The first generation American son of Palestinian and Filipino immigrants, Hanni El Khatib grew up in San Francisco raised on a molotov cocktail of skateboarding, punk rock, and 1950s and 60s classic Americana. Influenced by pioneers of early rock and R&B, the multi-instrumentalist and producer derives his unique sound from a menagerie of inspirations, including blues, soul, garage rock & doo-wop and performers as varied as Johnny Brunette, The Cramps, Sam Cooke and The Animals.

Through the filter of his sinewy, dirty guitar and wry, whiskey-glazed voice, the result is modern nostalgia; gritty, contemporary rock n’roll that glares ahead while nodding over its shoulder at the past. Or in Hanni’s own words “these songs were written for anyone who’s ever been shot or hit by a train. Knife fight music.” He has toured with Florence and the Machine and shared bills with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Growlers, amongst others and has become well known for his raw, visceral live shows. Hanni’s unique take on Funkadelic’s classic song “I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody’s Got A Thing” has been selected as the campaign song for Nike’s “Just Do It” 2011 Global Ad Campaign.