Talking Shambhala with the Trio of Electro Funk

This year's Shambhala Music Festival was a whirlwind weekend filled with freaks, fun, and funk. Returning to my empty, tie dye-deficient home in Vancouver was a difficult transition, but I took it upon myself to chat with Grant, Corey, and Oscar (GRiZ, Kill Paris, and Opiuo) about their lives, music, and recent experiences playing at Shambhala.

Being the philosopher that he is, GRiZ says that "Shambhala is a place where people are trying to be 100% the exact version of themselves that they want to be. You can be so successful by being exactly just yourself, no one expects anything except for you to be weird and just be you." No pressure, no judgment, just a collective love of music. As someone who just lived on the other side of the turntables, I would have to say that his assessment is accurate. This year, he played two sets at Fractal Forest and The Village. "I liked the Village a lot," he recounts, "The Fractal Forest stage is just like a 360 degree party, and everyone is just grooving and vibin' and they want some funky shit, whereas the Village stage is packed to the brim give me all your bass, it's really loud and it's kind of more like a stage where people are really focused on seeing the artist." The first year he played was at the Village and he said that returning there was like going home. "Those guys are like family to me, they treat me so well. Every single time I get to work with PK Sound, you just know everything's going to be super awesome."

Over the past three years, GRiZ has exploded in the electronic scene and is known for his energetic sets and live saxophone solos. The Detroit native (currently living in Colorado) says his unique style stems from Motown influences such as classical funk, soul, and jazz while tying in his own futuristic bass lines and groovy dubstep. Aside from Motown influences, Grant thinks "people need to know that techno was invented in Detroit [and] influenced Chicago to create house, so basically all of electronic dance music started in Detroit." Those are big words, but GRiZ is a big thinker. His trending calling card, #IamLiberated is a good place to begin. For Grant, the idea of liberation is a "state of mind" where he can "construct with [his] conscious reality." To say he has constructed his reality is an understatement. After releasing two album releases, Mad Liberation (2011) and Rebel Era (2013), for free download on his website, his consistent touring and online following have made him very well-known for only being on the scene three years.

The following morning I woke up early, made myself a coffee and sat down on Skype with Kill Paris. We started off our chat by discussing his favourite Robin Williams movie (Aladdin), his spirit animal (a grasshopper), and his preferred superpower (controlling time). Once we had the formalities out of the way, we began to discuss his music. He describes his music as "future funk, because it's dance music but a little more funky and a little bit more melodic." He explained that he is always "trying to challenge himself, as well as challenge the listeners" by making music that you can revisit. He's constantly trying to find the blend between club music and music that can cross environmental boundaries, such as beach days, pre-drinks, or driving playlists (to name a few).

If you've ever had the chance to listen to Kill Paris, you'll note a certain theme throughout his tracks: endless and hopeless romanticism. For him, "love has always been universal, especially music that promotes love. To a certain extent it's timeless because it actually gives you a good feeling… which is what I try to do with music—first make it interesting, but then to make it have a feeling to it." I think the fact that he's still dating his high school sweetheart may also contribute to that. I commented that he combined the two things in this world that produce the most (natural) endorphins, and he laughed mischievously.

Being his first year at Shambhala, walking around the festival grounds was a bit of an eye-opener for him than for these other two vets. "I was with my tour manager and I turned over to him and said, 'dude, this is like landing on an alien planet and this is what they're doing, this is their tribal gathering of the society.'" Pretty much. Kill Paris also highlighted the importance of the no-alcohol policy, saying that everyone is "there for the same reasons, no one's pushing people around and being rude."  Both GRiZ and Opiuo reflected these sentiments, which can be summed up as everyone being on the same radio wave of happiness.

Finally, I caught up with Opiuo. After commenting on his bravery for flying to Europe and performing right after Shambhala, I watched his friends arrive and begin to pre-drink on Skype as they got ready for the evening. A genuinely warm New Zealander, Opiuo has called Melbourne home for the past 10 years. He has taken off around the world with his funky, syrupy bass lines and eclectic samples ranging from duck quacks and horse neighs to synthesized horns. Although you hear certain instrumental sounds coming from his tracks, Oscar is adamant about continuing to explore the electronic sound over everything. "The powerful part about electronic music is that you can crate these noises that are mind-blowingly big, loud and perfect." For him, "funk and bass is always something I want to maintain… the bass line is what keeps me here." With so many artists going back to organic instrumental roots and blending genres, it's interesting to hear from someone who truly thrives in the purely synthesized sound.

Opiuo, the veteran out of these artists with three years at Shambhala, described his separate experiences. "It's interesting because at each one of them, the stages really do maintain their independence so they each have their own thing. At the first year in the Village, I had never played on a sound system like that in my life. The Amphitheater is a bit more open and freaky and then the Grove is in this forest. They each completely have their own beautiful awesome thing that is their own."

Each told me various highlights from their weekend. Both GRiZ and Kill Paris highlighted a four-hour vinyl set played by Mr. Scruff (as well as A.Skillz' set in the Fractal Forest).

One moment in particular that we discussed stood out to me. GRiZ talked about hanging around the vendors and suddenly seeing "these two people lock eyes and see each other and freak out and go and give each other the biggest hug." He says "It wasn't even my moment but it was their moment and it just made me really happy and comfortable to see two people so stoked on each other." I think that's what they call Shambhalove.

So what's next on the docket for this funk trio? Both GRiZ and Kill Paris have albums coming up in 2015. GRiZ's self-proclaimed "ambitious" album doesn't have a release date yet, but Kill Paris' is set to come out on Valentines Day 2015, (fitting). Opiuo is looking to release an EP, but will also be returning to Canada to play a tour in the fall because "Canada is just awesome."

All of them intend to keep their schedule open in hopes of returning to Shambhala.

If you like Shambhala, you'll love:
From Zero Budget to Infinite Awe: We Sit Down With Shambhala's Founder 
Kill Paris Trades His Hoodie For a Leisure Suit in his New Disco Video 
Griz Is The Shiz