innovative leisure records Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

De Lux/Hanni El Khatib “Rebel Yell + Power Struggle”

sfilzen — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 19:21:48 +0000

De Lux/Hanni El Khatib “Rebel Yell + Power Struggle” 2019. Innovative Leisure records, limited edition 7″ split single and according to Discogs/Bandcamp it was “commissioned by the US bourbon brand Rebel Yell for a free limited edition 2019 Record Store Day release.” De Lux, who I was up until now not at all familiar with, is a post-disco duo from L.A. Hanni El Khatib (also from L.A. and a fantastic rock guitarist) I am definitely familiar with (we have had a few of his releases for a long time now and saw him perform probably about 10 years ago or so). “Rebel Yell” is a cover of the classic Billy Idol song from 1984, synthesized to the nth and whispery vocals, making it almost unrecognizable but still really fun. “Power Struggle” is glossily polished techno-disco, bleep-bloop’d with a hypnotically ass-shaking funk. It’s very fun and helpfully spells out S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E in the chorus.

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Hanni El Khatib “Head in the Dirt”

sfilzen — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:17:58 +0000

Hanni El Khatib “Head in the Dirt” 2013. Innovative Leisure Records. Garagey punk blues produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach who “didn’t scrub all of the dirt and grime” off of HEK’s second album release (his debut Will the Guns Come Out is grittier). The track “Save Me” has been on heavy rotation lately – I love its Bo Diddley beat and Rolling Stone-esque maracas – so I wanted to give the entire album another full and concentrated listen. HEK adds a heavy dose of funk into “Head in the Dirt” while “Family” is a lo-fi stomper, as is “Pay No Mind.” “Nobody Move” has a full-throttled rock-n-roll intro/chorus/hook while the verse is bouncing reggae. And it totally works. “Can’t Win ‘Em All” has a kicked-back groove and “Low” has a similar vibe but a bit more sinister. The only song on the album I’m not crazy about “Penny,” it’s a bit too bright, bouncing popily along with horns and effects that sound like an annoying guy whistling.

We saw Hanni El Khatib about four years ago when he played Milwaukee’s Turner Hall, in between the releases of Head in the Dirt and 2015′s Moonlight. I think it was a mid-week show and attendance was pretty sad, which is a bummer because HEK is a brilliant musician and performer.

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Hanni El Khatib “Moonlight”

sfilzen — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 15:53:29 +0000

Hanni El Khatib “Moonlight” 2015. Innovative Leisure Records. Taking a photo of a glossy black album cover is a real pain in the ass. I had to wait for moonlight for minimal ambient reflection, so well-played Hanni.

This album was released a few weeks ago, though I did get to preview it on Spotify which convinced me to purchase it as a Valentine’s Day gift for Joe. Good choice! This is his third album release and it is a strong one. Weird, grungy, guitar-heavy. Comparisons that have been made to the White Stripes are not unfounded, nor is his collaboration with Dan Auerbach surprising. My top tracks are “Melt Me” and “The Teeth.”

We saw Hanni El Khatib perform at Turner Hall in Milwaukee this past year and it was a good performance. But I was disappointed in how few people attended the show, especially given the popularity of similar musicians in our area. Hopefully next time ‘round will be different.

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