Written by Amelie Thacker
Musical genius and multi-instrumentalist House Of EL joined me over zoom to speak about his masterpiece of an EP ‘When it rains it pours’ and how he came to write it.
House of EL spoke about his early memories of music and where it all started for him as he laughed remembering “banging pots and pans, making noise and hitting toys” as a child, ever the creative. He was first encouraged by his parents to pick up an instrument where he started on keys and keyboard. However, House of EL explained his passion for music taking off when he started playing the trumpet and playing jazz as he got “an insight into music, creativity but also things like fashion”. He reminisced watching jazz icons with amazing suits, slick hair, glasses and immaculate fashion. “Jazz took my attention as a black person as i didn’t see myself making classical music… when i saw Miles Davis and Fats Waller, i thought ‘oh they look like me and they’re suave and stylish and articulate’”. House of EL has a clear passion for his creative image as a whole, not focussing purely on his sound, but everything that comes with it.
When asked about his latest EP, House of EL described wanting to create something “optimistic”, and produce something from the most true place possible. He doesn’t force any lyrics or storylines behind his music, “I let the lyrics tell me what they wanna say and discover the purpose of that composition”. This EP is a project that illuminates House of EL’s standout musicality alongside the depth and intricate layers that have engulfed his listeners. House of EL aims to communicate hope and a connection with his listeners, stating, “Sometimes when things go wrong, the notion that it can’t get any worse, is often the thing you try to reassure yourself with. But I think it’s often reassuring that when things go wrong, they often get worse but then there is actually a hope in that. And there’s something reassuring in humans and resilience of relationships and so that’s essentially what the EP is. Things are very difficult at times… but there is so much beauty in those difficult moments and those painful moments… that’s how I tried to draw a throughline and paint this picture”.
House of EL later discussed the free vision he wanted his audience to create themselves “If you wanna go there in the lyrics you can, but if you just wanna dance and just vibe and put the music on in the background you can”. Each person can interpret his music in a different manner as it continues to tell a story in a contrasting light. House of EL describes how accomplished he felt as a musician after the journey from taking his music from the internet and seeing the response he got from his listeners as they came together with his sound.
The constantly developing artist’s passion and love for music builds great desire for him to express his talent and knowledge in different areas. Whether that be his own writing and creations, or collaborations with other artists, having worked with some of the biggest music artists in the world. Through all of this House of EL remains incredibly humble and modest as his versatility is recognised across the industry.
Looking forward to the rest of the year, House of EL discussed planning more performances with his incredible band of which he idolises their talent and also collaborating with other artists where he sees fit. “I wanna do some collabs in a way that makes sense… I want it to make sense musically, where I can work with people I admire”.
Head over to House of EL’s Spotify to listen to his new fascinating release of an EP ‘When it rains it pours’.
