Hanni El Khatib’s first idea for his Savage Times project was to do
something he’d never done before. Instead, he ended up doing …
well, everything he’d never done before. He’d be playing new
instruments, writing in unfamiliar new ways, opening himself up to
an unrelenting stream of ideas and dedicating himself totally to
pure musical instinct. And the result? 19 best-of-the-sessions songs,
destined for vinyl release as a Limited Edition 10” LP Box Set, as well
as the kind of creative revelations that only happen when you quit
looking around and start looking ahead.
Originally, he’d hoped to explode the lingering idea that he was
simply a blues-rock guitar player, but that’s why Savage Times
touches on everything from garage rock to punk to disco, hip-hop
and even some unexpected solo-guitar self-portraiture. But on the
way, he also exploded his own idea of what he could do—even
maybe who he was, or would be. Savage Times was an experiment
as well as an experience, that touched on some of the most
personal, social & political elements to date.