." In that case specifically [with DRAM], it felt like even before he had been involved with the song he was there from the beginning. 

The Snoop Dogg feature, that's just like ... I don't know. When does he sound bad? That just doesn't exist. That's just not a thing.

That's so cool. So in terms of the creative process, it was like you had some ideas going into it but it all came together organically.

Yeah. Absolutely. I knew specifically the kind of thing that I really wanted to hear. For me it felt like a risk because I love the music that I make. Because I make music that works for me in my life. It's what I use as a point of celebration or things I like to rock out to. Or the music that I make is stuff that I use for a contemplative healing moment, as a point of catharsis for "this is how I'm feeling. I got to get this out."

Sometimes things feel really personal and it's hard to give somebody else, to let them hold the space. So hopefully they can represent the way you're feeling. Giving a sentimental gospel tune to Wiz Khalifa was like, I don't know man, maybe he's going to be like, "Is this about weed or something like that?" [Laughs.] That was another one of the songs that I don't feel like we really forced it too much with the features for this album. Things rolled along really nicely.

I don't think that anything ever goes exactly to plan, but that's probably for the best. Because the more you try and control a situation it just gets kinda f****ery-ish. It starts to lose personality.

You got to let it go and see what comes back to you. Everything that we let go and put feelers out for, that came back to us, ended up being the most natural and organic, and ended up creating the best vibe that we could never have planned on our own. I never planned to have Wiz Khalifa on the record. The way that that turned out, it couldn't have happened better.

"To me, Pride really represents bravery. To me that bravery is represented from this unabashed, "This is who I am. These are my personal needs and the things that we deserve as a community."

Can you speak to what Pride means to you?

If you look at it historically, it means one thing. Then I feel like what people were fighting for years ago is different in context to where it is today. But that's necessary because time changes and the needs of culture shifts too. But the basic need is still there.

To me, Pride really represents bravery. To me, that bravery is represented from this unabashed [feeling of]: "This is who I am. These are my personal needs and the things that we deserve as a community." To be brave enough in situations where you're being challenged against your beliefs by other people, to be able to meet those challenges with grace, and with strength, and not give up on how you feel. Not give up your position and the things that you need. Not shy away from the challenge and speak up for yourself.

Sometimes you run into situations where there's obvious hate or there's obviously awkward situations and you're like, "Man, maybe I don't want to make this awkward." You're like, "You know what? No. I need to stand up for the way that I feel about this. You can't be hateful around me or be bigoted around me." I'm not going to stand for that or I'm not going to shy away from holding my boyfriend's hand when I'm walking down the street just because I'm worried about what somebody might think. I want to normalize this.

I think the gay community has gained a lot of visibility over the past few years because of other people's bravery. At this point it's continuing to not shy away from expressing that personal sense of self. That's important.

I love that. And it's 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising, which is crazy.

Yeah. It was a group of people who were at the Stonewall Inn. There were police raids happening in New York at gay establishments. They were like, "You can't organize this way. This is illegal." Gay people would resist or not. If you're arrested or resist then it was like, all right, this has reached a climax point. The Gay Liberation Front was the foundation that was birthed out of that. It was birthed out of people standing up for themselves and being like, "You know what? Nah. I'm not going to go quietly. We're not going to let you arrest us and kick us out of our spot."

That's the spirit that we need to continue to hold onto. It's great to celebrate around it because that's awesome. If you can take something that has a really deep historical context, and something that has a lot of weight to it, and put fun behind it then you can normalize this thing. Maybe that's what's great about throwing a party and drinking and being with your friends. It's like, let's maybe make this whole being gay thing look really f***ing extra normal and fun. We can just secretly convince everybody that it's chill. [Laughs.] That would be nice.

Well, you have some great things planned for Pride, including a party here in L.A. this afternoon with It Gets Better. Do you want to talk about any of the specific things that you're getting involved in?

Yeah. I did a partnership with MeUndies, which is important to me because The Happy Hippie Foundation is a great charity. A portion of the profits from the MeUndies Pride underwear is going towards the foundation, whose charitable outreach is to create safe spaces for young people who are gay and have been kicked out of their homes or need to link up with other people in the LGBTQ+ community. They are the resource for that and without money they can't exist. We need to give them money; if you buy cool underwear then money will be given to charities so that if kids get put out on the street because their parents aren't cool with them being gay, then they have a place to go; that's the reality of this sh*t. If you're down with the cause go buy a pair of underwear and help out.

It's almost exactly two years since you wrote your moving HuffPost letter. Can you speak to what it was like sharing that and sharing that side of you that you hadn't before with your fans?

Sure. I think I needed to get to a point where I had a substantial career behind me because I didn't want to be defined by sexual orientation. Because I think that... it would kinda suck. I want to be defined by the things that I do—not who I decide to date.

At the time, I felt like this was in a good enough spot [to come out]. I was like, "Okay, cool. I've done my rounds and I'm cool with it on a personal level." I don't even see it as a thing. It's just what life is for me. Sometimes I get these reminders that I'm like, "Okay, cool. Not everybody thinks that that's normal." There's definitely a rift there. I think that it was important now that I reached this point where I was comfortable with myself, comfortable with the music and I was like, "All right, cool. I feel like this could help people."

After writing that op-ed I've talked with a lot of kids in the GRiZ fan space mostly. Then new kids outside of it that are like, "I don't really know you as a DJ nor do I really care but I really f*** with your story. I really f*** with you as a person because I feel similarly." It's important and hopefully it's maybe inspirational for other people who are like, "I don't know if I want to do that, to come out."

That was the Harvey Milk thing, it was like we need to have people come out and represent the community, because if we are all hiding it doesn't really help. We need this movement to grow. We need to be represented in public and that will help other people find the courage within themselves. Then it's like a domino effect, hopefully. Then you'll see this thing being normalized and hopefully less people will feel outcasted because of their feelings towards their own sexuality. Suicide rates would drop. People would be living healthier lifestyles. Drug use will hopefully go down, and depression, all that kind of stuff.

I saw so much great support from the queer community. I was so surprised to hear so many kids coming out of the woodworks and being like, "Wow, that's my story too. Thank you so much for sharing that. It's helped me come to terms with the way that I feel. Now I'm having these conversations with my family and my friends." That's helping. It helped a lot of people. For me it was reaffirming as well to feel like, "All right. Cool. We're out people. That's just it." It doesn't need to be some weirdo thing. It's like, "Yeah, I'm a gay person. So what?"

I'm sure it connected on a very personal level with so many of your fans. Did any of them reach out to you and come out to you, or anything like that?

Oh, yeah. I mean, there was a few kids that I was talking to on a more personal level. A lot of people were just like, "Yo, thank you so much. Awesome. That helps a lot," but there were a few Twitter DMs and a few Instagram DMs that I read through that I was like, "All right. Cool. I want to talk this person through it." People on some serious levels. "I've been struggling with this my entire life. Since you wrote this article I feel like I finally have a jumping off spot."

Like, "How? Tell me more. Do you have any advice?" I ended up talking with a few kids. Then we did Camp Kulabunga. It gave me these tools to be able to talk about this with people, and understand on a therapeutic level how to be able to connect with people, and just have a conversation and continue a dialog that is soothing for struggling kids because I was one of those kids. I get that. Having that relatability aspect is so huge because a lot of people don't have that. I didn't have that when I was a kid. Growing up through this, there wasn't somebody I could just be like, "Hey, so tell me what that was like for you?" There just wasn't that. I didn't have that. There wasn't an example of this. I could ask my mom but she didn't f***ing know.

You spoke to it a little already, but what role has music played for you when you were going through the more challenging parts in your life? Was it always an outlet for you?

Yeah. That's always the safe space. Sometimes words don't do it, like trying to have a conversation with people. I need that emotional feeling of music. That's always been my therapy, having headphone space and listening to music loudly. I don't know what it is, it's just some physics of the sound and, I don't know, but it does it. I can tune the world out and just enjoy that. It can completely turn my day around, a good song. I don't know what it is but yeah, music is my safe space. 

I think it is for a lot of people. I also think it's really cool when artists share their personal stories, too.

You know the body weight blankets? It's like that. It feels like a cuddle in music.

"When I can't relate and when I'm feeling awkward, when I'm feeling out of place, I will always be understood and I can always feel understood through music."

A sonic cuddle.

Yeah. That's like what it is. When I can't relate and when I'm feeling awkward, when I'm feeling out of place, I will always be understood and I can always feel understood through music.

When you make music, is that something that has always been important to you? To create upbeat, joyful music?

Sometimes it's like both, right? Sometimes I'm just feeling like I need to write a song that reminds me to put a smile on or sometimes I want to write a song that's going to make me feel happy. Or sometimes I'm feeling really good and I just want to write a really happy song. Sometimes I'm feeling really sh*t and I want to write a song so that I can just get it out, some crazy dubstep something or another and I can just rage for a second because I need that.

Most of the time I'm like, "I need music that's just going to make me feel really cool." It's like putting on a dope pair of clothes and new sneakers. You're like, "Yo, all right. Cool. That's my sh*t." That's my mood most of the time. Saxophone is the instrument that I play and funk is the rhythm that makes my heart beat so it always tends to land somewhere in there.



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Nobody: GRiZ: I'm back in Detroit!!! (: @jenndphotography)

A post shared by GRiZ (@griz) on May 24, 2019 at 3:49pm PDT

You grew up in Detroit, which is such a breeding ground for amazing underground music. How did growing up there influence what you listen to and the music you make?

I think the big thing for me, kind of the reason why I'm playing saxophone and doing this whole DJ thing, was there was just this underground movement, and it wasn't techno. This was after techno. There was the underground, alternative pre-EDM scene for kids in downtown Detroit. They would have people like Dan Deacon come through and do shows. It was just bizarro sh*t... It was this nebulous zone of people just trying to figure out what is cool.

There weren't real paid gigs. They would just have parties in their lofts. It was this collective of kids called the Scrummage Kids. They had this thing called Scrummage University that was like, we didn't go to college, we did that. It was really inspiring to see these kids. I was producing music since I was 14 but this was now in the performance space. I was like, "I didn't know you could play this music out to people."

I'd go down to Detroit and see these kids do this stuff, experiment and have fun, and just go way beyond. That really inspired me to just do whatever I wanted. It broke all the rules for what a performance space was so I was like, "Maybe I'll do a saxophone thing. Maybe it'll be like hip-hop beats but danceable."

Then at Michigan State University, during my time there, it gave me the platform to actually do this in a performance space. They're like, now we have parties in basements where guys and girls live. They're called co-ops. There's a bunch of hippies. This was before the DJ movement in America, really. We weren't doing the EDC thing, how it is now. We weren't doing the Marshmello thing. Skrillex hadn't been a thing yet. Dubstep hadn't come to America yet.

We were figuring out this weird thing and it was like this strange electronic music performance space. Where nobody really knew what we were doing but it was cool and it was ours. It was techno, it was indie dance, it was pre-dubstep, it was hip-hop, it was electronica. I was like, "Cool. I'm going to play my music and play saxophone, and it's going to be f***ing weird." That's where that inspiration started.

In terms of giving back to your community, you do a lot. You've done six years of GRiZMAS, right?

Mm-hmm.

What are your thoughts on artists using their platform to speak up on getting involved in causes that are important to them? And what's your biggest driver in that sense right now?

I feel like it's your responsibility to do it, if you have a life that's easy. I have an easy life. I decide to work a lot. You know what I'm saying? I think it's a responsibility.

I see things in my world that are nice. If I want nice things I got to work for them or I've got to insert. If I want a nice education, I'm going to pay money and taxes or something and that's got to happen a certain way. If I want nice schools, and I want arts in education in schools, and I want to see these certain things well then I need to contribute to that, otherwise I'm just complaining about a problem. I don't want to be that kind of a person. I feel like it's my duty to contribute.

We have to do something. I have to do something. I support Seven Mile Music. They do really awesome work. They create after school music programs for kids who don't have music education during the school day. That's what we can do. This is our community and we just got to help. We got to help each other out. The entire world would be better if we could all just fucking pitch in. Just do a little bit of something. Maybe by doing that it will inspire other people to do something. I don't care what it is, just do something.

I feel that. It's a lot easier to complain, but…

It doesn't help anybody. People need help and if you're just complaining, those words aren't going to help feed people or add art to the world, or help create places where people can feel more mentally stable or have outlets for counseling. That doesn't help, us just sitting around saying, "Oh, I wish it was better." It's like, "Okay. [Laughs.] Do something and then let's party."

LA Pride 2019: The Veronicas, Sir Babygirl & More Celebrate The LGBTQ+ Community

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