Zach Hill

Biography

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

Early life

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.
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 drum set with money he raised with a friend from a garage sale. 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, Spencer Seim, and cousin Josh Hill. Hill later moved to San Francisco, California where he played drums in the band Crime in Choir before starting Hella in 2001.

Art

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.

Solo releases

Astrological Straits (2008)
Face Tat (2010)
as Xach Hill
Lil Scuzzy (2011)

Albums

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

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)

Split albums

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

With Flössin

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

With Holy Smokes

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

With Mick Barr

Shred Earthship (2006)
Volume 2 (2007)
Volthree (2020)

With Marnie Stern

In Advance of the Broken Arm (2007)
This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That (2008)
Marnie Stern (2010)

With Omar Rodríguez-López

Mantra Hiroshima (2010)
Telesterion (2011)
as El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez
Cryptomnesia (2009)

Albums

The Money Store (2012)
No Love Deep Web (2012)
Government Plates (2013)
Fashion Week (2015)
The Powers That B (2015)
Bottomless Pit (2016)
Year of the Snitch (2018)

Extended plays

Death Grips (2011)
Interview 2016 (2016)
Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix) (2017)
Gmail and the Restraining Orders (2019)

With Spoek Mathambo

Put Some Red on It (2011)
Father Creeper (2012)

With the I.L.Y's

I've Always Been Good at True Love (2015)
Scum With Boundaries (2016)
Bodyguard (2017)

With Undo K From Hot

G.A.S. Get a Star (2021)
Dumb Little Fucker (2021)
Remnants of Chris (2022)

Other appearances

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)