Slutterhouse

Photography By: Tanya Traboulsi

It must be something about European artist that makes them exponentially more unique then all the rest. Or it could just be that us Americans don’t share in the same witty humor, but my interview with Slutterhouse’s Rabih Salloum was filled with laughs and genuine good conversation. Slutterhouse has been featured in Elle Magazine and in this interview we will get a sneak peak into the rockers personal style, even toying with the idea of getting Jay-Z in a top hat (you have to read the interview to get the scoop lol). Chatting with Salloum, who bares a striking resemblance to Pirates of the Caribbean’s captain Jack Sparrow, was simply a delight. The night life and club scene of major cities such as LA, New York or Miami are craving the likes of Slutterhouse. This International Phenomenon is made up of Rabih ‘Mick’ Salloum and Nabil Saliba. Who were influenced by rock icons such as Marc Bolan, Slash, and Steven Tyler. The duo has delivered intense dance floor songs since 2006, introducing Rabih’s pop/rock voice and melodies into Nabil’s space-themed retro electro sound. If you have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing this outstanding duo please be sure to check them out.

Deanna Collins: Tell me how you got your start in the music industry?

Rabih Salloum: We started working on Slutterhouse in 2006 after meeting Nabil Saliba (producer) a couple of months before that. We each had our own projects then and the collaboration really started very randomly as I was curious about getting my pop/rock songwriting into the electronic world, while Nabil was interested in working on a vocal electronic project. We started recording songs and showcasing them whenever we had the chance to; we got many offers from indie labels in London, Paris, and the USA; and then we decided to sign with a London based label that had just started and wanted to take us as their first project, giving us 100% of the artistic freedom we needed, which is what we were looking for. The label is Ringside Production by the way.

DC: What’s it like having representation of a label and having 100% artistic freedom?

RS: It has its advantages and its inconveniences. To us the advantages are definitely worth it otherwise we wouldn’t have signed. The great thing is that Ringside believes Slutterhouse has everything to make it big in this business; they are investing what is needed to be invested without asking any questions about the artistic choices we are making simply because they have faith in us as artists above all. The inconvenient is that since it’s a very young label with Slutterhouse as its first project, it’s not always easy to get out there with not a lot of experience, make yourself heard, etc. But everything’s going great, maybe slower than we wanted, but the results are definitely starting to show.

DC: Where are you guys from?

RS: I live in Paris and Nabil lives in Beirut; we’re both originally from Lebanon so we decided to release the record in the Middle East first before taking over Europe now.

DC: How did you come up with the name Slutterhouse?

RS: It was a very sleazy night, we had finished recording a first track as a joke, and we needed a name for it; for some reason I wanted to make fun of the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” and this girl who was around was reading Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five”. So we just went for “Slutterhouse Blues” as the name of the track; and then later when we decided to work seriously on the project we just extracted Slutterhouse. When we started we wanted the music to be really sleazy, sexy, and dirty, and in a way it was the best way to describe that period and the circumstances during which we met and started doing this; so Slutterhouse spelled the way we spell it was only natural.

DC: Hahaah yes! It’s just so raw that way

RS: Exactly, that’s why the earlier tracks were much more into that specific vibe, more rock, rawer… the later ones became “spacier”, more mellow, and nicer in a way. But the first EP we’re releasing on April 15th is the single “Inside the Station”, and that’s the 2nd track we ever recorded and it definitely fits in that category of sexy and sleazy and energetic music we were doing then.

DC: Ok so now lets talk about fashion.. I love the top hat where do you feel like you get your personal style from? Is there anything that inspires you?

RS: Haha, the top hat. You ought to know that I grew up wanting to be Slash from Guns N’ Roses when I was 8 years old. I guess that pretty much says it all. But in general, as a kid I was fascinated by singers and musicians who I believed looked great, regardless of how they sounded; to me rock n roll was an image as much as a sound. I grew up loving Marc Bolan, Steven Tyler, and Slash not only for their sound or their voice, but also because of their looks. As the band got more exposure I started flirting with fashion, modeled for shops in Paris, assisted stylists, modeled for brands like Lancel; I guess all of these elements made me slowly get to something I’d been instinctively looking for since I was a child.

DC: It all makes sense; and modeling? Very cool so has anyone ever told you look like Johnny Depp?!

RS: Haha, well actually someone just did less than an hour ago as I was on my way back from rehearsals! But you do realize that this is only after the film “Pirates of the Caribbean” came out; because apart from that, I think I look more like the pope than like Johnny Depp….. Pirates were also definitely part of my childhood fantasy world. I always thought they looked like rock stars

DC: I read that tomorrow you will be headlining at Proud Camden, London, as part of HORSEPLAYs “ Rowdy Festival of Bold Theatre and Music” how did you get that gig?

RS: I had an affair with one of the organizers….can we say that?

DC: That was the best answer i have ever gotten in an interview! Can i use that?!?! lol

RS: Yes, so we keep it!

DC:GREAT! Next question

DC: Can you tell us a little more about Horseplay?

RS: We’re very excited because it’s going to be our first concert in London. Proud Camden is a great mid-size venue that can hold around 600 people and we are expecting a full house. There will be numerous theatrical performances early in the night, then the Butterflies on Strings are going to open for Slutterhouse. Once we finish, our friend Vincent Vargas will be spinning his twisted electro-house DJ set. It’s also a very important step for Slutterhouse as it is going to be our first live appearance with an actual live band. Until now, Nabil and myself had been together on stage only. But we decided to take our live shows to another level last December and we started working with live musicians who sound and look great.

DC: I read that you were in Elle Magazine are we talking “THEE” Elle Magazine?!

RS: Ahahah yes we are But you know there are different editions on each territory, we were in ELLE Magazine, the Middle East edition – as the album’s only come out there until now. The interview’s on our Press page on our website! (but it’s in French)

DC: Oh thats cool…um Bonjour! hahah

RS: Hahaha bonjour Mademoiselle!

DC: Omelet du fromage hahaha umpur parlevu france

RS: Hhahaha, yes I think I can decode what you’re trying to say here! I am going to teach you a very important sentence.

DC: Yea my French is bad I only know how to ask for food. What’s the sentence?

RS: “les carottes sont cuites” = “the carrots are cooked”.

DC: LOL I’ll carry that with me forever! lol

RS: And think of me each time you say it, please.

DC: Indeed

DC: Other then magazine mentions which are amazing! Have you won any awards?

RS: Mmm no, but i mean we’ve never even tried participating in such things. We’ve just been selected to festivals and things, but we never entered like band contests or songwriting competitions or stuff like that. I did win many water polo games and boxing bouts as a teenager though, if that helps.

DC: When do you think you will be releasing another CD?

RS: “Inside the Station – remix EP” is going to be available in all digital stores worldwide on the 15th of April. I think we are going to release another single, “Made in Dance”, during the summer, and hopefully release the record (that’s been out in the Middle East since last fall) sometime next Fall 2010. I guess people in their offices are planning these things right now, so I don’t have any precise dates apart from the upcoming EP release of “Inside the Station – remix EP” next April 15th.

DC: I feel like the US needs some of your music! Don’t let the Middle East keep it all lol. Your songs have a very new age techno beat that defiantly works with the club scene where do you get your inspiration

RS: As a songwriter, I’m inspired by people, different people I come across sometimes inspire one single line that will lead to a whole song. Sound wise, I’d say our inspiration is nothing and everything; we really listen to everything new that comes out from electronic music, to pop/rock music, to RnB music, Hip Hop, whatever… and on top of all that there’s the inevitable inner influences of artists I grew up listening to, even if we don’t sound anything like them now. But to sum it up I’d say our sound combines my love for Pop/Rock anthems, catchy melodies, and my love for clubbing, dance floors, and electronic music.

DC: Can you tell me how was it filming the Slutterhouse blues video?

RS: It was terrible haha. I was 80% blind for two days straight because of the zombie lenses I was wearing. But the whole team was really amazing, they took great care of me and made sure there was someone holding my arm with every step I took when we weren’t shooting. The director Pedros Temizian really knew what he wanted, he executed everything so well and so efficiently despite all the trouble one can encounter during making films. I think he really did a great job taking care of everything from A to Z; all I had to do was be there and follow his directions.

DC:I was going to ask about the lenses and whos idea they were hahah

RS: It was all Pedros’, the whole thing was his vision from the start; with the help of the extremely talented art director Fares Sokhon, and a young genius director of photography called Damoun Ghaoui. I’ll stop here otherwise I’m going to have to mention everyone and that might take a while =) The whole thing was shot in Beirut last December.

DC: Totally off topic every time you say Beirut I think of beer pong because it’s the other name for it

RS: Hahah now you taught me something new!

DC: Have you ever played beer pong

RS: No never I like low calories drinks gin or vodka on the rocks please

DC: Hahahah

DC: I love that you did the moon walk in the video , I just had to tell you that

RS: Oh actually the dance scene is the only scene that was my idea haha.

DC: What would be five words that you would use to describe your band

RS: Wow okay let me think for a minute. space, freedom, sex, pain, and… one second….neon light.

DC: What’s your process for making music, what comes first music or lyrics

RS: Music, always….actually no….well okay I tend to work on music first once I have a catchy melody in my head I’m good. There has to be a melody before I start writing words that fit with that melody and sometimes Nabil sends me instrumental loops he’s developed and I just throw in vocal melodies and words on them then structure the whole thing to turn them into songs.

DC: What are you doing now in preparation for the debut of your single and remixes to be released in Europe and North America in April of this year?

RS: We are rehearsing with the new lineup and getting ready for the upcoming European shows and festivals (London tomorrow, London and Liverpool Sound City in May, Paris in June, etc.) we are also drinking a lot of gin at a couple of new very cool clubs that recently opened in Paris. and i’m sad to say there’s no real clear plans for the US yet, though we’re in touch with a few people here and there and something could come up very soon. so we’re just developing our live shows now and will be working and creating a proper buzz in Europe in the next few months.

DC: Darn that was my next question do you plan on making a trip across the pond and doing shows in America

RS: Well we’d love to! it’s just that we’re not working with any US based structure yet. We are in touch with this management company based in L.A. that’s really into Slutterhouse but we want to make sure we’re working with the right people so we’re not rushing things, let’s make some noise in Europe now and hopefully in 2011 I’ll be sharing the stage with Jay-Z somewhere in New York.

DC: Ha! That would be great!! I really think your music would do nice in clubs in Cali and such. Would you get Jay-z to wear the top hat!?

RS: Yeah we’ve been hearing that from a lot of people really, and it’s frustrating when people go like: “when are you coming to this town??” and “when are you coming to that town??” and not be able to give it to them or at least give them a precise date or something. If Jigga wants the top hat, he can have it =) (I have many others)

DC: Hahahah! Well i hope we get some information soon! And we will try to get the message to Hove! Sadly we have come to the last question of the interview. Ok so i end all my interviews the same …if this was your last day on earth. What would you be eating?

RS: Mmmm, Lentils soup with lemon, fried eggs, hummus (the Lebanese one), strawberries, and grapefruit juice. a lot of salt with the eggs, please. (I am a hard core vegetarian, by the way)

DC: But eggs…..they are little chickens…..

RS: well, I like the idea of the future. And eggs are potentially future little chickens. But dead meat will always be the past. …Yeah, eating meat is kind of like playing in a band that sounds like the Rolling Stones, in 2010. But eating eggs is making music in 2010 that sounds like 2020.

DC: HAHAHAHA, soooo…official last question…..why is your skype name Michael Jackson lol?

RS: Because “This is It”. Lol no honestly,I just thought that since he died, I might as well inherit his name.

To learn more about Slutterhouse log on to

www.slutterhouse.com

Get a sneak preview into their Upcoming EP here —->[download id="8"]

Interviewed & Written by: Deanna Collins for NRG 2010