GRiZ | |
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Press Photo 2014 by Josh Hanford
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Background information | |
Birth name | Grant Kwiecinski |
Also known as | GRiZ |
Born |
Southfield, Michigan |
May 31, 1990
Genres | Electronica, trip hop, dubstep, glitch hop, future funk |
Occupation(s) | Producer, songwriter, saxophone player |
Years active | 2011–present |
Labels | All Good Records (formerly Liberated Music) |
Associated acts | Gramatik, Big Gigantic, Pretty Lights |
Website | mynameisgriz |
Grant Kwiecinski, also known by his stage name GRiZ, is an American DJ and electronic producer from Michigan. He is known for playing the saxophone along with producing funk, electro-soul, and self-described future-funk.
Kwiecinski was born and raised in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. In elementary school, Kwiecinski was first introduced to the alto sax as well as the piano. After growing up on big horn sounds of funk groups like The Meters, Kwiecinski found himself gravitating towards that influence when he first began making his own music in college. He attended Birmingham Groves High School and then Michigan State University for several years before he dropped out to focus on a music career. While at Michigan State he would frequently DJ parties at his friends' fraternity houses and play shows in the East Lansing area. GRiZ first became popular with the release of his free debut album, End of the World Party, in 2011. With the release, he ended up supporting bigger artists such as Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Gramatik, and Big Gigantic on their respective tours, eventually leading to his own headlining tour. Following such success, GRiZ released four more albums, Mad Liberation in 2012, Rebel Era in 2013, Say It Loud in 2015, and Good Will Prevail in 2016.
Kwiecinski created the All Good Records (formerly Liberated Music) label to promote his music, along with electro contemporaries Muzzy Bearr (who also plays guitar live with GRiZ and on several tracks), The Floozies, The Geek x VRV, and Manic Focus. All Good Records is a label that “reps old school motown soul, future funk, new disco, cutting edge electronica, and anything on the forefront of new sound." Kwiecinski travels across the U.S & Canada playing at festivals such as Summer Camp, Electric Zoo, Electric Forest, Hard Los Angeles, TomorrowWorld, North Coast Festival, Decadence, SnowBall, Lollapalooza and Shambhala. He has collaborated with many fellow DJ’s, including Gramatik, ExMag, Big Gigantic and many more. His fourth album, Say It Loud, was released on March 31, 2015
All his albums are available for free download on his website.