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Hanni El Khatib

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Hanni El Khatib
Hanni El Khatib at Rock am Ring, Germany, 2013
Hanni El Khatib at Rock am Ring, Germany, 2013
Background information
Born (1981-06-08) June 8, 1981 (age 43)
San Francisco, California, United States
GenresRock, blues rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2010–present
Websitehannielkhatib.com

Hanni El Khatib (born June 8, 1981)[1] is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer[2] as well as visual director and co-owner of the Los Angeles–based independent record label Innovative Leisure.[3] His 2013 sophomore full-length Head In The Dirt was produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.[4] His album Moonlight was released on January 20, 2015.[5] He was described by The Guardian as a "former skate-punk raised on vintage rock and R&B [who] is keeping the spirit of 76 alive with his primal raunch ‘n’ roll."[6]

Biography

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Hanni El Khatib, a first-generation American, was raised in San Francisco, California,[7] by a Palestinian father and a Filipino mother.[8] He grew up skateboarding[2] and listening to 60s soul, surf music, doo-wop and British invasion bands like the Beatles and the Zombies.[8] He took piano lessons as a child and learned to play the guitar between age 11 and 12.[7] He attended art school[3] but dropped out before graduating.[9]

While employed as creative director for streetwear label HUF,[10] he recorded himself singing and playing acoustic guitar as a hobby.[11] He spent a year recording his songs[12] with electric guitar and drums at the suggestion of friend and studio engineer Marc Bianchi of Her Space Holiday. After participating in a 2009 art show in San Francisco, he began circulating a homemade CDR of his music,[9] one of which he gave to Innovative Leisure label co-founder Jamie Strong.[13][14]

Musical career

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He was signed to Innovative Leisure in 2010.[15] His debut was the 7" vinyl single "Dead Wrong," released on September 21, 2010,[16] backed with a cover of the 1931 song "You Rascal You" most famously recorded by Louis Armstrong.[17] His second 7" vinyl single "Build. Destroy. Rebuild." b/w "Loved One" was released on November 3, 2010.[18] During this time, he would perform live and begin touring extensively,[19] including a tour with Florence and the Machine,[20] as a duo with drummer and longtime friend Nicky Fleming-Yaryan.[21] He quickly developed a substantial audience.[17]

His debut album Will The Guns Come Out was released on Innovative Leisure on September 27, 2011.[22] It was described by the Los Angeles Times as "a taut, muscular collection of rock ‘n’ roll"[23] and by The Guardian as "if Joe Strummer came back as an angry young Filipino-Palestinian American."[6] Much of this record consisted of the tracks recorded with Bianchi.[12]

The album's final track "I Got A Thing," a cover of the 1970 Funkadelic single "I Got A Thing…"[24][25] that was recorded by Josh Marcy,[22] reached more than 2 million YouTube views in August 2011.[6] It was licensed for a Nike advertising campaign to serve as what NPR called a "modern surf, skate and all-around shredding anthem."[8] In the spring of 2012, El Khatib added a keyboard/organ player to his touring band[26] to better recreate the sound of his album.[17] In 2012, El Khatib met Black Keys’ frontman Dan Auerbach by chance in a bar during a shared DJ set in Paris.[27][28] Later that year he recorded his second album Head In The Dirt in three weeks[29] at Auerbach's Nashville studio Easy Eye.[30] It was released on Innovative Leisure on April 30, 2013,[31] and was described as "desert-burned blues rock boosted by punk, soul and hip-hop – music that has a retro heart but couldn't have been made before 2013" by Rolling Stone.[32] Its track "Can't Win 'Em All" was featured in a popular Audi commercial[33] that ran during Super Bowl XLVII and was reported to have reached 114 million Americans.[27]

In 2014, El Khatib spent 30 days[34] recording his third full-length Moonlight with drummer Ron Marinelli and engineer Sonni DiPerri at Los Angeles studio The Lair.[35] With the exception of drums, El Khatib played most of the instruments on Moonlight himself[36] and also sampled and edited Marinelli's drums.[36] Moonlight also includes a field recording of a funeral procession, recorded by El Khatib during a skateboarding trip through a Mexican village.[36] A remix of the title track featuring Wu-Tang Clan member GZA was released on November 18, 2014.[37] Moonlight was released on Innovative Leisure on January 20, 2015.[34] Clash Music described it as "a curious oddity" that "indicates that there’s far more to Hanni El Khatib than meets the eye."[38]

In the fall of 2015, a Paris performance by El Khatib was cancelled after the Bataclan attack.[39] He used the unexpected space in his schedule for studio sessions at the Jazzcats recording studio in Long Beach, described by Buzzbands LA as a "second home" where he and producer Jonny Bell worked writing and recording new material.[40]

The first track from these sessions was "Baby’s OK," described by El Khatib as "completely improvised and was a total stream of consciousness lyrically and musically" and premiered in April 2016 by The Fader magazine.[41] The second song "Gonna Die Alone" premiered in April 2016 on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show.[42] On April 29, 2016, El Khatib announced the first of five Savage Times EPs, releasing digitally on Innovative Leisure[43] as they were completed and culminating in the Savage Times album, collecting the 21 tracks from the digital EPs for physical release on February 17, 2017.[44] A reviewer for Clash Music said "it might well be his most creative document to date"[45] and Mass Appeal reported that "as an already talented multi-instrumentalist, Hanni delivered on our high hopes."[46]

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Hanni El Khatib's music has been used in television commercials for Converse,[47] Captain Morgan, Applebee's, Sky Atlantic, Nike,[48] Nissan,[49] Levi's,[50] T-Mobile and Apple.[51]

His music was used in the USA Network series Suits, HBO series Hung, Netflix series Grace & Frankie, the Showtime series Californication and United States of Tara, the CBS series Elementary,[52] the BBC series Luther and the feature film For a Good Time, Call....[53] The song "Build. Destroy. Rebuild." was used in the episode "Charity Case" of the series House. His song "Can't Win 'Em All" was used for the controversial Audi ad broadcast during the 2013 Super Bowl.[54] "Come Alive" was used in the 2013 horror film Carrie. "Family" was used in NHL 14 and in the episode "Welcome Back, Jim" of the series Gotham (2015). His song “Gonna Die Alone” was also used in the 2023 Netflix series “Fubar” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Hanni El Khatib played himself as the DJ of Innovative Leisure Radio in Forza Horizon 2. Three of his songs also played on the station: "Head In the Dirt", "Family", and "Pay No Mind".

The song "Save Me" was also featured on the NBC show The Blacklist, season 2, episode 19: "Leonard Caul" on April 23, 2015.

"Gonna Die Alone" was featured in the closing credits for the first-season finale of the television series Loudermilk.

The song "Alive" was featured in the 2024 movie Tarot.

Discography

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Albums

[edit]
Year Album Peak positions
US
Heatseekers
Albums
[55] 		US
Independent
Albums
[56] 		FRA
[57]
2011 Will the Guns Come Out 46 — 111
2013 Head in the Dirt 8 46 35
2015 Moonlight 15 — 55
2017 Savage Times — — 79
[58]
2020 FLIGHT — — —

Singles

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Year Album Peak positions Notes
FRA
[57]
2010 "Dead Wrong" — Will the Guns Come Out
"Build. Destroy. Rebuild." —

References

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  1. ^ "Hanni El Khatib - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Hanni El Khatib". Innovative Leisure. May 11, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Setaro, Shawn. "Hanni El Khatib: Rock And Roll, The New Radio, And Moonlight". Forbes. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  4. ^ "Head in the Dirt - Hanni El Khatib | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  5. ^ "Moonlight, by Hanni El Khatib". Hanni El Khatib. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Lester, Paul (August 16, 2011). "Hanni El Khatib (No 1,085)". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Pop Culture | MTV". MTV. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Hanni El Khatib: Hoop Dreams". NPR.org. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Hanni El Khatib's Family | HVW8". hvw8.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  10. ^ "A Conversation with Hanni El Khatib". Hypebeast. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  11. ^ Reuter, Annie. "New Music To Know: Hanni El Khatib Finds His Musical Soulmate In Dan Auerbach". Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Profile: Hanni El Khatib | Wonderland Magazine". Wonderland Magazine. December 16, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  13. ^ "HANNI EL KHATIB: I'LL JUST LIE CONSTANTLY". Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  14. ^ Pappalardo, Anthony (November 1, 2022). "The Past, Present, and Future of HUF With Chief Creative Officer Hanni El Khatib". Complex. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "HANNI EL KHATIB". Innovative Leisure. July 20, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  16. ^ "Hanni El Khatib - Dead Wrong 7". www.cduniverse.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c Gokhman, Roman (April 2, 2012). "Interview: SF native Hanni El Khatib returns home on the Highway Man Tour". The Bay Bridged. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  18. ^ "Hanni El Khatib - Build. Destroy. Rebuild". Discogs. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  19. ^ "Album Review: Hanni El Khatib - Will the Guns Come Out". Prefixmag. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  20. ^ Pirro, Jonathan. "Show Review: Two Days with Florence & The Machine". Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  21. ^ Bergen, Molly (November 8, 2010). "Florence and the Machine at The Wiltern: Live Review". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Hanni El Khatib - Will The Guns Come Out". Discogs. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  23. ^ "The bourbon-spiked rock of Hanni El Khatib". LA Times Blogs - Pop & Hiss. September 28, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  24. ^ "Funkadelic - I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's Got A Thing". Discogs. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  25. ^ "Dusted Reviews: Hanni El Khatib - Will the Guns Come Out". www.dustedmagazine.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  26. ^ "Live Review: Hanni El Khatib At Mercury Lounge - April 28, 2012". CMJ. April 30, 2012. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  27. ^ a b "New Music: Hanni El Khatib – "Family" (prod. Dan Auerbach)". Consequence of Sound. February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  28. ^ "Black Keys' Dan Auerbach Producing Hanni El Khatib Album". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  29. ^ "HANNI EL KHATIB". Innovative Leisure. July 20, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  30. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Talks Nashville, Plays 'Nobody Move' at Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound [Fresh Vid]". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  31. ^ "Hanni El Khatib - Head in the Dirt". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  32. ^ "Head in the Dirt". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  33. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Powers Controversial Audi Super Bowl Ad With "Can't Win Em All"". Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  34. ^ a b "Moonlight, by Hanni El Khatib". Hanni El Khatib. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  35. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Announces 'Moonlight' LP". Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  36. ^ a b c Setaro, Shawn. "Hanni El Khatib: Rock And Roll, The New Radio, And Moonlight". Forbes. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  37. ^ "Hanni El Khatib ft. GZA – Moonlight (Remix) | Nah Right". Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  38. ^ "Hanni El Khatib - Moonlight". Clash Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  39. ^ "Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing". NPR.org. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  40. ^ Feuer, Daiana (November 16, 2016). "Stream: Hanni El Khatib, 'Till Your Rose Comes Home'". buzzbands.la. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  41. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Shares His Punk Rock "Afterthought Jam," "Baby's OK"". The FADER. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  42. ^ "Apple Music Beats 1 With Zane Lowe". apple.com. apple. April 25, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  43. ^ "Hanni El Khatib". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  44. ^ "Savage Times, by Hanni El Khatib". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  45. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Share New Cut 'This I Know'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  46. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Ends 'Savage Times' Rollout with "This I Know"". Mass Appeal. January 17, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  47. ^ Converse (July 22, 2011). "Converse - History Made And In The Making" – via YouTube.
  48. ^ Nudd, Tim (June 9, 2011). "Action-sports stars play by starlight in this extraordinary new global spot". Adweek.
  49. ^ "Nissan Qashqai – Ultimate Urban Car". November 24, 2011.
  50. ^ "Levi's® Men's 501© CT: "Beautiful Morning"". YouTube. August 3, 2015.
  51. ^ "Qual è la canzone della pubblicità dell'iPhone 14 con protagonista il rettile Leon?". NonSolo.TV. February 2, 2023.
  52. ^ "Music from Elementary S1E19". TuneFind. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  53. ^ Soundtrack For 'For A Good Time Call' Features Los Campesinos!, Operator Please, Timber Timbre, More Archived October 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Indie Wire. August 3, 2012
  54. ^ "Hanni El Khatib Powers Controversial Audi Super Bowl Ad With "Can't Win Em All"". Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  55. ^ "Hani El Khatib Billboard Heatseekers Albums discography". billboard.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  56. ^ "Hani El Khatib Billboard Independent Albums discography". billboard.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  57. ^ a b "Hani El Khatib discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  58. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums - SNEP (Week 10, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 14, 2017.[permanent dead link]
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