Next Wave #562: Haraket

Floating freely between piercing indie, trip-hop, IDM...

Southeast London is a warren, a hive of streets, roads and avenues, sprawling with new ideas, new sounds. Haraket were born in this area, evolving out of a loop-led laptop-project, before finally settling on a full, five-piece line-up.

“The only thing that connects us is that we don’t necessarily come from a creative background but we all have an urge to do something interesting,” Jack Marshall explains. “Music is something that frees you up a bit. A lot of us have day jobs or university, and music is the best way for us to feel involved”.

Completing their second EP, Haraket have a sound that is uniquely fluid, floating freely between piercing indie, trip-hop, IDM and more. “It’s naturally evolved,” says vocalist Abi Hardiman. “There was a sound but we couldn’t explain it – I mean, we still can’t explain it.”

Citing Jon Hopkins and Radiohead as influences, Haraket slip between analogue and digital, refining their material only after lengthy, percussive jam sessions.

“When we go into the studio the track can sometimes evolve,” says Oijan Genc, who handles much of the initial production. “We’re still getting used to playing with each other, but we’ve gained a lot of knowledge on that through doing that.”

The focus is on blissful sound, with the vocals helping to bring those disparate influences into sharp focus. “I was trying to make it sound like samples, but live,” Genc continues. “The vocals are the cherry on top; that’s what gives it direction.”

Tiring of the often cutthroat, pay-as-you-play-under-any-other-name London circuit, Haraket are now focusing on hosting their own events. “Music and art interest me equally,” Marshall says. “The two complement each other. We want to throw parties, basically. A mixture of spoken-word, jam sessions. That’s what it comes from.” 

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Where: South East London

What: 21st century trip-hop with a meditative, soulful twist

Get 3 Songs: ‘Level Head’ (above), ‘Moment Of Calm’, ‘Sea Grids’

Fact: Haraket means ‘movement’ in Turkish – but it’s been misspelled.

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Words: Robin Murray

Find Haraket online here

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