Hansaa
Electronic newcomer Hansaa, otherwise known as Vinay Matta, has been honing his craft as a producer and producer in Los Angeles for the past two years; but today he has finally announced his debut single Need To Know, co-produced with LA-based production duo soso and featuring the stirring vocals of Oliver Tank, set for release today. The impressive debut is complemented by a deeply affecting video buoyed by an intense narrative drenched in regret and toxicity, and sure to set tongues wagging.
Need To Know follows in the footsteps of its electronic predecessors in James Blake and Clams Casino, yet there’s a fragility in the production that seems uniquely Hansaa; understated and subtle, synthesisers layer themselves comfortably beneath Tank’s emotive vocal. Gentle electric guitar, reminiscent of Tash Sultana’s atmospheric riffs, fills the space between verse and chorus, playfully toying with the listener’s sense of time and space. Thrilled to be releasing the track into the world, Matta says “I’ve spent a lot of time developing my craft and it feels really awesome to start releasing music officially… We really wanted an element of surprise in Need To Know to break things up, so the guitar solo was a really nice touch - and unexpected.”
Filmed and directed by Independent Belgian film maker Julien Pircher, the clip for Need To Know is set in a smokey, dangerous world; with each watch, further insight can be gained from its powerful plot. For the most part, the audience is encouraged to interpret the story for themselves, but there is no doubt this story is dark – a light is shone upon human relationships, the beauty and the hardship, and the sometimes terrifying nature of mental illness. Matta explains, “The music video is a story of regret. The subject matter behind it is rather serious and deep. It draws off Oliver’s lyric in the track ‘if I put up shots they’ll fall down’…The film revolves around the concepts of death and suicide, with the metaphor of the gun at the beginning and end of the film.” Offering additional insight, Pircher says, “As a writer, DOP & editor, it’s my job to grab the audience by the hand and lead the way through the film. At the same time I should be invisible to them, letting them find questions, challenges, answers and adventures. The music video for Need To Know by Hansaa sends the viewer without knowing into a non-linear timeline, giving them freedom to personally interpret the given opening conflict and the connection between the different storylines. All this combined with a multilayer dramastructure and adequate cinematography made this video one of my favourite projects in my last several years.”
This is a fully-formed and exciting debut from an artist who is absolutely ‘one to watch’. Assured and in control, Hansaa has paid his dues and is ready for the global stage. The Australian born, LA-raised Matta gives little away, but hints at what is to come, saying, “Myself and Soso have a handful of amazing tracks together that we cannot wait to release. We have tracks with Peruvian and LA-based R’n’b artist A.CHAL who is currently on tour and recently dropped his second album On GAZ. We also have a track with LA-based hip hop artist G4SHI who was featured on DJ Snake’s recent album, and has recently been seen in the studio with Skrillex.”
