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THE SHEMSPEED JEWISH HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROJECT

The Shemspeed Jewish High School Music Project combines passionate performances by cutting-edge Jewish musicians with powerful, thought-provoking, innovative Jewish programming. Our two-pronged approach features a gala evening concert and informal, interactive workshops ranging from discussions of Torah themes, social justice issues, Jewish holidays and lifecycle topics, and interactive dialogues about Jewish identity and Jewish artistic / self expression. The workshops would be lead by our highly relatable and emotionally engaging Jewish artists. Our unique format offers Jewish high schools an opportunity to raise much-needed funds, as well as providing the school with a platform to showcase their programs to the Jewish community at large. Shemspeed is now working with high schools and their budgets bringing the unique message and music of our artists to students nationwide, so please get in touch with us ASAP as dates are being filled.

We can be reached by email or phone at:
Erez: erez@shemspeed.com | 718.290.5372
Nina: nina@shemspeed.com | 718.687.2737

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW INFO & MUSIC LINKS ON EACH ARTIST:

| Y-LOVE | revolutionary jewish hip hop

Y-Love (Yitz Jordan) is an award-winning inspirational Jewish hip-hop artist who is truly using music to make the world a better place. His compelling personality and multilingual musical talents have received worldwide acclaim from New York to Australia. Orthodox for nine years, Yitz's unique perspectives on Jewish identity, peace-building, countering prejudice, and cross-cultural relations have captivated minds at schools, theatres, and various houses of worship worldwide. His unique musical style, blending holy tongues such as ancient Aramaic and Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish and Latin over ethnic and futuristic urban beats, was called the "soundtrack to social progression" by URB Magazine, and XXL Magazine said that Y-Love "is making hip-hop kosher." Y-Love has appeared on Israel's Channel 10, the Conan O'Brien Show, in Italy's La Repubblica and was featured on BBC World TV, spreading his message to "use hip-hop to elevate, not to tranquilize minds".

MUSIC VIDEOS:
"CHANGE" | "MAKE IT" | "This is Unity" Live | BBC WORLD Feature

MUSIC PRESS KIT | SPEAKER PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| DIWON | israeli / world / hip hop & more

Diwon is an Israeli musical mystic, multi-genre producer who travels the globe performing, producing and researching sounds. His styles range from Yemenite music blended with electro hip hop beats to cinematic psychadelia. Throughout Diwon's albums, remixes, singles, and mixtapes, one can hear the influence of his family that migrated from Yemen to Ethiopia finally settling in Israel. URB MAGAZINE listed Diwon amongst their NEXT 1000, Forward listed him as one of the Top 50 "most influential Jews of 2007;" and The Village Voice stated that his work "as producer and DJ is among the most adventurous and banging on the new Jewish music scene." CBS featured Diwon as part of their Faith, Music and Culture series and he has made appearances on NPR, PBS, and BBC World. Diwon is also the founder and director of The Sephardic Music Festival. His music, style, and presence get famous US clubs to resemble the craziest festivals abroad.

"Diwon is something else …in a profound kind of way. The New Yorker gets crafty when it comes to beats by extracting world music—mainly traditional Yemenite music-- and fusing it with electro hip hop; creating a titillating sound that’s juicy and for the ears." - URB Magazine.

MUSIC DOWNLOADS:
SABRA SESSIONS VOL 1 | DIWON REMIXES

MUSIC PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| EPRHYME | world hip hop

Eprhyme spits rhymes designed to refine the mind of the listener. Kabbalah, psychology, politics, and party rocking are intertwined with elements of jazz, funk, klezmer, and Middle Eastern music to create a powerful and poetic plea for peace, justice, joy, and unity. Eprhyme’s debut solo album, WAYWORDWONDERWILL, is a kaleidoscopic counter-cultural exchange program for mystics, punks and b-boys. The album features two 7in. singles released by indie-pop icon K Records as part of its International Pop Underground series. Lyrically, Eprhyme is a well versed tour guide who owes as much to Rebbe Nachman and Robert Anton Wilson as he does to John Coltrane and KRS-ONE.

-"Eprhyme brings a fresh perspective to the urban class clash and...finds universal values that transcend religious labels." SOUNDROOTS

MUSIC VIDEO:
"PUNKLEZMERAP"

MUSIC PRESS KIT | SPEAKER PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| DARSHAN | electronic folk / hip hop

Darshan is the new sound of street smart spirituality. Harmonizing Hebrew chant with hiphop, folk rock with electro-pop, love poetry with kabbalistic psychology, Darshan is a unique and organic weave of world wisdom traditions and modern musical styles. Shir Yaakov is a Master of Melody who has given birth to hauntingly beautiful liturgical chants, used in havurot and synagogues around the world. Eprhyme is a Radical Jewish Rennaissance Rapper. Together, as Darshan, these two combine and connect to create something that is all together new, and at the same time ancient. Deep and probing rhymes blend with evocative and uplifting melodies in "an uncompromising blend of urban forms and neo-Hasidic spirituality." — The Forward. The title of Darshan's first EP — Lishmah — comes from a profound Judaic concept. Commonly understood as meaning "for it's own sake", the term lishmah is usually applied to the proper state of mind for Torah study. Not for fame, money, or power — but merely for the simple joy of doing. It is in this spirit that Darshan's first album was created Lishmah, purely for the simple of joy and fulfillment of Being what we are Doing.

MUSIC VIDEOS:
"Ashan" Live | "To Zion" Live

MUSIC PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| ELECTRO MOROCCO | israeli rock / dance music

Electro Morocco, a New York-based band of Israeli expatriates, including Assaf Spector and Roy Gurel, together with Yula Beeri, Ilil Paz-el and Brian Wolf mix everything from retro-rock and Middle Eastern folk, to warped electro, in a fierce, high energy performance. Their music draws from different parts of the world, but share an aesthetic, both technical and emotional, with artists such as M.I.A. Both include Eastern belly-shaking samples—Indian in M.I.A.’s work, and Middle Eastern in Electro Morocco’s. But Electro Morocco seamlessly have established their own fresh sound, layered with organic guitars and synthetic beats, that is clearly their own. The off-beat rhythm, the interplay of tweaked, Oriental-sounding guitars, and the frenzied climaxes call to mind bellydancing music and hard rock. Their performances combine live music with synced video clips that creates an unforgettable visual and musical experience. "Ever since electronic music took over, poor old guitars have been short of work. Electro Morocco is dusting off those axes and yanking them out of the unemployment line and giving them enough amplitude to compete with their buzzing synths. … So it looks like you'll just have to peep these kids on a dance floor near you." -URB Magazine

MUSIC VIDEOS:
Take Me Back | Joe Pill

MUSIC PRESS KIT |MYSPACE PAGE

| DESCRIBE | soul / r'n'b / hip hop

An artist who takes his musical mission very seriously, DeScribe awakens souls through his spiritual songs which rival radio hits with their catchy melodies, and his creative music videos have received over 150,000 views since they have premiered and he was featured on CBS as one of the most prominent artists in their documentary on "Faith, Music & Culture". The vibrant energy-driven rhythmic vibe of DeScribe is in a class & genre of its own. His unique combination of Hip Hop, Reggae, and R&B, form the vehicle for his pulsating, soul awakening music. Guided by Chassidus and the Wisdom of the Rebbe, DeScribe's music illuminates his journey from darkness into light and brings his soulful message to people around the globe..

MUSIC VIDEOS:
"CHANGE" | "MAKE IT" | on CBS | "Yaaleli" Live

MUSIC PRESS KIT | SPEAKER PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| DOV ROSENBLATT | rock

At 20 years old, Dov started a Jewish Rock band called Blue Fringe with his best friends in college and though they started by accident, the band ended up putting out 3 albums to date, selling over 30,000 copies worldwide. Blue Fringe has been flown all over the world to play concerts for schools, summer camps, colleges, and organizations in Israel, Australia, South Africa, and the UK. Dov's other band, Fools For April, has had music placed on MTV's "The Real World:Sydney" and as a full-time songwriter, Dov collaborates with NYC's best professional songwriters. He is also in the midst of recording his first solo Hebrew album.

DOV MYSPACE PAGE | BLUE FRINGE MYSPACE PAGE

| BRODY | israeli / club / soul & r'n'b

Brody is a Moroccan singer and MC that grew up in NY listening to American rock and hip hop. As a kid he was a singer in the famous ultra-orthodox Miami Boys Choir which showcases the best voices in the young Jewish world. At 16, Brody moved to Israel, started writing music, teaching himself a variety of instruments, at 21 he moved back to NY and heard "Right Now" by Akon on the radio and having lived by the Hassidic concept of taking the mundane and everyday elements and raising them up to G-d, he sang "Lecha Dodi" to the instrumental track fitting in a perfect pop way much like a DJ blend on a mixtape. Brody's latest release "Ad Matai" is an EP full of life, blending club beats, hypnotic melodies and messages that pierce the soul both in Hebrew and English. This young artists has been captivating audiences around the world with his powerful voice and his ability to create a soulful melody that speaks to the soul while blasting in the clubs.

MYSPACE PAGE

| SMADAR LEVI | sephardic world music

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, while the internationally-renowned nonprofit organization Seeds of Peace honored her with an award for "uniting cultures to achieve peace through music." Smadar's current project consists of an all-star international band whose aesthetically arresting sound reflects the rich cultural mosaic of the Mediterranean world.

MYSPACE PAGE

| LEVI MORDECHAI | israeli down tempo rock

Levi Mordechai came together as Dugans, the innovative and multifaceted guitarist/composer from Austin, Texas met Mordechai Friedman, his neighbor from down the street in Crown Heights. Friedman, South African classic rock performer and songwriter, who worked the Israeli club and disco circuit in the 70's, had never actually recorded an album in his life, and decided that at 55, it was finally time. Along came Diwon, the brainchild behind the birth of Jewish hip hop, who also happened to live down the street. He got wind of the tracks, that at the time were just guitar and vocals. Diwon, always sensitive to, and looking out for new waves, heard something unique and beautiful in the demos and immediately wanted to take them on as a project and take the sound to the next level. After he laid down synths and drums, the project started to sound exactly how Dugans had pictured it from the start. Levi Mordechai bridges poetry, World music, electronics, and rock in a way that has not been heard before.

MYSPACE PAGE

| MOSHIACH OI | jewish punk rock

"Moshiach Oi! is the driving beat to the new manifestation of Jewish music today." - Isaac Gealer

Moshiach Oi! is a New York Hardcore band with a full-throated passion for both Torah and Punk Rock. Educated in Jewish day schools, band founder Yishai Romanoff as a teenager gravitated to the Punk Rock scene, where he found an outlet for his manic energy and passionate beliefs. In 2008, after rediscovering his Jewish roots, Yishai began writing hardcore-punk songs with subject matter like learning Torah, bringing Moshiach and praising Hashem. Originally, Yishai was the only member of Moshiach Oi!

"The name of the group can be traced to the roots of punk, which began in the late ’70s when bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones began playing loud and fast lo-fi garage rock. Soon, a new genre of punk called Oi! emerged to represent the British working class. Thirty years later, lead singer Yishai Romanoff, who was originally the only member of Moshiach, used Oi! as a double entendre (Oy, from the Yiddish phrase Oy Vey, is described by the band as the eternal sound of the Jewish working class) " - The Forward

MUSIC VIDEOS:
I Want To Learn Torah | Better Get Ready | NaNaach

MUSIC PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| YURI LANE | beat boxer entertainer

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!

MUSIC VIDEOS:
BeatBox Harmonica | Beatbox Harmonica to the People | Purim Beat Box Freestyle for Sefira

MUSIC PRESS KIT
| MYSPACE PAGE

| KOSHA DILLZ | hip hop

Things you should know about Kosha Dillz

Appearing live with everyone from Nas and Lady Sovereign to Asher Roth and The Handsome Furs, hard work has earned him a rite of passage like no other, being the only Israeli New Jerseyan artist who began battling with the likes of Immortal Technique to performing at BET's 106th and Park and the 2009 Sundance Film Festival .In the last few months, Dillz has been in the press for a triumphant summer victory at the Hot 97 Summer Jam Battle at Giants Stadium that won him a illustrious promotional deal with legendary NYC mainstay, Duck Down Records. Since that time ,he was handpicked off his solo tour by Rza of the Wu Tang Clan to join him on the world reknown Rock The Bells west coast dates, and wil be accompanying rising Billboard artist Matisyahu on the European "Light" Tour this October.

"Kosha Dillz is not only a clever play on words, but also presents a rarely seen culture clash in music. He voices his political opinions on foreign affairs and oppression with fresh rhymes. This makes him a universal voice..." URB MAGAZINE

MUSIC VIDEOS:
Cellular Phone Music Video | Freestyle with Matisyahu

MUSIC PRESS KIT | MYSPACE PAGE

| BLUE FRINGE | jewish rock

The music draws from pop, rock, funk, jazz, blues, and everything in between. The messages are spiritual and contemporary with Jewish themes. This is not your traditional Jewish music. The songs are usually a mix of English and Hebrew; and this mix allows us to put our original spin on some very classic concepts. Blue Fringe has been around since Fall of 2001, playing venues all over the U.S. and the world, including South Africa, Australia, England, and Israel. Our first independant release, My Awakening (2002), sold close to 15,000 albums. Our second effort, 70 Faces, was just released in the Summer of 2005. We're just trying to make music about things that matter to us in the musical styles that matter to us. It's that simple. Hope you dig...

MYSPACE PAGE

| DJOOKROO | israeli hip hop

In between maintaining full time jobs, performances, and working on another album, dJOoKRoO has put together a new project: their first mixtape “Taim LaOzen” (Tasty to the ear). The mixtape consists of original songs and remixes that have been recorded over the years, combined with humorous skits in between songs to keep listeners entertained. The group aims to create a fun listening vibe for the listeners by remaking some of their favorite songs, along with classic songs by many different artists (such as Zohar Argov, 2pac, Dr Dre, Kanye West, and Sexta). The mixtape reflects on some of dJOoKRoO’s musical influences, and is spiced with special guest appearances.

MYSPACE PAGE

| CHANA ROTHMAN | folk rock

Chana Rothman is a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and freestyler. From Himalayan rooftop shacks to subway hip hop sessions, her songs are Hebrew-inflected takes on Jewish teachings. Chana has shared a stage with Lou Reed and DJ Shadow and plays with her band at The Knitting Factory, Makor, and Mercury Lounge. Stay tuned for her debut album, set to hit the streets in September.

MYSPACE PAGE

| RINAT GUTMAN | orthodox female hip hop

Rinat Gutman is an Orthodox Jew with an eclectic musical style that fuses hip hop, reggae and modern Israeli dance music. No other performer today can better answer the question of what it means to be Israeli, female, and religious in today's world-- on a microphone with messages of unity and peace. When her cousin was killed in a terrorist incident, she started writing songs with the hopes of inspiring love and tolerance in the world. Currently living in Jerusalem, she has been refining her skills as a lyricist for the last 8 years, both internationally as well as at innumerable gigs across Israel. As she brings her voice and story to the global stage, Rinat draws thematic inspiration from a wide variety of sources, ranging from the struggles of preserving Jewish identity within Western culture to the timeless wisdom of classic Chassidic tales. Stylistically, Rinat is inspired by artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin, Lauren Hill, Ycleffe Jean and Bob Marley and rappers like Snoop Dog, Public Enemy and DMX. Now a rising indie star in Israel, she has in the past joined forces on the stage and in the studio with renown artists such as Shlomi Shabbat, Y-Love, Roi Levi (of Shotei HaNevuah acclaim), Roots Maneuver, Sagol 59 and more.

MUSIC VIDEOS:
AGAS | Ner Dolek Live

MYSPACE PAGE

| PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER | world music

Blending a psychedelic sensibility and a pan-Mediterranean sensuality, Basya Schechter leads her band, Pharaoh's Daughter, through swirling Hasidic chants, Mizrachi and Sephardi folk-rock, and spiritual stylings filtered through percussion, flute, strings and electronica.Her sound has been cultivated by her Hasidic music background and a series of trips to the Middle East, Africa, Israel, Egypt, Central Africa, Turkey, Kurdistan and Greece.

MYSPACE PAGE

| VOKCAL | r'n'b / hip hop

VoKCaL are strength through song, light through music and change through action. A soul rapper and soul singer whose sole purpose is to share light with the world by arousing awareness of the situation in Israel. Our nation is in a critical state of violence and corruption. VoKCaL believes that if each of us combine our voice with our knowledge, as one, we will make a profound difference. If we want change, we cannot expect it to come from anywhere but within.

MYSPACE PAGE

| RIDDIMTION | reggae

Riddim'tion continues where "Shake Off The Dust...Arise" left off. Groundbreaking veteran producer, Alon Cohen returns to his career defining sound: a unique and soulful blend of classic reggae and esoteric jewish melodies. Alon digs deep into the treasure chest of Hasidic music, turning mystical murmurs into captivating riddims. The album features several special vocal performances including a stand-out performance by talented newcomers aaron & moshe sobol of Shem’s Disciples. fans of the real roots sound will cherish this record for its reggae authenticity, and those familiar with the inspiring jewish sources will find it irresistible.

| SHEM'S DISCIPLES | roots reggae

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 which makes for an electrifying live experience.

MYSPACE PAGE

| P A R T I E S |

* CHAVLAZ: ISRAELI HIP HOP PARTY

Chavlaz is a celebration of Israel and all the amazing culture that has come from the homeland, particularly in the past 60 years. Diwon, who has been dubbed "the ambassador of Israeli hip hop to the US," spins Israeli, Sephardic, Balkan, Mizrachi and revolutionary Jewish hip hop music bringing the excitement and ambiance of a World Music Festival to even the most mundane setting.

* BALAGAN BOOGALOO

The Bhangra, Baile Funk, New Mediterranio & Afro Beat Party VJs + DJs in their pjs, Belly Dancers, Live Drummers A party unlike any other in the city. The Village Voice dubbed the Balagan party, “Stereotype-defying music” and the NY Time Out made it their critic's pick. Come see what all the excitement is about".

Erez Safar
Shemspeed Booking
erez@shemspeed.com
718.687.2737
www.shemspeed.com

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