Sounds of the Hang

Swiss style

Born in 2000, the Hang is still a young instrument but has gained popularity rather quickly. It has gone from being an unknown Swiss instrument to one that creates beautiful percussion sounds.

Danny Cudd and Markus Offbeat, who combine to form the electronic live act ‘Hang Massive’, were charmed by the Hang when it was still in its infancy and now, use it to produce sounds of different genres. Talking to Ananya Revanna, the duo says that they were captivated by the Hang, which led them to discovering new sounds.

When and how did you pick up the Hang?

​Danny: I first met somebody with the Hang back in 2006 when I was at a festival in Slovenia. At the time, there were no online videos and it was an unknown instrument. I was immediately captivated by the sound. A year later, I met the same person again and decided to go to Switzerland to buy the instrument.

Markus:  I also saw somebody playing the Hang in 2006, but on the streets of Barcelona. I was super interested and excited by it and started playing.

Before 2006, what kind of musical instruments were you playing?

Danny: I used to play the clarinet and saxophone and when I started travelling, I picked up the didgeridoo and some percussion. I started listening to music extensively towards the end of the 80s and at the time, in the UK, there was the emergence of a huge electronic music scene and I enjoyed listening to this. 

Markus:  My parents were musically inclined and I grew up in a musical house. I started with percussion and the violin. I enjoyed listening to many styles of music including reggae and the many genres of electronic music.

Life before the Hang...

Danny:  I had a small juggling business and I was selling such products in various markets and festivals around the world. 

​Markus: I was travelling and riding my Royal Enfield around India.

When playing with sounds...

Markus: We are more interested in looking at the different genres of music and seeing how we can bring the sound of the Hang and our vibe into that. We have tackled drum and bass, house, psy trance, break beat, world music and more. I think we would like to do some great hip hop, more ambient music and some more fat reggae.

Biggest goof up you’ve made while playing a gig.

Danny:  We had a show at a conference in front of around 1,500 people. Something went wrong with the microphone and it made a horrible sound for the entire 3 minutes of our performance. It was pretty bad!

Do you have a pre-performance ritual?

​Danny:  We like to relax our body and mind.

Markus: And drink ‘mate’, a tea from South America. There is a nice, traditional way in which it is drunk and it always sets things straight.

A musician who made you go ‘wow!’ within 30 seconds of hearing them?

​Danny: Xavier Rudd.

Markus: Wazulu Da Ill Dravidian.

What are the top 3 songs on your playlist right now?

​Danny:  ‘Razor’ by Fat Freddy’s Drop, ‘Tongue Behind My Teeth’ by The Staves and ‘Nagan’ by Cain.

Markus: Music by George Evelyn aka ‘Nightmares on Wax’, Burning Spear and Hang Massive.

(‘Hang Massive’ will perform at blueFROG on April 16 at 9 pm.)