By: Dan Salter
I have to confess, until the rather magnificent new album from Tiny Fingers dropped in to our laps we hadn’t given a huge amount of consideration to what the Israeli music scene might be like. However The Fall opened our eyes to the fact that something very interesting and special might be happening out there so we asked guitarist Oren Ben David to select a few bands we should be keeping an eye out for:
The alternative music scene in Israel is just getting bigger and better every year, with a lot of new bands and talents from many genres from straight forward rock to hazy experimental electronics.
Israel is a small county and because of that, many musicians and artists know each other and are often involved in some way with friends projects and collaborations. The center of the music scene is located in Tel Aviv, where the biggest clubs and most of the major gigs happen, but also in Jerusalem there is a strong and eclectic scene – a home to many experimental and weird stuff. Up in the north, in Haifa there is also some kind of scene going on, with new club, and many new visual and electronic artists. In the past few year there is a strong growth of outdoor alternative music festivals and that help artists to gain new followers and just build a strong alternative community.
Here a few bands that we like and recommend:
1. TREE – Psychedelic vintage rock group. They have great and very warm sound. Playing long songs and solos. All the players are amazing, with great vibe and true sense to music. We saw them playing at Fusion festival in Germany last year, far away from home, and it was one of the best show we ever seen. It was great to see so many German folks going crazy as we were in the 60’s again.
2. Shay Tzabary – Great singer and writer. Shay has this kind of warm middle eastern influences and his voice is truly from the depth of the soul. Danceable and also emotional music. He has a great band with top players. Earlier this year he released his debut album and got great reviews as one of the best Israeli album that was released in the past few years. Tons of soul, kind of religious or spiritual prayer. You probably won’t understand the lyrics but you can feel the vibe.
3. Kutiman – Kutiman is the master of groove and vibe. we like his attitude to music and creativity. Somehow he always stays fresh and inspiring, with lots of groove and happiness in his style. He produce and play many styles of music and play on many instruments. Everything he touches sounds good and you can feel his touch, color and personality at Everything he does. You might have herd his amazing project Thru You, that he basically sampled many sounds from YouTube, cut, edit and mixed it to a completely new pieces. He is also the brain Behaind the Kutiman Orcestra and he is one of the best producers in Israel.
4. Daniella Tourgeman – Daniella is a great singer, soulful vocalist with a super special touch. She released her solo album earlier this year – home made recordings, amazing soul-folk. She is a pure artist. These days she is doing some solo shows and also collaborate with us in Tiny Fingers. She has really cool and emotional voice, really dynamic and pure. Her songs are from the depth of the heart and have this feel of mystery and magic around her.
5. The Great Machine – Stoner rock heavy band from Tel Aviv. This band is crazy with their power and passion to music. We like their dedication to their music and vibe. Making a lot of shows in the past years, and also open some of the great underground venues around Tel Aviv. They are the ultimate rock and roll model from is real and deserve more crowd and followers cause they are doing something that many artist afraid of – uncompromising music with tons of drive and insanity! Have so much respect for them and we love them. Check them out!
6. Buttering Trio – The coolest guys around, Great sounds, beats, super tight production, great friends. Always sounds fresh. We always love to see them play. Their first album – Toast, is one of the best albums of the past years. They are the leading force behind RAW TAPES, a great label that leads the beats scene in Tel Aviv.
7. Tatran – Super talented musicians, they have a great mix of genres, from Jazz, to post-rock, and much more. One of the leading alternative bands in Israel at the moment. Their live show is tight. Check em out.
