GRiZ

GRiZ is Grant Kwiecinski, raised in Southfield, Michigan, just outside Detroit. He picked up alto saxophone and piano in elementary school, drawn to horn-heavy funk groups like The Meters. He studied at Michigan State University, DJing fraternity parties around campus, before dropping out to pursue music full-time.

He came up through the bass-music circuit in the early 2010s with a sound drawing on funk, soul and hip-hop samples, distinguished by his own live saxophone playing on top, a mix usually filed as electro-soul or future-funk. His free 2011 debut album, End of the World Party, led to support slots with Pretty Lights, Gramatik and Big Gigantic, and eventually his own headlining tour.

For years he kept releasing albums as free downloads, including Mad Liberation, Rebel Era and Say It Loud. Good Will Prevail, in 2016, became his first entry on the Billboard 200. Ride Waves, in 2019, pushed further into rapping and singing, followed by Rainbow Brain in 2021.

He has been active in charitable work in Detroit, including an annual holiday event, 12 Days of Grizmas, that funnels proceeds from a related two-day festival into local nonprofits, and fundraising for music education. His shows typically mix DJing with live horn playing, and he founded the label All BAD Records for himself and like-minded artists.

Since 2019 he has also paired with Subtronics as GRIZTRONICS, a back-to-back collaboration alongside his solo catalog. He has collaborated widely across the bass and funk worlds, working with artists including Gramatik, ExMag and Big Gigantic.