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SCENE SELECTION: GRIZZLY
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Grizzly is the brainchild of UK born, US based DJ/producer Sinden (above). Now two-years-old, the label is home for his productions as well as the off-kilter party music that he champions.
Cases in point? Big, club killing tracks from Brodinski, Melé, SBTRKT, Brenmar, Jay Weed and Distal that are tough round the edges but full of bounce and totally danceable.
Grizzly tunes exist on the edges of dance music, each one a pungent, slightly tropical brew of heavy bass, techy attitude, carnival swagger and late night, bugged eyed excitement. Ahead of the release of Melé and Kano's summer smash 'Beamer', Mixmag caught Sinden to chat all things Grizzly and grab an exclusive mix of label tunes put together by the man himself. Nice!
THE GRIZZLY SHOWCASE
SINDEN & WAFA - BIJOU
WAFA - EWID DISCO (TEED REMIX)
BRODINSKI - ARNOLD CLASSICS (TONY SENGHORE'S STAGGERING DAGGERING REMIX)
SINDEN & SBTRKT - MIDNIGHT MARAUDER
SINDEN & MELE - STEEL RIDE
MELE - TRAPPIN
BRENMAR - TASTING (LET ME KNOW)
DISTAL - BOSS OF THE SOUTH (CAPRACARA'S SOUTH OF HEAVEN REMIX)
SINDEN - 1000 (L-VIS 1990 CLUB CONSTRUCTION REMIX)
SINDEN - PULL UP WHEEL UP (FEAT NATALIE STORM)
SINDEN & SBTRKT - GRAZED
WAFA - LUCKY STRIKE (FELIX JAXX SKANK REMIX)
How, when and why did Grizzly begin?
At the tail end of 2009 is when I started thinking about the name, the output, the artists, scheduling, strategising, PR, label manager, who will do the back end, distributor... The first release from SBTRKT and myself didn't drop until May. These things take months to finally slot into place so we had to be prepared. It happened because I wanted to control my music and have the best outlet for it, to sign music i love and nurture artists i believed in.
What's the label's ethos and how do you choose artists?
The label ethos is to sign really outstanding music of a high calibre and tunes that are out of the ordinary. I feel like the label grows and changes all the time, it's not defined by a sound or signing artists for one-off singles. I prefer to sign artists that I feel have a bigger potential and to develop them with each release, to help them express themselves in the way they want.
The first releases came together really organically. Brodinski heard I was starting a label and sent me a track, SBTRKT and me had already produced two tracks or more and around 2009 I was receiving tracks from Brenmar, Melé and WAFA. Before I knew it I was lining-up a strong roster.
You're not living in London anymore. How has that affected the label?
I'm able to tap into a North American market more and spread the word over this side. A lot of the artists are based in the US so its easier to organise parties and label tours. We're trying to make that happen more, and be ambitious with that.
Grizzly has always championed off kilter party music. What's the perfect Grizzly sound and what's the best situation in which to listen to Grizzly records?
The perfect Grizzly sound is a panda, one hand clapping, and the best situation is watching Adventure Time in a trap house, getting high while eating fried pickles, naked.
What's next for the label?
Melé's second release for the label featuring Kano on vocals is next. It's a really huge track, completely unique! After that Brenmar follows up his last release with his first track featuring original vocals. It's a great song, his most accomplished tune to date for sure. It exudes soul through its pores. Can't wait for that one either.
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