Houston-based Eric Burton a.k.a Rabit grew up between Philly and Jersey, nourished by the golden age of East Coast Hip Hop and the early MPC beats of MF Doom. Although he released on grime labels before like Glacial Sound or Different Circles, his work overgrows the hedges of the genre. It also lacks the comfortable, familiar taste of crowd-pleasing dance records.
For he's not here to please anyone: Rabit's acerbic mind is as unforgiving as his innocent name does not suggest. 'Communion' is the work of a politically, spiritually aware artist, although he keeps his cards close to his chest and his beliefs to himself.
Being the follow up release to his previous EP, 'Baptizm', there could be an obvious religious interpretation for his debut album, especially in light of his experience as a young queer male growing up in a Catholic family. But don't fall into the trap of easy interpretations. Don't expect him to guide you through either: "I want people to have their own experience, not mine. In that way it's more like a document."
'Communion' is a haunting, intense experience of sharp contrasts and raw, industrial sounds. It is about finding your own meaning within Rabit's chaotic world, where nothing is as evident as it seems–disturbingly reminiscent in many ways of our own reality. A vivid painting of emotions that can't leave you indifferent.
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You just performed in London at The Victoria with Roly Porter, Parris, Bloom and Logos, how was the night?
The night was cool, in a small, dark room where you can't see two feet in front of you. I played Corsica Studios as well. My time in London was surreal. I'm very thankful that people care about my music. But when I'm there, I can't help but feel that I'm in an alternate reality, an Imperial one […] Being there makes me think about all of the pain English speaking white people have inflicted on the world.
This is your debut LP, and second release with Robin Carolan's Tri Angle…?
I released my album on Tri Angle partly because of Robin's desire to see me reach another level of potentiality. Most labels want to see the artist repeat what was successful before, like a dog repeating tricks. Tri Angle is quite the opposite. Also a lot of the labels that I used to admire have gone far downhill, signing corny acts because of the attention they bring. I'm never interested in the most obvious move. I appreciate the other artists on Tri Angle, and I want to be in good company, I want to be around people I look up to.
'Communion' is the follow up to your 'Baptizm' EP earlier this year on the label: in spite of the strong religious connotation, it feels a bit like a deceptive clue – what's the thematic feeling behind 'Communion' if you had to summarise it in a few words?
I'm happy you brought this up. I would feel the album is a success if a listener gives it their own meaning, or it makes them feel something, or think of something they never thought of before. It's that simple. So the feeling behind it is however the listener wants to approach it. The title and songs have a lot of meaning to me, and I'm not sure if that's something I want to share. Sometimes it feels healthier to keep a piece of it to myself to savour.
I grew a lot these past few years. I feel like I died and was reborn. And I feel I still don't know anything… It's a good place to be. All of these realisations are tied into the album in their own way.
Should we expect some new video material to complement the album: will you be collaborating again with Lane Steward in the near future?
Yes, Lane is one of my closest friends and we will have more work in the future. We operate on our own timeline and go off the feeling, if a video needs to be birthed it will tell us when it's ready.
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What growing up in Philly was like, how did you first get introduced to hip-hop?
I grew up in southern New Jersey but Philly was really close and I spent most of my free time there, discovering the city and writing graffiti. When we would go pick spots to write graffiti we would be smoking blunts listening to Beanie Sigel, Prodigy's (Mobb Deep) HNIC album, or some OGC, Ghostface, etc.
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Hip-hop culture was around from a young age, from listening to Mantronix at the skating rink, to seeing the Raekwon purple tape in the car of my sister's friends. Rap music had such a mystique to it, which is mostly gone now […]. Hip-hop is the culture and rap is the music. Graffiti is an element of hip-hop culture, like breakdancing. A lot of people still don't seem to realise this. These are basic tenets set up by the Zulu Nation, they are not negotiable: this is what I grew up on.
Do you recognise yourself in any political or cultural movement?
No. I have comrades and we are fighting, not always for the same things, but there is a unity. Some things are better left undefined, let people create the meaning and maybe that will give them courage to speak up for themselves, to discover their own voice.
Could subcultures have an actual impact on society?
I never think about the future. My music is here, now, and of this age, if anything it's a document. Even the Great Game mix that Chino Amobi and I did, isn't about the future. As a society we support horrible corporations and practices and continue to buy the same logo year after year, knowing all of this. This is happening now. If anything, pop culture tends to just borrow from us and don't credit it. We make art to put a stamp down and say how we feel, simple. All the other theories and things are being invented by journalists.
'Communion' is one of the most contrasted pieces of work we've heard this year, not without reminding us of a gothic aesthetic. Are those tensions reflecting some contradictions you've experienced yourself?
I suppose so. Life itself is a contradiction, isn't it? Something that's everything to one person, can be revolting to another. And yet we are all of one mind. The album is a culmination of so much myth… We are buried in myths. They define humanity. But I'm not always interested in what has worked for others. I'm feeling my way around it, carving my own language.
You said before that you'd been introduced to "different aspects of the occult", and also mentioned the work of New Age writer Stuart Wilde – is the quest for self improvement influencing your creative process?
I pull influences from everywhere. I've been really lucky in that I've had access to material that's not available to the general public. I think everything has an effect on my creative process… But I'm not so much interested in self-improvement as I am in self-death.
What can we look forward to on Halcyon Veil?
Next is a 12" from Imaginary Forces, I feel this will be a landmark release. More material to come from Angel-Ho, a release from Chino Amobi, and a new producer from the States, Somali Extract.
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'Communion' is out now.
Words: Marie-Charlotte Dapoigny
