One listen to Mystic Grizzly’s A New Existence EP on Bassrush Records and we’re convinced the twenty-two year old is an old soul sent here from another dimension. Dropping interstellar bass vibes that have us feeling all kinds of ways, the experimental edges of the music that Mystic Grizzly is kicking never seem to neglect the dancefloor at the core as the uncontrollable urge to start moving your body is built into each and every tune.
Having come up with the quickness, the psychedelic space bass sprinkled with tribal glitch and grime that Mystic Grizzly is quickly becoming known for is carefully crafted with the intention of delivering “a one of a kind, mystical experience.” Even stripped of the spirituality at the core the music is pure synapse-twisting, face-melting sickness. Mixing eclectic atmospheres with haunted otherworldly dreamscapes on the top end, the bottom end is pure dancefloor fire designed to crush with the best of them.
With his A New Existence EP debuting on Bassrush Records recently, what better time to check the headspace of one of the most exciting acts to emerge in 2019? From the evolution of his own artistic vision to the ongoing evolution of his soul and intentions on shifting the energy of the planet, the wide-ranging conversation we had with Mystic Grizzly is inspiring on multiple levels and planes.
Be sure to stream/download your copy of the EP here and prepare for a deep dive into the mind of Mystic Grizzly below.
I know you’ve got some deep musical roots on the guitar and ukulele tip. Give us a sense of what youngblood Jordan was rocking out and at what point that turned towards an interest in production and electronic music in general.
I grew up my entire life in the same house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Most people in my family played an instrument and so my parents really encouraged me to learn an instrument at an early age. I started taking guitar lessons at age 10 or 11 and ended up falling in love with it immediately and sticking with it all the way until today. I grew up by the beach and was always influenced by its culture so I went ahead and bought a ukulele a few years ago and fell in love with that as well.
In middle school one of my friends showed me Skrillex. I had never heard anything like it ever. I ended up shedding a tear of happiness when I listened to Skrillex’s “Cinema” remix for the first time because it was the coolest, gnarliest sounding music to ever cross my ears. I was also very into heavy metal at the time, so it was like an electronic version of heavy metal with all these crazy monster sounds, which I was super into. My life changed in that moment!
My first electronic show ever was a Circus Records Takeover in Miami for Miami Music Week around 2014-2015 with Doctor P, Funtcase, Flux Pavilion, and Cookie Monsta. Some years later I really got into Bassnectar and then Tipper and completely fell in love with the scene and all kinds of EDM in general. I started naturally hearing and creating obscure sounds in my head and creating full on build-ups and bass drops inside my head and I knew if I learned how to produce I would be able to make something awesome. So right after high school I got FL Studio 11 on my laptop and started my journey.
Who are some of the early artists who caught your attention and at what point did that lead to you starting to experiment with your own sound?
Some artists who caught my attention early were Yheti, Space Jesus, Toadface, Tipper, Liquid Stranger, G Jones, Bleep Bloop—all those guys are true innovators and I was really drawn to their extremely unique, freeform, outside of the box style and sound design. My older music is very creatively messy and sounds like a mixture of all those guys, however I always knew that in order to go anywhere as an artist, you have to be original, so throughout that whole time I had been experimenting with finding my own style and sound while using their music as a reference to understand how they constructed a song.
Spirituality is a huge part of your vision as well. Most interviews focus on your musical upbringing but what about your spiritual upbringing?
One of my best friend’s moms was basically my spiritual teacher all throughout high school. She is extremely bright and in tune and over the course of years, shared a plethora of knowledge with me and my whole friend group about manifesting, the law of attraction, quantum physics, laws of the universe, near death experiences, frequencies, and vibrations.
Music is vibration, words are vibrations, thoughts are vibrations. These vibrations physically mold our reality and hold space and can morph and change, thus forming a whole new reality if done properly. Once I realized this, I understood that music is something that can be channeled from a higher power that can really help change or heal someone (because we are vibrational beings). Music also got me through my darkest times. I don’t know if I would be alive if I didn’t have music to help me through those times. I then realized if I created music with positive intentions and positive vibrations, it would literally change the vibration of humans and help heal the masses.
So now I’m here to help heal as many humans as possible and to achieve my long-term goal of helping to heal the entire world.
Music is vibration, words are vibrations, thoughts are vibrations. These vibrations physically mold our reality and can morph and change, thus forming a whole new reality. Once I realized this, I understood that music is something that can be channeled from a higher power that can really help change or heal someone.
It’s obvious that this worldview has not only influenced but seems to drive your output as an artist as well. Talk about your intention to “give listeners a one of a kind, mystical experience.” How does this translate into specific musical elements and the way that you’re crafting tunes?
Most of the music I release is truly channeled through me from the cosmos. I hope I don’t sound crazy saying that. (Laughs) I use a lot of organic elements or sounds in my music, whether it’s nature sounds or self-recorded instruments or spoken words. People won’t always listen to your words if you speak, but for some reason people really listen and pay attention to music so I’d rather just communicate my teachings, lessons, thoughts, and advice through my music. It seems to hit people way harder.
When a song is comprised of a powerful spoken message, extraterrestrial sounds, natural/organic atmospheres, and created from a place love and positive intent, it brings you into this headspace when you listen to it that is made up of all the components from that song. Those components come from all different kinds of dimensions and realms so when you immerse yourself in that song, you are now immersed in a one of a kind, mystical experience whether you realize it or not.
I also noticed that you plugged the project on your socials with the tag line: “A New Era Is Upon Us My Brothers And Sisters. The Time Is NOW.” Give us a sense of what that means and what kind of changes you’re thinking of when envisioning this new era. Is this a political/real-world evolution you’re thinking of or something more personal and deep, related to the inner work that each of us must work through in our lifetimes?
At this very moment, this Earth and all of us humans who inhabit it are going through a consciousness shift. You asked if this shift was political/real world or an inner, personal shift—it is literally both. However, the TRUE shift happens when each person transforms their inner self to a more loving, more pure being of light. If everyone shifts themselves, we can all collectively shift the world and raise its overall vibration and evolve as a race. We currently live in a period of intense corruption and our governmental leaders are not taking the correct actions to restore humanity and full harmony to this planet. The answer is world peace and coexistence between all races and religions.
What does this personal shift call for? To practice unconditional love for ourselves and every other living being. This new era is a real thing and is called the Age of Aquarius, and it began in 2012. It is vital for us all to come together, coexist, and help those in need and understand that we are all one. We are all part of the same consciousness. The perception that we are all separate beings is false. This is humanity’s biggest downfall. Once our political leaders can come to this understanding of mass unity then we can really shift things on a massive scale.
We’re assuming a grizzly bear is your spirit animal or at least what you envision yourself to be in other dimensions. What is it about the grizzly that attracts you and how do you see that translating into the mystical arts that you have become known for?
Yes, I am a bear and embrace the bear spirit that is intertwined within my soul. Bears are shamanic healers. I am the healer and music is the natural ability that I have been gifted in this lifetime in order to share with the world. Music, vibrations and energy are extremely powerful. When working with these, you’re working with real magic, and magic is not to be taken lightly. There is a dark magic and light magic. It’s vital we use our powers for Light. The mystical art of working with these energies is something we must be extremely careful with. Everyone has these powers and can tap into them at any time. For many years, I have been practicing taking my healing energies and healing powers and transmuting them into my music in order to positively impact others on a metaphysical/emotional level (which is usually where most of the real healing takes place).
Last but not least, let’s say we’re introducing your music to a friend who is uninitiated in the ways of the Mystic Grizzly. What words of advice should we give them when we’re trying to tell them what to expect and how it may just change their life?
My biggest advice to them is to embrace the unknown and try something new and be open it. You never know what kind of beauty and surprises lay beyond your comfort zone. It very well may change your life. Also keeping an open mind is vital. There is no right or wrong when it comes to creating art. Not everyone will resonate with your art and that’s totally fine. Sometimes my music is too weird for people, but with an open mind, you will be able to at least appreciate it and be receptive to it, and that’s what counts. With that in mind, I would like thank the entire Bassrush/Insomniac team for allowing me to share my music on this large-scale platform. You guys are helping me achieve my long-term goals.