Black Hat

Nelson Bean, operating under the Black Hat moniker from his base in Seattle, crafts experimental electronic pieces that layer intricate rhythmic patterns across broad, sustained drones. Portions of his output carry a dark and forceful edge comparable to industrial music, whereas other selections lean toward brighter, more colorful textures that edge nearer to IDM. A pronounced low-end presence also runs through the material, often registering as physically demanding during live performances. Having spent his formative years in Oakland, California, Bean relocated to Seattle following college and launched the Black Hat endeavor in 2012 once the bass-playing band he had been involved with disbanded. That same year he issued his first EP, Spectral Disorder, on his own before Debacle Records handled a subsequent edition. Field Hymns put out the follow-up EP Covalence in 2013. Hausu Mountain released the 2014 full-length Thought of Two, whose three extended, hypnotic tracks drew praise across multiple outlets. Digitalis Limited soon issued the Dream Interlock cassette, while Debacle’s techno-focused imprint Motor put forward the Willow 12" in 2015. Bean came back to Hausu Mountain in 2017 for the 70-minute cassette Impossible World.