RIŽIK is the Los Angeles-based artist, composer, and performer Hisham Dahud, who blends electronic production, live instrumentation, and cinematic storytelling. 

Drawing from atmospheric electronica, trip-hop, film scoring, and improvisation, RIŽIK’s work moves fluidly between piano pieces, analog hardware performances, live drumming, and expansive electronic compositions. Rather than being confined to a single genre or format, each project is guided by the emotional world it seeks to create. 

Whether performing through THE MACHINE — his custom ecosystem of synthesizers, drum machines, and signal processors — or behind a drum kit, every performance shares the same philosophy: music should feel alive. Improvisation, physical performance, and human instinct remain at the center, allowing each show to evolve in real time rather than relying on backing tracks. 

That philosophy extends beyond the stage. Through his ongoing performance series Tame the Machine, RIŽIK explores the relationship between humanity and technology — not as opposing forces, but as collaborators capable of creating something deeply human. 

Before launching RIŽIK, Dahud spent more than a decade behind the scenes with influential artists including Richie Hawtin, DJ Shadow, and Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL). Those experiences continue to inform a body of work that treats performance not simply as entertainment, but as a space for curiosity, presence, and shared experience.