Zach Hill for Altamont from Altamont Apparel on Vimeo.

Sacramento, Calif.-based drummer Zach Hill made a name for himself through his influential, self-taught drumming techniques, featured on recordings for bands such as Hella, Team Sleep, Marnie Stern and El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez. But it was his teen-age roots in skateboarding that brought him to the prestigious position he now holds in experimental rock royalty.

"Ninety percent of the music or bands that ended up inspiring me the most, I first heard through watching skate videos or through going to punk shows with friends after skating all day," says Hill. "The reckless nature and physical aspects of skating have been highly influential in my music."

Hill, 31, started skateboarding at age 7, and skated seriously until age 16, when he decided to take a more serious approach to music.

"I stopped skating as much because I didn't want to thrash myself or break anything and not be able to play drums. I transferred the energy and physicality I was putting into skating into playing," says Hill, whom, together with Spencer Seim, formed Hella in 2001 and has released four full-length albums as well as countless EPs.

Hill also continues to maintain a relationship with the skateboarding community. Hella songs have been featured in skate videos, and more recently, Hill collaborated with Altamont Apparel on two t-shirts for their spring 2011 collection, as well as contributing exclusive tracks to be released alongside the Altamont 2011 catalog.

Zach Hill designed t-shirts for Altamont Apparel include Lil Scuzzy (left) and Scuzzball (right). Courtesy of Altamont

According to Hill, the EP, which includes six atmospheric tracks, was written exclusively for Altamont "with the idea of skating in mind." Recorded in Sacramento, Hill says the idea behind the EP "was to make it soundscape-ish, heavily beat-oriented and mainly instrumental."

"Dynamically, it varies, but the vibe maintains," he continues, "similar to the feel of skating through different landscapes."

Hill also contributed two designs to Altamont's spring 2011 line of t-shirts, featuring original artwork. "The one shirt, it's a garbage bag that I scanned life size, then colored and illustrated it platinum," says Hill.

Hella drummer Zach Hill. Courtesy of Altamont

For Hill, his musical path and skateboarding go hand in hand. "It's totally parallel to me," he says. And although Hill tends to play it safe on a skateboard these days, he still finds time to remember his roots. "I skate to the store. Nothing serious though, just for fun," he says.

"And John Cardiel is still my number one favorite skater."

Hill's Altamont t-shirts and exclusive tracks are currently available from Altamont Apparel. Hill continues to play full-time with a new band called Death Grips, as well as Japanese group Boredoms. And in August 2011, Hill and Seim's two-man long term noise project Hella will release their fifth full-length album "Tripper" on Sargent House.

Past Altamont collaborations with musicians include Rick Froberg (Obits, Hot Snakes), Toronto hardcore act F---ed Up, Tim Kerr (Big Boys) and No Age.