Watch CBS News

Electronic Artist Nominated For Grammy Gives Back To Oakland

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- A visual artist from San Francisco is among the musicians vying to bring home music's top honor at the Grammys this weekend.

Tycho is the name of the electronic music project headed up by local visual artist Scott Hansen, known for his photographic and design work.

"I had this voice and I had this vision that I was trying to translate with the visual work, explained Hansen.

He added music and found a new way to express himself.

"It was this incredibly inspiring experience to, as an adult, find this new voice in a new way to express this other side of the vision," said Hansen

Tycho is nominated for the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The award will be given out at Grammys ceremony this Sunday.

The music may be high tech, but the inspiration comes from the great outdoors.

Hansen grew up in rural Sacramento

"It really factored heavily into the way I came to understand the world around me and what I thought the world was," said Hansen. "And what I thought the elements of the world were is these spaces that I spent so much time in as a kid; the river and woods and stuff. I don't know why, but I gravitated towards those early. That is what this work has been about."

The artist was first exposed to electronic music at underground and warehouse parties in Oakland.

After the deadly Ghost Ship fire in December, Tycho was one of the featured artist at a benefit concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland that raised money for the victims.

"You know an event like that where you almost wipe out an entire community of people doing such an important thing for artists in the area, I felt like anybody who is working as an artist in this area owes it," said Hansen.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.