Hanz

Hanz operates as an elusive figure in experimental hip-hop, crafting fractured and collage-driven productions shaped by golden age rap, early industrial outfits such as Einstürzende Neubauten, and gritty abstract post-punk ensembles like the Fall. His erratic beat tapes weave together television samples, echoes of tribal rhythms, nature sounds, and coarse, angular rhythms. Born Brandon Juhans in Augusta, Georgia, he relocated to Durham, North Carolina, where he initially crafted minimalist beats rooted in Southern hip-hop traditions. That approach soon evolved into denser, more oblique textures, prompting him to self-release albums online beginning in 2012. Those recordings drew notice from blogs and music sites, leading him to remix Alt-J’s “Ms” for the band’s Summer remix EP in late 2013. He joined the Tri Angle roster in early 2015, appeared at the label’s five-year anniversary concert in New York City that May, and received praise from Björk. Tri Angle made Reducer available as a free download the same month and pressed the album to vinyl in February 2016. Several alternate takes and unreleased pieces later circulated online, followed by the arrival of the EPs Plasty I and II in early 2018.