Dan Hopkins a.k.a. Han Dopkins a.k.a. Hannd is a young British producer with an ear keen on the lush sounds of underground deep house. He’s also one of the founders of the Havana Breakfast Club collective, along with James Henry, Notte Infinita and Ferris. There’s not really much info/promo to be found about him on the web, so he must be one of those artists who let the music speak for itself (quite a rarity these days!). Nevertheless, good music has to be released, so he’s about to drop an EP on the Croatian label Raw Paper Records. The release features four original cuts and two remixes – the best way to introduce this material would be through presenting the title track “u’4u“, so dive in:
The track starts off with a truly pleasant pillow of a kick. Soon, the beats evaporate and deep floating chords are introduced, setting a quite intoxicating atmosphere. The ride picks on and leads through the haze, just to leave you floating in mid-air. It’s a track designed to intensify the delirium on the floor, to separate the dancers from the conscious intention and have their moves performed by the immaculate systems of intuition. When all faulty will is removed by the atmospheric passages, the digging bassline and the dub infused percussion ignite the tension, so the groove rolls on towards bliss. A simple yet delicious and rewarding cut, if played at the appropriate moment.
The entire release is an enjoyable journey, designed with an intention to be listened in one take and not just as a collection of tools. The intro is most charming and psychoactive, followed by the hazy title track, then comes the tribal/industrial stomper “i”4i” served with a hefty portion of dubby echoes. “i”’4u” is almost IDM-ish in its concoction of broken beats and ambiental intermezzos. As for the remixes, Tobias injected “u’4u” with a healthy dose of psychedelics and uptempo hi-hats, while James Henry spilled some engaging serpentine acid over “i”4i”.
The EP “u’4u” is about to be released April 12th on Raw Paper Records. Grab it on the Bandcamp page of the label!
