Hanz, aka producer Brandon Juhans, makes music that is almost unclassifiable. It's jungle-y, hip-hop-ish, cinematic, and it necessitates many hyphens in its descriptors. A Made Bear At Peace is Hanz's latest project following April's FireThief, and like your relationship with your sort-of ex-girlfriend, it's complicated. Tempos shift without warning, onerous beats are backed by the sound of crickets, drums bang deep enough to rattle your tailbone. This is not music that is content to sit in the background of anything.
First track "Throwing" is an idiosyncratic mix of dub, gigantic drums, atmospheric vibes and random samples. "Briefly, FireThief Returns" incorporates dubstep, "The Griot" is straight percussion, and "TrunkBiscuit" is a rattling, humming bit of multiple personality disorder: part murky bass, part punk confusion.
It's a fascinating EP from Hanz. Listen to our Prefix premiere of A Made Bear At Peace below, and visit Hanz's Bandcamp here.