Though he had more of a history in the EDM world, you can draw some parallels between jack-of-many-trades Grant Kwiecinski (aka GRiZ) and Mark “Uptown Funk” Ronson. Both began as successful DJs and both are noted for their work with electronics and in production. And both gravitated toward a more organic, live-instrumentation-based sound as their careers have progressed.
A Detroit native now based in Boulder, Col., GRiZ’s 2011 debut album, End of the World Party, was a crafty interpretation of and expansion on Dubstep, featuring dashes of Soul and Hip Hop, while his follow-up, 2012’s Mad Liberation, pushed his star even higher in the EDM universe. But with 2013’s Rebel Era full-length, GRiZ began to find an even more unique voice with his fusion of EDM and classic Funk and Soul, expertly blending the monster robotic grind of Dubstep with a more vintage, soulful groove on tracks like “Hard Times” and “Keep the Dream.”
With this year’s Say It Loud, GRiZ showed off a more refined version of his crossover concoction, with more live instrumentation and even nastier grooves on tracks like “The Anthem,” “Get Down” and “A Fine Way to Die.” While his previous work could be described as “EDM with a Funk influence,” Say It Loud is a modern Funk/Soul album with a slightly subtler Electronic aftertaste. Kwiecinski assembled a great guest list for the new album, enlisting young, soulful vocal stylists like Orlando Napier and Jessie Arlen, as well as more seasoned legends like Ivan Neville and Talib Kweli, to craft a piece of work that truly lives up to the “Future Funk” genre-tag GRiZ (who tours with a full band) has earned.
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This article appears in Oct 21-27, 2015.
