Garden City Movement, Jane Bordeaux, Ouzo Bazooka, and other Israeli artists, will perform at the first Israeli Contemporary Music Festival held in Russia. The event is hosted by the Jewish Museum in Moscow and sponsored by philanthropist Roman Abramovich.
The event, presented by The Jewish Museum & Tolerance Center, will showcase five bands from Tel Aviv ranging from easy indie-rock to experimental hip-hop. Israeli contemporary musical culture is evolving rapidly on the local level and at a global scale, and the musicians who will perform at the festival are widely known in Europe and USA.
Until now Russian audiences have only had the opportunity to listen to popular Israeli bands at international music festivals. The ambition of this event is to introduce current trends in Israeli music to the Moscow audience, using the familiar and beloved format of the summer music festival.
For one day, the Jewish Museum will transform into a concert venue with dance and lounge zones, multiple festival activities, restaurants and a marketplace. New Israeli Sound is to become an important part of the Museum Summer Programme that will also feature lectures, cinema screenings and concerts that will take place in the summer outdoor area.
Artists featured in the New Israeli Sound program:
Garden City Movement
Eclectic indie-pop band based in Tel Aviv, Roi Avital, Joe Saar and Johnny Sharoni, describe their music as something comprehensible but deep, not strange but unconventional, addictive from the first chords. Their sound melds Ethiopian music and art-pop together with experimental house and European indie-rock. The trio has released three EPs, one album and numerous singles that won the band an international appraisal by riding high in the Hype Machine platform charts. They performed live at the Boiler Room, Majestic Casual and FACT, and opened Israeli performances of Bonobo, Caribou and Alt-J.
Jane Bordeaux
A young Israeli band that started when Doron Talmon, soloist, joined fellow musicians in order to play american-country-folk in Hebrew. The band uses a guitar, a tambourine and a double bass. The signature feature of Jane Bordeaux is their acoustic sound and, of course, Talmon’s magnetic voice. The band has released two albums, and their song Ech efshar she’lo became the most famous Israeli song in the 2015.
Ouzo Bazooka
American surf-rock of the 1960-s with a Middle Eastern feel. The band was founded by Uri Brauner Kinrot, singer-songwriter and guitar player; Yirika Hanasima playing tambourine and hand cymbals; bass guitar player Hadi Piter; and drummer Ira Raviv. Ouzo Bazooka has been touring through Israel and Europe gaining local rock-scene recognition in Tel Aviv.
In every melody there is a strong Middle Eastern feel, and the English songs transform local heroes into a true international phenomenon. The band has released three albums, the first one dating back to 2014.
Quarter to Africa
A multicultural ensemble based in Israel, combining traditional Arab Maqam, African beats and Jazzfunk rhythms. In their creative process, Quarter to Africa employ a philosophy built on three main principles: Love, Unity and Friendship. Yakir Sasson and Elaysaf Bashari have developed a framework where their music embeds cultural aspects of life of its creators. They perfected their sound merging traditional cultures of Yemen, Persia and Iraq at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and the Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music. Their work resulted in creation of a new style called Afr-Arab or Afrab. The band released their debut mini-album in 2016.
ECHO
Echo Morgenstern, solosit, is a former member of an electronic duo Echo & Tito. The band produced quality dance music and rapidly became popular all over Israel. After the band broke up, Echo continued her solo career producing soul and hip-hop compositions. In September 2016 she released her debut album Calling on Wonders, that received a warm welcome by the Israeli listeners. In the summer 2018 Echo presented a new album Achat comprising 10 easy hip-hop arranged songs in Hebrew.