Han Litz (NL)

Han Litz is all about crossing over

“While performing, I want to evoke that ‘house feeling’. Boost the energy level. Make
people act free. Create unity.” Amsterdam-based flute-player Han Litz is a man of many
talents – composer, arranger, producer – however, he will never back out of a good
party, in particular when he’s asked to set the pace.

After completing his studies at Amsterdam Conservatorium with the highest accolades, Litz
took to the stage and performed from Amsterdam to Jakarta, from Warsaw to Rome.
Frequently labeled ‘sambajazzfunkflutist’, he is fluent in a wide range of musical styles and
genres. “The flute is all about breathe and air,” he says. “It has a wider range of timbre than
the sax. When played well it is a flexible and versatile instrument. Its sound approximates the
human voice.”

Litz has played his flute sound in varying musical settings, orchestrated jazz as well as house.
Litz tutors young musicians and imparts the fundamentals of music theory to producers and
dj’s. “At their request, I function as some kind of music theory coach to a number of
producers and dj’s,” Litz relates. “That came out of co-operating with producers and dj’s at
live performances. They want to expand their knowledge of music. I applaud that ambition
and I gladly put in a helping hand. It’s a way to return the compliment.”

Who is Who of jazz and dance crossover

As a youngster, Han Litz was taken by the flute. He started playing silver flute at the age
twelve. Four years later, he got hooked to jazz via radio. “It was the sound,” he comments. “I
was listening to the radio and did not have a clue there was so much more to music than the
hits of the day.” Even before he graduated from Amsterdam Conservatorium in 1998, Litz had
his first taste of the recording studio and the European stages. Fifteen years onwards he built
an extensive (and impressive) discography, and his resume reads like a Who is Who of the
international jazz and dance crossover scene.
Han has performed with an assortment of internationally reputed deejays, Erick E., Michel de
Hey, Kid Sublime, Roog, DJ Maestro, Jazzanova, Osunlade, Louie Vega (Masters At Work),
Andy Compton (The Rurals), Patrick Forge (Da Lata) and DJ Deep among them. Litz played
and co-composed in English/Dutch collective Flowriders (later Seravince), the very first band
to perform ‘broken beats’ live.

Thinking in sound
Together with KC The Funkaholic, Litz started the spiritual jazz project Kindred Spirits
Ensemble. With his own band Han Litz Group, Litz previously released three albums himself
and in 2019 a vinyl EP on Wicked Wax.

In the studio with Kid Sublime, Han recorded another vinyl EP, which saw the light in 2024.
At the moment a new Han Litz Group remix album is in the making. It will feature remixes
by Manoo, Osunlade, Craig Smith, Inkswel, N’Dinga Gaba a.o. “I think in sound,” Litz
comments on his many roles and wide range of musical activities. He likes to think of it as
building bridges. “I nurse a pretty wide scope. As a flute-player, I enjoy crossing over jazz
and club music.”