Talking To: Rarelyalways
Soulful and intricate, yet aggressive and pulsating, Rarelyalways is an artist whose genre-straddling has seen him embark on a meteoric rise from the streets of Hackney to collaborating with renowned fusion musician Hanni El-Khatib. Music editor Emma Doyle was brought up to speed on most-recently released ‘Manic’ EP, and what’s in store for the future.
Hi! How has life been treating you recently?
Life has been good just been looking after the body soul and mind. After coming back from holiday I’ve been trying to stay healthy and work out a lot.
What’s the story behind your latest EP ‘Manic’?
With ‘Manic’ there was a lot of uncertainty around that time, I wanted to release a project I was able to express frustration. The hospital theme derived from there being a risk of looking crazy trying something new; it was quite different compared to my previous projects.
Was it nerve-wracking to be working with an artist as well-known as Hanni El Khatib or did he put you at ease?
Hanni was extremely laid back, we didn’t even have a timeline which calmed my nerves. Having recorded then coming back to it months later it was really organic how everything materialised. No pressure, just pure fun!
How did the Hackney scene influence you growing up? Hackney itself is becoming much more gentrified, but how impactful were the multicultural links?
I’m not sure what the Hackney scene is. What I would say is Hackney had its qualities and flaws, you had to be diligent around my time. The borough somewhat shaped my lyrics and message which is motivation to the common man. The setting wasn’t ideal for a kid so you had to be mentally strong: mind over matter. The melting pot of culture helped me become more rounded as an individual, and made me realise we all have more in common than we think; you sort-of had to be able to say hello to at least 5 different ethnic groups.
Do you see classical and brass music, or genres such as jazz, rock and hip-hop as more vital to your development as an artist?
In terms of development as an artist I really just want to reflect the times, adding my signature whilst still being accessible. Although I I love electronic patches sometimes, nothing beats a live musician in the booth. I really just want to move people and make cool music irrespective of genre.
What was the inspiration behind the stage name? I hope you’re not offended if I say it calls to mind images of GBC and lo-fi emo like Nothing, Nowhere. rather than your personal brand of fusion.
Hahaha, there’s many inspirations behind my stage name ‘Rarelyalways’ but in all honesty through the process of elimination it made the most sense.
You cite School of Rock as the film which acted as a catalyst for wanting to enter a career in music. What is your favourite song, quote or piece of advice? And in a School of Rock Buzzfeed quiz, which character would you be?
My favourite quote is “stick it to the man”, and I’d probably like to play the headteacher weirdly enough.
What’s in store next?
Next stop is the album, baby!!
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