All Good Records

Modern reworkings of vintage funk and disco have been immensely popular in the last few years — from Pharrell’s collaborations with Daft Punk and Robin Thicke in 2013 to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ current No. 1 hit to the forthcoming album from Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. This sound even has enough legs to give first-wave disco giants Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder a new set of opportunities: both are recording albums for the first time in decades.

But the old folks aren’t the only ones standing to benefit from this sonic shift — the Detroit-based artist GRiZ has been playing with the tropes of disco and funk for several years, along with strains of electronic music and the occasional Chet Baker sample. Now the pop marketplace is finally beginning to catch up with him. Today Billboard is exclusively premiering a new track from GRiZ: “The Anthem” featuring vocals from Mike Avery. Check it out below.

GRiZ (real name Grant Kwiecinski) has the recipe for throwback down pat: a huge beat, an Edwin-Starr-like “good God” ad-lib, a dive-bombing horn section, and rhythm guitar that splits the difference between the pointy aggression of 1971 James Brown and the clean fluidity of 1979 Chic. But GRiZ also has a modern ear, and he’s not afraid to show it: a minute and a half into the song, there’s a post-EDM build that explodes into a “Talk Dirty”-esque saxophone loop.

The song came together in several different locations. GRiZ tells Billboard, “I first went out to New York to record with some of the Daptone Records guys to get the main groove of the tune. Then I had to travel out to Van Nuys to record a children’s choir… I finished up the song with Mike Avery in Chicago, and he was one super soulful dude that really captured the golden era funk vibes that I love so much.”

“The Anthem” will appear on GRiZ’s next full-length, Say It Loud. Look for that in March, and check out the album’s first single below along with GRiZ’s spring tour dates.

Say It Loud World Tour

2/20/15 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Studio Orfei
2/21/15 – Paris, France – YOYO
2/25/15 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Satellite EPFL
2/26/15 – Geneva, Switzerland – Usine PTR
2/27/15 – Martigny, Switzerland – Caves Du Manoir
4/1/15 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel*
4/2/15 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm*
4/3/15 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In*
4/4/15 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle***
4/7/15 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre*
4/8/15 – Richmond, VA – The National*
4/9/15 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club*
4/10/15 – New York, NY – Terminal 5*
4/11/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts*
4/12/15 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground*
4/14/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls*
4/15/15 – Columbus, OH – Bluestone*
4/16/15 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection**
4/17/15 – Chicago, IL – Aragon#
4/18/15 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant** 
4/20/15 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre%
4/22/15 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre%
4/23/15 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic%
4/24/15 – Dallas, TX – Trees%
4/25/15 – Austin, TX – Emo’s%
4/29/15 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater^
4/30/15 – Flagstaff, AZ – Orpheum^
5/1/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern^
5/2/15 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine^
5/5/15 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory^
5/7/15 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre^
5/8/15 – Seattle, WA – Showbox^
5/9/15 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore^
5/15-17/15 – Gulf Shores, AL – Hangout Festival****

*w/ The Floozies & Artifakts
**w/ Exmag & Muzzy Bearr & Artifakts 
# w/ Exmag & Artifakts
% w/ Exmag & Muzzy Bearr 
^ w/ The Floozies & Muzzy Bearr 
*** Featuring the All Good Records Family Affair w/ Surprise Guests
**** Festival date