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Shtetl Superstars
Funky Jewish Sounds From Around The World
TRIKONT US-0354
CD in Digipak with detailed Booklet in german and english
Compiled by Yuriy Gurzhy (Russendisko) & Lemez Lovas (Oi Va Voi)
Shtetl Superstars
by Yuriy Gurzhy
So what is real Jewish music? What does it sound like? Where, how and by whom is it played today? There's no simple answer to this question. The Jewish people are spread all over the world. The majority have assimilated and adopted the culture of their homelands. The idea that a typical Jewish band of today originates from Israel and plays klezmer music is so far from reality as to be almost absurd.
The young Jewish musicians assembled on this compilation belong to the generation that came to prominence after the klezmer revival of the 1970s. They play punk and surf rock, ska and reggae, hiphop and drum'n'bass, intentionally spicing each genre with ingredients from their own culture. You may hear klezmer references, or a quote from a classic from the era of Yiddish swing, the ambience of a Jerusalem marketplace, or a lullaby once sung to them by their grandparents. The lyrics speak of the joy and the hardship of being a Jew. They are sung in Yiddish, shouted in Hebrew or rapped in English or Russian. Certain tracks are peppered with samples lifted from their grandparents' collections of 78-rpm records.
Their attempts at innovation, striking a balance between tradition and the latest trends, may turn out to be cheeky or half - baked, but are at the same time exciting and revitalising. There are artists of Jewish descent who are re - engaging musically with their roots. The spectrum is wide: from the bizarre spectacle of Moscow - based klezmer punks "Nayekhovichi" singing "Paint It Black" in Yiddish, to internationally successful acts such as hasidic reggae singer Matisyahu from New York. As spectators and participators in this movement, we want to present the most thrilling tracks, not only from well respected stars, but also from the best up and coming artists. In our opinion these are the superstars of the global Shtetl.
Yuriy Gurzhy - Sept. 2006
MORE INFOS: www.myspace.com/shtetlsuperstarssoundsystem
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