NYC duo is bringing sexy back big time.
There’s a type of electronica that works well at a pre-gaming session; during that unexpected-but-much-needed one night stand and throughout a party aftermath the next day. A perfect example is “Refuse”—a new silky soultronic single from NYC-based duo Grumby that features sensual vocals from Hari Mint. Grumby (or Raj and Andrew) are currently working on more breezy bangers and promise to drop a new EP on April 5, but right now you can relax to their latest effort, “Changes”, and read our interview with these smooth operators.
Hometown: Texas
Homebase: NYC
How did you two meet?
We met through a mutual friend. He was like “Raj, meet Andrew; Andrew, meet Raj”. The rest is history.
Where does the name Grumby come from? Any connections to Grumpy cat?
It’s a hilarious and crazy story, too. Quite unexpected. We made a list of name ideas and chose the best one. The rest is history. Isn’t that a wild story? No connection to Grumpy cat. He’s tight though.
How do you describe your sound?
It’s a mix of all sorts of influences, the main ones coming from the jazz, r&b, soul, and electronic music we grew up with.
There’s a bit of everything in your music: r&b, jazz, electro, hip-hop. So it’s safe to assume you both have a pretty deep knowledge of music and have big music collections. Am I right?
That’s true. We were exposed to different types of music by our parents growing up ranging from rock, pop and jazz to classical Indian music and bhangra. We were also all over Kazaa and Limewire and all those dope illegal programs back in the day downloading whatever we could get our hands on. Since then, our palettes have broadened and you can hear the different influences seep into our music. Being in New York City has also expanded our music knowledge as there are so many unique sounds that come together here.
Considering your sound is incredibly smooth, it makes a perfect soundtrack for a make out session. Do you have people walking up to you and confess they made love to your music?
No, that’s so gross… who makes love?! Disgusting. Just kidding. Yes. We’ve had a few people tell us that. And then we give them a fist bump and say, “niiiice.”
You’re known for your striking music videos. What’s your favorite music video of all time?
We’re known for that? We didn’t know that. That’s cool… thank you!
Rajuju: Soul IV Real - Candy Rain
Andrew: David Hasselhoff - Hooked on a Feeling
What’s your trick to making your music work live as well as it does in the studio?
We were both performers before we started producing music, so it helps to already have the experience of playing in a group and reading the vibe of the room. When we put the full band together for shows, it’s basically us just jamming with our friends, so that makes it feel really organic and natural. We were surprised at how many people came up to us after our EP release show and complemented us on how well we translated our sound into a live setting.
The perfect party is…
The party with the pants. Brick showed it to us.
What’s the weirdest place you ever had to record or write a song at?
Andrew: I used to do cruise ship gigs with a jazz quartet, and I would always set up a little keyboard and mic in the crew library. It was kind of surreal because you could hear the waves hitting the hull of the ship.
Raj: I sometimes record at Andrew’s mom's house. Haha, got him. In his face!
Andrew: Mannn.
Your game plan for 2016?
We’re working on our next EP at the moment. It will have a wider palette of sound exploring electronic influences and textures while maintaining the vibe of our original EP with roots in jazz & r&b. Our main goal is to stay creative and to continue collaborating with all of the talented musicians we’ve met here in New York.
We will be playing more live once the new music comes out. Soon enough we’ll be touring and hopefully we can bring all the talented cats with us to create some memorable experiences for our fans.
5 fast fun facts about Grumby. Go!
1) We grew up 30 minutes from each other in Texas, but didn’t meet or become friends until we moved to NYC. Now when we visit our families in Texas, we always meet up and try to work on the road.
2) Our song “Refuse” with Hari Mint is on rotation at BBC Radio One.
3) Danny Trejo once tweeted at us: https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/20pz21/danny_trejo_heard_our_music_at_sxsw_and_then/
4) We are co-founders of Half Bad Radio, a satirical music podcast: soundcloud.com/halfbad
