While listening to garage-rock banger “Come Alive” and watching riot-inducing music videos, one might assume that Hanni El Khatib is a loose cannon with a taste for benders, brewed bottles, and buxom babes. But when meeting the DIY rocker in real life, it quickly becomes apparent that Khatib is just as likely to be seen buying records on the street as he is to hurl a guitar on stage.
Since emerging onto the scene in 2011 with his debut album, Will the Guns Come Out, Hanni has gone on to work with musical greats such as The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach in addition to having his songs play in some pretty iconic Super Bowl commercials.
Living out the dream of any skater boy old enough to remember Wu-Tang Clan member GZA's Liquid Swords on cassette tape, El Khatib is fresh off of the release of his new GZA-assisted remix single "Moonlight," and things are set to get more rambunctious in 2015. With his third studio album set to release early next year, now seemed as good a time as any to chat with Hanni about strip mall video shoots, "trippy" music, and his style uniform.
CHLOE DEWBERRY: You just had Wu Tang Clan member The Genius aka GZA hop on the remix of your new single “Moonlight." What’s your favorite musical genre-crossover moment?
HANNI EL KHATIB: That’s tough; it’s so weird because all of that stuff is cross-pollinated in my mind now. I like when producers can work with any style of music and work with whomever.
I wanted to be very careful about the track; it had to be the right track. When GZA was in the studio, I thought to myself I should just play him what I’m working on and see what he thinks of it. Sure enough, I started playing him that track, and he started bopping his head. I’ve had Liquid Swords on repeat forever; I had it on tape too.
You have a storied art background and used to be the creative director of the streetwear brand Huf before getting into music. What defining moment made you make that leap into music?
Once I get to a place where I feel comfortable, I instantly want to do something new. I get antsy to do something fresh so I don’t slip into the pattern of doing the same old shit. The moment that I actually was like, “Fuck this,” was where we opened for Florence + The Machine at The Wiltern in LA and there were three nights sold out. We were opening and I was in the back getting ready to go on stage while working on tech packs! I figured I can always go back to design and all that, but the music thing, who knows where that could go? Yeah, it could have gone nowhere immediately, but some people work their entire lives to play shows like that or go on tour. Here I am given the chance to do it randomly. I should just do it. I haven’t really looked back sense.
So for this new record you're playing most of your own instruments, right?
I'm sort of returning to the DIY approach; that approach and mentality is the one I’ve always had. For this record, the subject matter is more introspective and more personal in a sense. I kind of needed that time to breathe and spend time with the music and laboring over a project solo helped me express what I wanted to express.
What is one word that accurately describes your next album?
Trippy.
Can you talk a little bit abou
Since emerging onto the scene in 2011 with his debut album, Will the Guns Come Out, Hanni has gone on to work with musical greats such as The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach in addition to having his songs play in some pretty iconic Super Bowl commercials.
Living out the dream of any skater boy old enough to remember Wu-Tang Clan member GZA's Liquid Swords on cassette tape, El Khatib is fresh off of the release of his new GZA-assisted remix single "Moonlight," and things are set to get more rambunctious in 2015. With his third studio album set to release early next year, now seemed as good a time as any to chat with Hanni about strip mall video shoots, "trippy" music, and his style uniform.
CHLOE DEWBERRY: You just had Wu Tang Clan member The Genius aka GZA hop on the remix of your new single “Moonlight." What’s your favorite musical genre-crossover moment?
HANNI EL KHATIB: That’s tough; it’s so weird because all of that stuff is cross-pollinated in my mind now. I like when producers can work with any style of music and work with whomever.
I wanted to be very careful about the track; it had to be the right track. When GZA was in the studio, I thought to myself I should just play him what I’m working on and see what he thinks of it. Sure enough, I started playing him that track, and he started bopping his head. I’ve had Liquid Swords on repeat forever; I had it on tape too.
You have a storied art background and used to be the creative director of the streetwear brand Huf before getting into music. What defining moment made you make that leap into music?
Once I get to a place where I feel comfortable, I instantly want to do something new. I get antsy to do something fresh so I don’t slip into the pattern of doing the same old shit. The moment that I actually was like, “Fuck this,” was where we opened for Florence + The Machine at The Wiltern in LA and there were three nights sold out. We were opening and I was in the back getting ready to go on stage while working on tech packs! I figured I can always go back to design and all that, but the music thing, who knows where that could go? Yeah, it could have gone nowhere immediately, but some people work their entire lives to play shows like that or go on tour. Here I am given the chance to do it randomly. I should just do it. I haven’t really looked back sense.
So for this new record you're playing most of your own instruments, right?
I'm sort of returning to the DIY approach; that approach and mentality is the one I’ve always had. For this record, the subject matter is more introspective and more personal in a sense. I kind of needed that time to breathe and spend time with the music and laboring over a project solo helped me express what I wanted to express.
What is one word that accurately describes your next album?
Trippy.
Can you talk a little bit abou