Chester Hansen

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Chester Hansen
Chester Hansen of BADBADNOTGOOD - Haldern Pop Festival 2017-3 (cropped).jpg
Hansen at the 2017 Haldern Pop Festival
Background information
Birth nameChester Anton Mathias Hansen [1]
Born (1992-05-01) May 1, 1992 (age 31)
Ottawa, Ontario
Origin Toronto, Ontario
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instrument(s)
  • Bass guitar
  • upright bass
  • guitar
  • keys
Years active2010–present
Member of BadBadNotGood

Chester Anton Mathias Hansen (born May 1, 1992) is a Canadian musician and songwriter, best known as bassist of instrumental group BADBADNOTGOOD. As a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, Hansen often works with his bandmates and producer Frank Dukes and is credited for co-writing hit songs by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Daniel Caesar, and Kali Uchis, among others.

Contents

Personal life and career

Hansen was born on May 1, 1992, in Ottawa, Ontario. [2] [3] He was raised in the Nepean area of the city and attended Canterbury High School, a local arts magnet school. [4] Growing up, he played piano and shifted his focus to the bass during high school. [4] Beginning in his teens, Hansen worked on and released music which combined hip-hop, jazz, and electronic influences. [5]

In 2010, Hansen began attending Humber College in Toronto to study music performance. [4] [6] In his first year, he met fellow music students Alexander Sowinski and Matthew Tavares and began collaborating with them, creating what would become BADBADNOTGOOD. The band had viral success in 2011 after posting jazz covers of Odd Future songs online, and released their debut record that Fall. He withdrew from school in February 2012. [7]

With BBNG, Hansen has released five full-length albums, including a collaborative record with Ghostface Killah, and has been short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize twice.

In the early 2010s, Hansen began working with close BBNG collaborator Frank Dukes. With him, as well as other members of BBNG, they composed original music for hip-hop music sampling. Of note, fellow Canadian Drake used a song Hansen had written with Dukes, "Vibez," in his 2014 single "0 to 100 / The Catch Up" and another track was used in Rihanna's 2016 song "Sex with Me." [8] As part of BBNG, Hansen also works as a songwriter and producer, which includes writing music for sampling as well as working with fellow artists in the studio.

Artistry

Hansen's style and sound is often compared to that of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly because of his stocky, warm bass tone. One critic commented, "Hansen has married the sounds and dexterous, melodic playing style of yesteryear with a modern band and music scene." [9]

As a bassist, Hansen often plays a Gibson Grabber and a vintage Gibson SB-300. He employs a variety of basses in live settings including a Gallien-Krueger 800/700 RB (with an 8×10 GK cab), a Gallien-Krueger Fusion 500 (with a 4×10 Kicker CX cab), and a D’Angelico Excel SD. [10] [11] He has commented that he likes to use thick flat-wound strings far off of the neck. [9]

Additionally, Hansen often plays keyboards on records. He has perfect pitch. [12]

Discography

With BADBADNOTGOOD

Production and songwriting credits

Partial discography, adapted from SOCAN. [13] Note, Hansen's work is sometimes incorrectly credited to C. John "Jack" Hansen, a producer notable for his work with Buddy Holly. [14] [15]

Production credits as part of BADBADNOTGOOD

Notable credits include,

Other credits

Awards

As part of BADBADNOTGOOD

As producer and songwriter

YearAssociationCategoryNominated WorkResultNoteRef.
2015 Grammy Awards Best Rap Song "0 to 100 / The Catch Up" (Drake)NominatedWith Frank Dukes, et al.
Best Rap Performance Nominated
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul AwardR&B/Hip-Hop SongsWon
2016 SOCAN Songwriting Prize "Paradise" (Daniel Caesar)NominatedWith BBNG, et al.
2018 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul AwardsR&B/Hip-Hop Songs"Sex with Me" (Rihanna)WonWith Frank Dukes, et al.
Grammy Awards Album of the Year DAMN. (Kendrick Lamar)NominatedWith BBNG, et al.
Best Rap Album Won
SOCAN AwardsR&B Music"Get You" (Daniel Caesar)Won [26]
2019 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul AwardsR&B/Hip-Hop SongsWon [27]
Grammy Awards Album of the Year Black Panther: The Album Nominated
2021 Best Progressive R&B Album It Is What It Is (Thundercat)Won [28]

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References

  1. ↑ "Songs written by Chester Hansen | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  2. ↑ Mistry, Anupa (2012-03-22). "BADBADNOTGOOD". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-08-03. Retrieved 2020-06-30. ....Chester Hansen, age 19...
  3. ↑ "Chester's birthday". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  4. 1 2 3 "BADBADNOTGOOD bound to Ritual – Apartment613". apt613.ca. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  5. ↑ "Solid Gold Studio: City Limits Debut Album By Twigg & Stone Re-Released in U.S. and Japan By Digi Crates Records". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  6. ↑ td-sub (2016-10-31). "You're the Worst! An interview with BadBadNotGood". Totally Dublin. Retrieved 2020-06-30. I mean, I was only [at Humber] for a year and a half and it's a four year programme.
  7. ↑ Mistry, Anupa (2012-03-22). "BADBADNOTGOOD". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  8. 1 2 Rihanna – Sex with Me , retrieved 2020-06-28
  9. 1 2 "I'm Chester Hansen and This is How I Play". Smart Bass Guitar. 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  10. ↑ "Chester Hansen". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  11. ↑ "Excel SD Bass (Discontinued) | Excel Series | D'Angelico Guitars". dangelicoguitars.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. ↑ "A Chat w/ BADBADNOTGOOD, the Only Jazz Trio People Actually Mosh To". The Hundreds. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  13. ↑ "Public Repertoire | SOCAN null". www.socan.com. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  14. ↑ "C. John "Jack" Hansen | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  15. ↑ "Buddy Holly CD: That Makes It Sound So Much Better! - With The Jack Hansen Combo (CD)". Bear Family Records. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "Fall In Love". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  17. ↑ "Night of The Living Sound System, by The Living Sound System". The Living Sound System. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  18. ↑ "Yuna's 'Broke Her' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  19. ↑ "Logic feat. Big K.R.I.T.'s 'Top Ten' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  20. ↑ "Perfect Circle". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  21. ↑ "Colors – Vinyl LP". Mr Bongo. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  22. ↑ Lil Pump – Flex Like Ouu , retrieved 2020-06-28
  23. ↑ Aminé (Ft. Nelly) – Yellow , retrieved 2020-06-28
  24. ↑ Elijah Blake – Half In Love , retrieved 2020-06-28
  25. ↑ "Feeling Again, by Beachtown Exile". Beachtown Exile. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  26. ↑ "SOCAN Awards | SOCAN" . Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  27. ↑ "2019 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  28. ↑ "Final Nominations List" (PDF). Grammys . The Recording Academy. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
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