Known for his innovative and downright dirty sets, Texas native Chris Lee Marshall a.k.a Crizzly– the creator of his trademark sound \”crunkstep\”- has come far since his humble beginnings DJing small clubs in San Antonio. I had the pleasure of seeing the young DJ/producer in his element at Lollapalooza this year and trust me when I say it was one of the most fun and original sets I heard that whole weekend. With killer remixes of hip-hop favorites such as Jay Z\’s \”Tom Ford\” and A$AP Rocky\’s \”Fucking Problem\”, its no wonder the 21 year old artist is a hit all across the musical board and will continue to destroy dance floors throughout his career. Without any further adieu, here is what Crizzly had to say about his background, his music, and his future.
So you’re only 21 years young and are already drawing huge crowds at festivals as different as EDC and Warped Tour. How did you get to where you are today and what made you decide to start producing/DJing?
I’ve always loved music. I started playing instruments at a young age. I got into producing and DJing when I was 15. It started off as a hobby and I am now fortunate enough to call it my career
How did you come up with the whole “crunkstep” concept?
I come from Texas where everyone listens to hip-hop, so I took what I was familiar in hip-hop and combined it with dubstep. BAM. That’s how I got ‘Crunkstep’
Where did the name Crizzly come from?
Well, my name is Chris Lee… Yup, it was that simple.
What’s the music scene like down in San Antonio?
The EDM scene was actually pretty nonexistent when I was growing up. On occasion, we had a big name DJ like Tiesto come through, but nothing consistent. When I first started out producing, I was very active in reaching out to clubs and building a name for myself. I like to think that I helped build the EDM scene in San Antonio.
What kind of music do you listen to when you’re not making it? Who inspired you to start making such heavy music?
I listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I like all kinds of music. On any given day I could be listening to anything from French Montana to Modest Mouse. My inspiration mostly came from Rusko, Doctor P, and Flux Pavilion.
What was your favorite experience as a DJ/producer thus far? Any crazy on tour stories you can share?
It’s hard to pick just one experience. I just love being able to travel, meet new people, and play shows all over the country.
What is your favorite place/venue to DJ at?
The Ivy Rooftop. It’s my hometown club, I get to see all my friends when I play there, and it’s where I first got started. I love the vibes there. It’s very intimate, but the turn up is real.
What is something that surprised you about the electronic music scene back when you started up Crizzly?
That people played DJ friendly tracks that had an intro and outro beats. When I started looking at music from a DJ perspective I was always trying to combine tracks on the fly that would be a bit more difficult to mix.
Where do you think dubstep is headed and what should we expect from Crizzly in the future?
Dubstep will continue to grow and spread and change, that’s just the nature of music. You can expect more music, and shows.
…oh and pizza
What is your guilty pleasure?
Drake.
Finally, anyone you would wish to collaborate with if you could? Dead/alive?
Daft Punk, Michael Jackson and French Montana. Preferably all on one track.
