Shemspeed has spent the last six years exclusively booking Modular Moods' artists which include a variety of hip-hop, rock, and klezmer-jazz bands. In the last few years, Shemspeed has expanded its roster by the hundreds by booking bands for the Oyhoo festival and its very own Sephardic Music Festival. Shemspeed continues to challenge the aesthetics of what an event could be. Having booked artists as diverse as Spankrock, Matisyahu, DJ Spooky and Anthony Coleman, we have incredible experience showcasing each artist in the most complimentary way. Finally, Shemspeed has booked countless artists all over the US and countries as far away as Russia and Israel.
We are devoted fans of all of the musicians appearing on this site. Carefully selecting artists of the highest musical quality, Shemspeed prides itself on long term relationships with its clients. We seek to develop and maintain lasting and rewarding careers for everybody we represent.
Please get in touch with us if you're interested in booking any of the artists below or if you would like to be represented by Shemspeed. booking@shemspeed.com
bellflur's music builds on the atmospheric sounds set forth by bands like God Speed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Rós. They have a keen sense of melody, stemming from bass and keyboard interplay, and its incorporation into a heavy cinematic sound sets bellflur apart from other indie groups of their kind.
The brains behind Modular Moods and many of the hyped parties in and around NYC, dj handler's music defies stereotypes. He frequently includes collaborations with non-electronic musicians, creating textural fusions of live and recorded sound. He references Ashkenazic cantorial music, traditional Yemenite melodies and hip hop. dj handler is a multi cultural maestro that spins a mix of Baile Funk and Afro Beat blended with 80's free style and hip hop, which gets the most famous US clubs to resemble the craziest festivals abroad. view profile
DJ Balagan, a.k.a. Sam Hopkins, has been producing his own sample-based "Anthropological Dancehall" tracks since 2003, incorporating Sephardic elements among various other ethnic styles. He served as world music director and hosted Radio Balagan at KJHK radio in Lawrence, Kansas from 2002-2005 and is a freelance music journalist, contributing to Baltimore's City Paper and Wax Poetics magazine among others. view profile
Edom is a unique synthesis of jazz music and middle-eastern sounds with a distinctive rock attitude. Featuring a spectacular ensemble of downtown all-stars - Eyal Maoz's Edom is infected with boundless energy, sensitivity, and vision. The sonic capabilities of Edom reach a radical high point. Edom tells the story of pain, hope, strength, joy, and celebration. "Ecstatic music for a new generation. Keep your eyes and ears on this guy." (John Zorn)
Juez is a breakbeat-klezmer-jazz band of Orthodox kids from D.C., Chicago and New York. Their diverse influences range from Yemenite Niggunim to Fugazi, and John Zorn to DJ Shadow. Juez's live shows are filled with manic solos, frenzied interplay, audience call-and-responses and stage-diving. view profile
Bringing a street life vision behind the glitz and glamour, Kosha Dillz portays conciousness with a fashion sense, possibly being the only one to keep the Torah flashy with his "Baruch Ha$hemillionaire" stage presence. Educational and hip, he spits personal life stuggles comlpimented by a Zionistic mindstate that draws a cross between Wu tang energy source of the late 90's and the bop of a Jewish P. Diddy. Whether he raps in Hebrew, Spanish or English, knowledge is sure to be dropped, and the crowd moving beats and unordinary rhyme schemes of this recent college grad/ex-con prove he is following more than just his dreams. or ...(more than just the dreams of a honest man. He is leading us to the promise Land!) view profile
N.I.Z. is a 25 year-old rapper from Boston, Massachusetts. N.I.Z. was raised as a Conservative Jew; however, he currently lives a Chabad lifestyle, which is in large being a follower of Lubavitcher Rebbe, a prominent Jewish spiritual leader. N.I.Z. is looking to bring positivity and intelligence to a hip-hop industry which he feels is in desperate need of spiritual uplifting. N.I.Z. has been rapping for over 10 years and has performed with artists such as Matisyahu, The Last Poets, and Toots and the Maytals. view profile
If you toss the music of Zorn, Zappa and Ziggy Stardust into a blender you might end up with the Plain hex Quartet. This manic foursome plays wild and frenetic melodies, supported by a mixture of dreamlike tones and driving distortion. Klezmer, rock and the avante-garde join together in a true marriage of inconvenience.
Since crashing into Israel's burgeoning hip-hop scene with his 2000 debut (Recorded between 1993-1999), Israeli Hip Hop pioneer Sagol 59 has built a formidable reputation as an honest, unflinching, clever, articulate and highly original MC. boasting 4 Full-Length Albums to date, plenty of musical collaborations with diverse artists and many live shows in Israel and overseas (U.S, Europe), Sagol has anticipated Israel's current Rap boom and cemented his position as one of its most outspoken and talented leaders.
Shem's Disciples is the brainchild of percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger Marlon Sobol. Accompanied by his brother, Aaron, who is a clarinetist and hip-hop lyricist, the Sobol brothers have assembled a sizzling band and created a fusion of sound and culture that is something very special. They comfortably blend Jewish spiritualism with roots reggae, flavored with raw live hip-hop. The music is layered with vocal harmonies; slamming instrumental sections and tight rhyming that make for an electrifying live experience. Come and check it. view profile
An exciting new voice emerging from the NYC world music scene, Smadar is an Israeli-Moroccan singer whose craft is best described as pan-Mediterranean music peppered with a gypsy sound. Smadar sings original and creative renditions of traditional tunes in Hebrew, Arabic, and Ladino. The Epoch Times International recently dubbed Smadar "a euphonious and haunting voice" for peace and unity... view profile
Sound Advice seemlessly blend bits of the recognizable with rare gems that make their "Play Anything" mixtape very hard to take off repeat. This is no suprise, since the DJs behind the mix have been pumping out infectious tracks to hyped crowds all over the east coast. Elsewhere spends time spinning along side the likes of Spankrock and Afrika Bambaataa while K. Ross, the king of the Motown flip, blends Al Green with artists like Metro Area.
Yuri Lane is a Beatbox actor with 2 smash hit solo beatbox plays, "From Tel Aviv to Ramallah", and "Soundtrack City''. Mr Lane has been acting professionally for 20 years. He has appeared in numerous commercials, TV shows and film. Yuri is excited to release his full length beatbox album this summer, filled with his world famous beatbox/harmonica tracks. He continues to tour the Country bringing Beatbox theatre to the masses! view profile