Frédéric Hanak

Frédéric Hanak (1972–2018) was a French musician, producer and composer, and a key figure of the electronic underground. Based in Paris, he formed the duo dDamage with his brother Jean-Baptiste in the late 1990s, a sonic laboratory where hip-hop, electro, rock, breakcore and noise collided. The group quickly established itself as a true outsider on the French electronic scene: aggressive yet playful music, built like a collage, in which saturated machines, fractured beats and lo-fi textures served a very personal form of writing. With dDamage, Frédéric Hanak released a dense discography – albums (Radio Ape, Brother in Death…), EPs and original soundtracks – and played nearly 600 shows around the world, from Japan and the United States to the rest of Europe. The duo multiplied collaborations with major figures from rap and the international underground (La Caution, TTC, MF DOOM, Mike Ladd, Doseone, among others), cementing its reputation as a "producer's band" that was as radical on record as it was on stage. Up until his passing in 2018, Frédéric Hanak remained the driving force behind a cult project that constantly pushed the boundaries of electronic music, leaving behind a body of work that is essential for anyone interested in sonic experimentation.