Thrilling and Genre-Bending

 Plasty I is the latest release by Hanz, a.k.a. Brandon Juhans, an experimental producer based in Durham, North Carolina. Juhans first gathered recognition with his first LP Reducer in 2015, through the Brooklyn-based label Tri Angle. Throughout his work as Hanz, Juhans has shown a keen ability to infuse genres and samples into one seamless sound. Juhans has cited “memphis rap tapes, tribal chants and movie dialogue” as sources of inspiration for his music. It is easy to interpret the Plasty I EP as a short action movie, exhilarating and menacing at every turn, with a dramatic ebb and flow of melody versus clashing industrial drum beats. Moving beyond a trip hop or illbient sound, Plasty I clearly has a story to tell.

The title track “Plasty” starts off with a pulsing warped synth, suspiciously calm, until it is blasted by a churning drum, and the two melodies struggle against one another to dominate the track. Juhans states that “Plasty” is “an entry point to the sound of the rest of the project.”

In under 20 minutes, Juhans takes the listener on an emotional roller coaster. In just seven short tracks, he composed the EP to exhibit reoccurring themes that are stunning, leaving you breathless in trying to keep up. It is clear that Juhans took great care to trim down each track to provide only the most necessary elements, and only the very essence of the song is what you get in return. It is an extremely accessible album. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this EP is that each song ends just before you are quite ready for it to, not one song becomes tiring or repetitive. It is as exciting as it is unpredictable.

Plasty I blends elements of hip hop and industrial into a dark soundscape, guiding the listener through an ominous world of muffled voices and murky waters, or a chaotic smoke-filled highway. Plasty I’s successor, Plasty II is scheduled to be released in late 2018. With Plasty I delivering such a thrilling storyline, Plasty II is undoubtedly going to be a great sequel.