Meet Mike Griffin, the sonic wizard behind Energy No. 13, hailing from the dynamic music scene of South Florida. With roots deeply entrenched in the world of rock and metal, he made a thrilling transition into the electronic music realm during the mid-1990s, kickstarting his journey as a music producer and swiftly evolving into a mixing maestro.
Embarking on an electrifying voyage
Meet Mike Griffin, the sonic wizard behind Energy No. 13, hailing from the dynamic music scene of South Florida. With roots deeply entrenched in the world of rock and metal, he made a thrilling transition into the electronic music realm during the mid-1990s, kickstarting his journey as a music producer and swiftly evolving into a mixing maestro.
Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mike Griffin took his first steps into the world of electronic music when he discovered a digital home for his experimental sounds on the MySpace website. His electrifying DJ performances have captivated the stages of countless after-hours gatherings and clubs across the South Florida region, leaving his audiences entranced. DJ Mike Griffin is recognized for regularly sharing the spotlight on the Mixlr platform, where he expertly spins records sourced from the eminent East Coast Underground (ECU) vinyl collection. His sets are a testament to his mastery of the finest sounds, where you will hear the best of Miami bass and electro-funk music.
Under the alias Energy No. 13, Mike Griffin carved out his niche in electronic music, but his creative spirit knew no bounds. Hence, he transformed into the versatile artist known as InerVation, expanding his horizons to explore a rich tapestry of musical genres.
Beyond his artistic endeavors, Mike Griffin embraces the role of a devoted family man. In his personal life, he is married to Florence Meuleman-Griffin. Professionally, they jointly oversee the operations of ECU, a record label they founded in 2018, headquartered in South Florida. ECU serves many roles, not just curating exceptional electronic music but also running retail outlets and serving as a pivotal distribution hub for esteemed record labels from across the globe. Mike Griffin takes charge of ECU’s business management, skillfully navigating the intricacies of the music industry and fostering strong relationships with distributors.
Energy No. 13 is well-versed in the world of electro music. On January 13, 2018, the track, “Half Truth,” a compelling blend of Ghetto Tech elements, exhibiting remarkable cohesiveness and rhythmic precision. “e4Ea” marks the debut of another stunning electro track, released on August 30, 2017. This track is firmly anchored in bass, offering an abundance of atmospheric groove and entrancing funk elements.
On September 18, 2021, Energy No. 13 released the EP Vertigo. Enthusiasts of Energy No. 13 are treated to four tracks of attention-grabbing music exploration, embarking on an electrifying voyage spanning from pulsating, bass-heavy electronica to pure mysterious electro.
“The opening track on the Vertigo eponymous EP, “Vertigo“ is an impeccable masterpiece of true electronica with synthetic qualities of melody and rhythmic interplay. A genre described as a sound straight out of “Plaid”. ~A.J.
“The 2nd track “Fun da mental” is an “in your face” cybernetic aesthetic that parallels an old school B-Boy style. This track concludes with a thunderous dance groove hypnotizing the listener to pure electro bass”. ~A.J.
“There is never a dull moment with the cascading beats of the 3rd track “Happy Feat”. Enigmatic vibes transcend for sure yet mysterious enough to stay true to bass heads”. ~A.J.
“The closing track “Zeebra” evokes energy while simultaneously intriguing you with its spacious experimental style”. ~A.J.
Live music and event organization have always been a significant part of Mike’s journey. In 2020, the East Coast Underground label organized live-streaming shows, which continued until early 2023. However, it faced the challenges posed by the pandemic. Despite this, it has been an incredible experience, bringing together and connecting artists from all corners of the globe while also challenging them to remain productive.
Beginning October 26, 2023, every Thursday of the month from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. in Lake Worth, Florida, in the United States, a recurring event unfolds as ECU and the venue Propaganda collaborate to host a residency show. Skilled DJs featuring Mike Griffin, aka Energy No. 13, will come together to showcase a diverse range of underground electronic music genres, including electro, industrial, synthwave, retro-futuristic, and minimal wave.
Anne Jackson / Igloo :: Could you share with us the enigma surrounding the number thirteen and the energy associated with the number? Is thirteen merely a number? Or is there a story to tell?
Mike Griffin :: I associated this number 13 in my youth as a lucky number kind of thing. A lot of people always identified this number as “unlucky,” but I always said, “It’s a matter of your perception”. The energy part—well, it’s just about the energy, of course.
Could you tell us about where you were born and raised and your recollections of what and when you were first exposed to electronica music? Electro music?
I was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and only lived there for a year. I grew up with the rest of my life in Lantana, Florida. As mentioned, I grew up on rock and metal in my youth. In elementary school, I started off playing the violin. I could never read music but had an ear for harmony. As I grew up, I couldn’t tell if I liked the guitar or keyboards more; they both had a certain vibe to them. Some of my early electronic synth influences were Jon Lord from Deep Purple, Rick Wakeman from Yes, and early Pink Floyd’s Umagumma album, which was unique. I soon became a family man at the early age of 24 and didn’t get back into the music until the mid-90’s, when the rave scene was happening here in South Florida. I still remember my first house party; there was a guy on a Roland Hand Sonic drum machine and another guy on a Roland MC-505. I was blown away! There were DJs at the event, but I wanted to know how the heck these machines were putting out this music. This led me on a journey of purchasing different machines through the late 90’s and into the early 2000’s scene.
It is quite apparent that networking plays a pivotal role as a co-label owner and music producer. Can you share your personal approach to how you network, be it artists, distributors, producers, or social media platforms? Do you often seek out advice, collaboration, or just general connections?
Networking plays a definite key role; the majority of this comes from my lovely partner, Flo. We both have a great ear for the sounds we think are new and captivating; it’s truly a joint thing in that department for picking up and coming artists as well as seasoned ones from the industry that we all love so well. On the distribution side, we work together as well, and I take care of all the retail catalogs for other labels in the EU and UK that we represent here in the U.S. We are also a distributor for a certain number of labels here in the United States, which we are very happy about. Flo has been handling the distribution that our label provides, going from here to the EU and UK, which is kind of a strange but good scenario, as we are trying to get the music out on both sides of the world.
As an artist and DJ who both records and performs live, what distinguishes your equipment, allowing it to deliver such an impressive performance? Do you have a preference between digital and analog equipment, and are there specific brands you favor?
Hmmm, interesting question. I will have to answer from two different perspectives. From a DJ perspective, it’s all about knowing your music and organizing it (especially wax) so you are following the feeling of where it’s flowing. I will say having your music digitally is a big help when you have a lot of it, especially today, as there is so much good music out right now. As a musical artist, I’m a bit all over the place when making music, as well as jumping on a synth and playing it live over some programmed beats on the digital machine. I do like the flow of my Ableton Push 1’s (yes, I run a pair of them linked) for programming music. I also like playing live leads and rhythms on various machines, such as the Virus Indigokeyboard model, the Roland JP-8080 rack, the Oberheim OB-6 rack, or the Virus TI rack. I will say the Virus Indigo is my favorite first (this was one of the first ones shipped here to the U.S.), and second would be my Roland JP-8080, which is MIDI to the Virus keys for playing live. It’s fully analog, and you can never get the same sounds out of her twice, so you better have the record button on when playing this one. The OB-6 has a lot of analog sounds in it.
So, it’s a mixed bag, as I have both analog and digital machines; they all have certain grooves and sound characteristics. As far as recording stuff, I started on a Mac and Protools in the 90’s, which was inspired to me by Roger Nichols (Sound Engineer from Steely Dan) and used that setup until late ’02 or early ’03, when I then started on Ableton. I didn’t fully use Ableton until 2013, when Push 1’s came out. When they did come out, I immediately dove into this for the flow of programming soft synths and lots of drum sequencers. With a second one added not too long after, this became my tool for programming.
What is your perspective on the future of electronica and electro music in the United States, and how do you envision your role within that future?
Yooza! I think with the amount of technology in instruments that we currently have, we have just scratched the surface of sounds, vibes, melodies, and bpm’s. I think there is a lot more we need to discover, and I can only hope that moving into the future, we will see more musical artists who have that certain ear for sound emerge and share their journey with the world.
Could you provide insights into any upcoming ECU projects, tours, or forthcoming releases by Energy No. 13 that your fans can look forward to?
We now have a monthly residency, the last Thursday of each month, at Propagandas Nightclub in Lake Worth, Florida, U.S.A., that we are excited about. Hopefully, this will engage locals in the music scene and introduce new music from around the world locally.
On the Energy No. 13 side, I am currently working on multiple different genre tracks and expect a full album release digitally later next year. Also, later next year, a lot of the early Energy No. 13 music (1998–2003) was released on Myspace, but the files were all lost on old Mac machines, which have been found. I just need to recover them off the drives, so look for these to be released late next year. On the ECU front, it’s always evolving, but you can expect a Various Artist electro release on wax next year that we love and support in the electro industry. Another thing that’s in the works is a record label showcase for active United States and independent labels, including ECU, for an event in South Florida that will represent these labels and the music that they’re releasing. More will be revealed with this, as it’s still in the planning stages.
Igloo Magazine would like to thank you for this informative and engaging interview.
Vertigo is available on ECU. [Bandcamp]
Liminal Rhythms (by illocanblo) is available on ECU.
