ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
(mp3s, videos, hi-res and photos below)
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2009 |
"This Hanukkah fest wants to school us in Jewish music—and not just your grandpa’s klez."
- Time Out NY SMF 2009 will take place between December 12th and the 19th ABOUT SMF:The Sephardic Music Festival (SMF) aims to increase interest in and awareness of Sephardic cultures, including Mizrahi, Yemenite, and Ladino traditions. The festival showcases the latest Sephardic musical talents from all over the world. Artists at the forefront of the Sephardic music scene as well as artists inspired by Sephardic music, perform at numerous venues around New York City during the eight nights of Chanukah. The SMF highlights the diversity that exists within the Sephardic branch of Jewish culture and history by showcasing today's Sephardic musical talents in the United States. Part of the festival is the Sephardic Scholar Series which assembles a panel of ethnomusicologists and performers to discuss the roots of sounds being presented. Other Jewish music festivals have mostly been dominated by Ashkenazic (Eastern European) beats and melodies, whereas the SMF is the first to exclusively focus on Sephardic tunes and culture. The festival attracts a diverse audience of hipsters, professionals, and music lovers of all ages, denominations, and ethnicities. It also serves as a platform for the preservation and continuation of Sephardic heritage by promoting a variety of music styles, such as Ladino which is nearly extinct as a spoken language. The goal of the Sephardic Music Festival is to give people the opportunity to learn and enjoy this rich, sensual tradition that has the power to make hips shake and souls soar. PAST PERFORMERS: The SMF highlights a diverse range of performers which in the past have included, Hadag Nachash, members of Shotey Hanevua, Piamenta, Soulico, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, DJ Shotnez of Balkan Beat Box, and Michal Cohen,to name a few. (click here for past event schedules). ABOUT SHEMSPEED: Shemspeed, the rapidly rising underground Jewish music label is a promotional force and resource for Jewish music, highlighting artists around the globe, while exposing new unaffiliated audiences to the diversity that exists within the culture and its music. Shemspeeds’s website (shemspeed.com), is an expansive resource for music fans which hosts a radio station, mp3s from hundreds of artists, an online store that sells everything from digital downloads to stylish t-shirts. Shemspeed’s daily blog (shemspeed.com/daily) has also become a reputable source of trends and information in the growing Jewish culture scene. ABOUT THE FOUNDER: Erez Safar a.k.a. Diwon is the founder, director, and mastermind of Shemspeed (largest, most diverse Jewish music site), Modular Mood Records (an independent record label), the groundbreaking Jewish–Muslim Hip Hop Sulha, and , and renowned The Sephardic Music Festival. Based out of the stereophonic heart of Brooklyn, Safar is one of the most innovative and versatile Producer/DJs performing and recording music today. His beats are strongly influenced by the musical traditions of his mother’s family, whose roots lie in the ancient Jewish community of Yemen. Safar blends Yemenite music with electro hip-hop and cinematic psychadelia, and draws inspiration from the aural history of Middle Eastern Jewry. A prolific producer, Safar releases a clutch of albums every year. In the past twelve months, Safar has produced The Beat Guide to Yiddish - revisiting the music and culture of European Jewry, the quirky Rarities & Remixes, and the hour-long meditation Shir Ha Shirim (The Song of Songs) - mixing heartfelt Moroccan song with hypnotic hip-hop, rock, and Middle Eastern beats. Diwon is currently completing his soaring, cinematic album Dreams in Static with guitarist Dugans. Simultaneously, he is working on the revolutionary hip hop record This is Unity with acclaimed multilingual MC Y-Love, as well as his own record titled "Others" which will feature singers and rappers from all over the world and aesthetic map. With Safar's musical work as well as his work on the Sephardic Music Festival and its diverse programming, he bridges ethnic, religious, and cultural boundaries. The festival serves as a platform for the preservation and continuation of Sephardic heritage by promoting a variety of music styles, such as Ladino which is nearly extinct as a spoken language. Safar created "Shemspeed's 40 Days 40 Nights College Tour" which is an interactive, live music festival and educational workshops stopping at 30 colleges nationwide. This tour serves to expose college students to the breadth and depth of Jewish music and culture. Safar continues to discover, promote, and produce artists and projects that embody this message of unity, positivity, and Jewish values, while getting the message and music out into the world. Safar has performed with Lou Reed, Anthony Coleman, DJ Spooky, Matisyahu, Idan Raichel, and countless others. London Radio's 104.4 FM called him "one of New York's hottest Jewish musicians;" URB MAGAZINE listed him amongst their NEXT 1000; The Village Voice reported that his work "as producer and DJ is among the most adventurous and banging on the new Jewish music scene; The Forward listed him as one of the Top 50 "most influential Jews of 2007;" and The Jerusalem Post dubbed him, "Jewish music's multimedia mogul;" Safar resides and maintains his various companies in the Hasidic neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. * This years SMF will be December 12th through the 29th 2009 |
HI-RESOLUTION PRESS PHOTOS please email your requests to erez@shemspeed.com |
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