Zach Hill

Summary

Zachary Charles Hill (born December 28, 1979)[1] is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. He is best known as the drummer and co-producer of the groups Death Grips and the I.L.Y's, and as the drummer of math rock band Hella.

Zach Hill
Hill in 2012
Hill in 2012
Background information
Birth nameZachary Charles Hill
Born (1979-12-28) December 28, 1979 (age 44)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • visual artist
  • record producer
  • screenwriter
  • film director
Instrument(s)
  • Drums
  • vocals
  • piano
  • sampler
  • guitar
  • bass
  • keyboards
  • trumpet
  • cornet
Years active1995–present
Labels
Member of
Formerly of

Early life edit

Zach Hill was born in Sacramento, California on December 28, 1979. He spent most of his adolescence at his father and uncle's press printing shop, where he was first exposed to classic rock music.[2]

Hill claims that he "started hearing voices in his head telling him to play the drums" when he was about 14 or 15 years old, and bought his first drumkit with money he raised with a friend from a garage sale.[3] He dropped out of high school at age 15 and moved to Nevada City, California, where he started the band Legs on Earth with Julian Imsdahl and Spencer Seim. Hill later moved to San Francisco, California in 1999, where he played the drums in the band Crime in Choir before starting Hella in 2001.[4]

Art edit

In addition to music, Hill is also a visual artist. He published a fully illustrated book, Destroying Yourself is Too Accessible, which included the Zach Hill and Holy Smokes album Masculine Drugs released in 2004 on TNI Books and Suicide Squeeze Records.

The Sacramento, California, art space Fools Foundation ran an exhibition of Hill's art, titled "Poltergeist", from April 1 to April 29, 2006. Parts of the exhibit are visible in the photos accompanying Hill's article in the August 2006 issue of Modern Drummer and on the Fools Foundation website.[5]

Film edit

Hill was said to be working on an original feature film in 2013, which was confirmed to feature late actress Karen Black in a leading role.[6] However, she had died before the film could come into full fruition. A shortened excerpt of the footage was posted on the Death Grips YouTube account in October 2015 in a 15-minute video entitled "Bottomless Pit". It has been rumored that either Death Grips or Hill's side-project, the I.L.Y's, would be involved with the soundtrack of the film as well.[7]

Discography edit

Solo releases edit

as Xach Hill
  • Lil Scuzzy (2011)

With Death Grips edit

 
Hill (right) and MC Ride performing as Death Grips.

Albums edit

Mixtapes edit

Extended plays edit

With Hella edit

Albums edit

  • Hold Your Horse Is (2002)
  • The Devil Isn't Red (2004)
  • Church Gone Wild/Chirpin' Hard (2005)
  • There's No 666 in Outer Space (2007)
  • Tripper (2011)

Extended plays edit

  • Leather Diamond (2001)
  • Falam Dynasty (2002)
  • Bitches Ain't Shit but Good People (2003)
  • Total Bugs Bunny on Wild Bass (2003)
  • Acoustics (2004)
  • Concentration Face & Homeboy (2005)
  • Acoustics (2006)
  • Santa's Little Hella (2013)

DVDs edit

  • Portals (2008)

Split albums edit

with Dilute
  • Live (2003)
with Four Tet
  • Split Seven Inch Divorce Series 1 (2004)

With Bygones edit

  • By- (2009)
  • Spiritual Bankruptcy (2010)

With Flössin edit

  • Lead Singer (2004)
  • Live at Overlap 01 (2006)
  • Serpents (2009)
  • White Anaconda and the Rainbow Boa (2011)

With Holy Smokes edit

as Zach Hill & Holy Smokes
  • Masculine Drugs / Destroying Yourself Is Too Accessible (2004)
as Holy Smokes
  • Talk to Your Kids About Gangs (2006)

With the I.L.Y's edit

With Marnie Stern edit

With Mick Barr edit

  • Shred Earthship (2006)
  • Volume 2 (2007)
  • Volthree (2020)[8]

With Omar Rodríguez-López edit

  • Mantra Hiroshima (2010)
  • Telesterion (2011)
as El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez

With Spoek Mathambo edit

With Team Sleep edit

With Undo K From Hot edit

  • G.A.S. Get a Star (2021)[9]
  • Dumb Little Fucker (2021)[10]
  • Remnants of Chris (2022)[11]

Other bands and collaborations edit

Release details Release Artist Additional information
  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Para-Sight
  • Formats: CD
Lasers and Saviors Legs on Earth
  • Released: January 1, 2001
  • Label: Perishable
  • Formats: CD, LP
10 Songs Friend/Enemy
  • Released: June 25, 2002
  • Label: Omnibus
  • Formats: CD, LP
Crime in Choir Crime in Choir
Chapel of the Chimes Xiu Xiu
  • Released: November 4, 2003
  • Label: 5 Rue Christine
  • Formats: CD
Nervous Cop Nervous Cop
  • Released: November 18, 2003
  • Label: Jade Tree
  • Formats: CD
Maryland Mansions Cex
  • Released: 2005
  • Label: Mash Down Babylon
  • Formats: CD
Apotheke Apotheke
  • Released: January 17, 2005
  • Label: Frenetic
  • Formats: 2CD
Thank Gods It's Friday/Louisiana Purchase Toughguy Fantasy/Arctic Boys
Howard Hello Howard Hello
  • Released: February 21, 2006
  • Label: Temporary Residence Limited
  • Formats: CD, LP
They Mean Us The Ladies
  • Released: October 24, 2010
  • Label: Temporary Residence Limited
  • Formats: CD, LP
Distressed Damsel
  • Released: 2007
  • Label: self-released
  • Formats: CD-R
Flannel Graduate with No Age
  • Released: August 14, 2007
  • Label: self-released
  • Formats: CD-R
Greener Grassing Them Hills
  • Released: August 31, 2007
  • Label: self-released
  • Formats: Digital
"Untitled" with Ben Weinman
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: aRCHIVE
  • Formats: 2DVD
Mick Barr Mick Barr
  • Released: April 14, 2009
  • Label: Warp
  • Formats: CD/2LP
Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian Prefuse 73
  • Released: May 4, 2009
  • Label: Warp
  • Formats: CD
Ice Capped at Both Ends Diamond Watch Wrists
  • Released: October 20, 2009
  • Label: Porter
  • Formats: CD, LP
Aggressively Humble Chll Pll
  • Released: October 28, 2009
  • Label: Important
  • Formats: CD, LP
Non Meters Volume One Risil
  • Released: April 11, 2010
  • Label: Sundial
  • Formats: Digital
eclecticraft Aaron Molho
  • Released: June 15, 2010
  • Label: Porter
  • Formats: CD, LP
Who Do You Think You Aren't? with Robby Moncrieff
  • Released: October 10, 2010
  • Label: Life's Blood
  • Formats: 2x7"
Split Mason Lindahl/Ellie Fortune/Raleigh Moncrief/Zach Hill
  • Released: October 10, 2010
  • Label: Lex
  • Formats: 3LP+3CD
Unearthing Alan Moore & Mitch Jenkins
  • Released: February 7, 2011
  • Label: Joyful Noise
  • Formats: 2LP
Oh Brother Joan of Arc
  • Released: July 5, 2011
  • Label: self-released
  • Formats: Digital
Many Moods with Delicate Steve
  • Released: August 6, 2011
  • Label: Altered Beats
  • Formats: Digital
Initium Sol Invicto
  • Released: August 27, 2013
  • Label: Jackpot
  • Formats: LP
Drumgasm Weiss/Cameron/Hill
Dissociation The Dillinger Escape Plan additional drums on "Dissociation"[13]
  • Released: May 5, 2017
  • Label: Joyful Noise
  • Formats: LP, Digital
Nervous Cop (EP) Nervous Cop
Alto Arc EP Alto Arc (George Clarke, Isamaya Ffrench, Danny L Harle & Trayer Tryon) additional production on "Yeva's Lullaby"

Other appearances edit

  • Various Artists (Hella) – If the Twenty-First Century Didn't Exist It Would Be Necessary to Invent It (2002)
  • Various Artists (Team Sleep) – The Matrix Reloaded (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) (2003)
  • Various Artists (Hella) – You've Got Your Orders – Volume One (2003)
  • Various Artists (Les Claypool) – Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd (2004)
  • Various Artists (Hella) – Slaying Since 1996 (2006)
  • Various Artists (The Ladies) – Thankful CD (2006)
  • Various Artists (Diamond Watch Wrists) – Warp20 (Recreated) (2009)
  • Various Artists – Revival Drum Comp (2010)
  • Various Artists – Zum Audio Vol 4 Digital (2021)

References edit

  1. ^ "ZODIAC DRUM KILLER Zach Hill on Blurt Online". Blurt-online.com. December 9, 2008. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  2. ^ Lara, Coco. "Zach Hill". Coco's OCD.
  3. ^ Dawson, Michael (August 2006). "Earthship Shreddin' To Hella And Back" (PDF). Modern Drummer: 62–75.
  4. ^ King, Tony. "Midtown Monthly: Interview with Zach Hill". Sargent House.
  5. ^ "April 2006". Foolsfoundation.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  6. ^ "Bottomless Pit - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Pelly, Jenn (May 10, 2013). "Death Grips to Soundtrack Feature Film Directed and Written by Zach Hill, Working on New Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  8. ^ "Volthree, by SHRED EARTHSHIP". Hathenter. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Yoo, Noah (May 1, 2021). "Death Grips' Zach Hill Shares Debut Single from New Band Undo K From Hot". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Dumb Little Fucker". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "Remnants Of Chris, by Undo K From Hot". Undo K From Hot. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  12. ^ xiu xiu. "Chapel Of The Chimes by Xiu Xiu". bandcamp. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  13. ^ "Dissociation, by Dillinger Escape Plan". Dillinger Escape Plan. Retrieved December 26, 2016.

External links edit

  • Official Myspace page
  • The Zach Hill Archive
  • Pitchfork interview Zach Hill on Death Grips
  • Fools Foundation Art Exhibit April 2006
  • Zach Hill at exclaim!