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| SMF FESTIVAL POSTERS |
2015
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"This Hanukkah fest wants to school us in Jewish music—and not just your grandpa’s klez."
- Time Out NY
"Our Hannukkah-side suggestion is the annual Sephardic Music Festival...look at this festival as the un-Ashkenazi festival." - National Public Radio, WNYC
SMF 2015 will take place in Los Angeles between December 9th - 1th, 2015
(click here to see the event schedule)
Sephardic Music Festival to be Held in Los Angeles for its Second Year.
The festival will feature Moshav, Automatic Toys, Sababa Sali, Melanchloe, Diwon, and more!
Los Angeles, CA, November 18, 2015 - This Chanukah, after 10 years in NYC,The Sephardic Music Festival will be making its way to L.A. for its second year. The annual festival is a music and arts celebration showcasing musicians from around world that mix traditional, dance, electro, hip hop, and folk songs. SMF is the first music festival to focus exclusively on the less familiar but captivating culture of the Jewish communities of Spain/Portugal, North Africa, the Middle East, andCentral Asia.
Past SMF performers have included Yemen Blues, Yair Dalal, Matisyahu, Moshav, Asefa, Assaf Avidan and more. The festival will continue SMF’s cutting-edge reputation for presenting the best in contemporary Sephardic Jewish music from across the globe.
The word Sephardic is derived from the Hebrew word for “Spanish”, and generally refers to Jews descended from those who lived in the Iberian Peninsula until they were expelled during the Spanish Inquisition at the end of the 15th Century. They fled to countries such as, Turkey, Balkans, Southern France, Italy, Greece, andBulgaria. The term also includes Jews from Arab countries, such as Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq and Morocco.
Founded by American-Israeli producer Erez Safar - a.k.a. Diwon (pronounced dee-wan) - an LA-based creative machine producing video, music and art that pops in a world where popular styles have been left in a state of static. The SMF is the only Jewish music festival in the United States to focus exclusively on Sephardic music and culture and showcase the latest Mizrahi, Yemenite, and Ladino artists from around the world. The festival offers a platform for performers of traditional Sephardic folk music and innovators who fuse traditional Sephardic rhythms, melodies, and motifs with modern musical styles. With an incredible range of artists this year, the Sephardic Music Festival presents a colorful tapestry of music and culture as rich, vibrant, and diverse as the Jewish world itself. The winter festival will be held in Los Angeles fromDecember 9th through the 14th.
Some highlights of the festival include:
December 9th, 2015: The Sephardic Music Festival partners up with 30 Years After, JIMENA, and the Israeli Consulate for an intimate acoustic evening dubbed“Shedding Light on Mizrahi Remembrance Day.” Festival goers are invited to light the night’s candle at this multi-media event, as people from all over come together to remember & celebrate Mizrahi history and culture through art and music, with a one-time-only “City of Refuge” acoustic set by Automatic Toys. This will be the second annual Mizrahi Remembrance Month and the official day of commemoration of Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Iran.
Event info:
Location: Voila! 518 N La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036
Time: 7pm
Cost: Free
December 10th, 2015: "Sephardic Remix Night" is a special East meets West celebration of Jewish diversity with live music, DJs and Celebrity food blogger and chef, Nina Safar of Kosher in the Kitch fame. Diwon will fuse Yemenite music with electro hip-hop and cinematic psychedelia, drawing inspiration from the Middle Eastern musical canon, while a live bands (Electrik Sabra Sefarad & Sababa Sali) blends musical styles from varied traditions. In addition to all the music, Nina Safar will be giving latkes a Sephardic remix as she fuses together traditional potato latkes with Sephardic flavors such as zaatar and cumin to create dishes like shakshuka latkes, sabich latkes, falafel latkes, and more.
Event info:
Location: Social Dashboard, 8631 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035
Time: 8pm
Cost: $12
December 12th, 2015: "An Evening With Moshav." Join the festival for an evening with everyone’s favorite Middle Eastern, Jewish rock, Reggae, roots band, internationally-acclaimed American/Israeli rock group, Moshav. The band began when childhood friends Yehuda (vocals, percussion) and Duvid (vocals, guitar) made music together on Moshav Mevo Modiin in Israel. The group was initially discovered by a group of American students traveling in Israel who heard the band play and raised money to bring them to the States for a college tour in the late 1990s. Soon after, Moshav relocated to Los Angeles where they continued to grow their fan base and began recording with some of the Industry’s best.
Event info:
Location: Social Dashboard, 8631 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035
Time: 8pm
Cost: TBA
December 14th, 2015: "SMF takes over HUNNYPOT LIVE #331". Join the Hunnypot crew as Kosha Dillz & Diwon take over with a special holiday and SMF rendition of some of their tracks. They will also debut their 8 minute mixtape for Chanukah. The evening will also include performances by Hot Tub Johnnie (DJ set), Cameron Parkins (Superhumanoids DJ set), Barrie and The Stars, The Milky Way, Tropical Nasty and more.
Event info:
Location: The Mint, 6010 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035
Time: 8pm
Cost: Free
For Press information contact: Erez Safar, 323.374.5921, press@bancsmedia.com.
The Sephardic Music Festival schedule details and updated information can be found at http://www.sephardicmusicfestival. com/events.
* click here to see the event schedule
ABOUT THE SEPHARDIC MUSIC FESTIVAL COMPILATION VOL. 2:
 The Sephardic Music Festival’s second compilation album is set for release on December 11. Selections range from traditional Sephardic folk songs to hip hop, electro, and dance music. Album tracks incorporate Jewish liturgical and ceremonial texts, Sabbath songs, and classic love poems, as well as original compositions inspired by traditional themes. Cheb i Sabbah, among the most talented world-music producers, kicks off the compilation with “Im Ninalou” (If the Doors are Locked), a traditional Yemenite song made famous by the late great Ofra Chaza. Israeli club kids Axum blow up the compilation with their energetic “Knowa.” Dunkelbunt remixes Marseille-based Watcha Clan, which mixes Balkan brass and Sephardic folk with Gnawa trance and hip-hop. DeLeon uses their distinctive style of rock to transform ancient Sephardic folk music into a sound that is both brand new and centuries old. On Ansi Dize La Novia, DeLeon borrows Manu Chao-esque grooves to convey an ancient tale of a bride being described to a groom. Each of her features is more beautiful than the last just as each of this song’s verses is funkier than that which preceded it. Jerusalem native Mor Karbasi chills out the compilation with her beautiful song titled “Arvoles.” The listener can’t help but feel that they are floating along on a carpet as Karbasi sings gently to the accompanying piano. Tel Aviv’s Cohen@Mushon highlights the 90?s golden era hip hop sound. Diwon includes a couple of his own tracks including a Middle Eastern instrumental single and a “Maoz Tzur” holiday-inspired song with an LMFAO feel. The latter track features ex-Hasidic, gay rapper Y-Love and Ladino songstress Sarah Aroeste. Like the Sephardic Music Festival itself, the compilation album highlights the remarkable diversity that exists within the Jewish community. While other Jewish music festivals focus mostly on Ashkenazi tunes, themes, and beats, the Sephardic Music Festival offers a fascinating exploration of Sephardic music and culture from around the world.
more info at http://sephardicmusicfestival.com/store
ABOUT THE SEPHARDIC MUSIC FESTIVAL COMPILATION VOL. 1:
 The Sephardic Music Festival’s first compilation album is set for release on November 30. It is an eclectic mix of Sephardic folk songs, as well as electro, hip hop, and dance music inspired by traditional Sephardic tunes, themes, and beats. The compilation features artists from around the Jewish world. Grammy Nominated artist Matisyahu combines a suite of Middle Eastern inspired hip hop riffs with a time-honored Yemenite chorus sung by Yehuda Solomon. Yasmin Levy's impassioned song "Mi Korasón" (My Heart) emphasizes the underappreciated romantic side of the Ladino language. Moshav -- an L.A. based group of expatriate Israeli musicians -- contributes a powerful rendition of the Yemenite wedding song "Abba Shimon" in Judeo-Arabic. In addition, world renowned Sephardic performer Yair Dalal -- who appeared at the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize Gala in Oslo -- offers a memorable interpretation of the classic Shabbat song "Ya Ribon."
Like the Sephardic Music Festival itself, this compilation offers a taste of the amazing depth and breadth of Mizrahi and Sephardi inspiration, culture, and creativity. Album tracks incorporate Jewish liturgical and ceremonial texts, Shabbat songs, and classic love poems, as well as original compositions inspired by traditional themes. The album presents a tapestry of harmonies, rhythms, and motifs as rich, vibrant, and diverse as the Jewish world itself.
more info at http://sephardicmusicfestival.com/store
PAST PERFORMERS:
The SMF highlights a diverse range of performers which in the past have included, Yair Dalal, Hadag Nachash, members of Shotey Hanevua, Piamenta, Soulico, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb,
DJ Shotnez of Balkan Beat Box, Michal Cohen, and Matisyahu to name a few.
(click here for past event schedules).
MORE 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.
ABOUT SHEMSPEED:
Shemspeed is an independent recording label and artists' promotional agency devoted to world Jewish music. Shemspeed works with cross-over artists with strong positive and unifying messages. Shemspeed promotes over 15 dynamic Jewish artists, representing a wide range of music genres including Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Rock. These artists include, but are not limited to, Y-Love (revolutionary Jewish Hip-Hop), Diwon (Yemenite / Sephardic Hip-Hop, Israeli Music, and more), DeScribe (Soul Awakening Hip-Hop, R & B, Soul), Electro Morocco (Israeli Rock, Dance Music), and Eprhyme (Kabbalistic Hip-Hop, Party Music). Shemspeed is the brainchild of the Founder/Director Erez Safar, an American-Israeli DJ/Producer extraordinaire (his musical persona is Diwon). His vision of an entrepreneurial venture devoted to Jewish music with a strong educational and social message has evolved into Shemspeed, a company becoming synonymous with unifying people through culture and education, celebrating diversity and common ground.
As a Jewish social entrepreneurial venture, our mission extends far beyond selling CDs and booking concerts. Shemspeed combines passionate performances by cutting-edge musicians with powerful, thought-provoking, innovative programming. Shemspeed's repertoire of programs is always evolving. Current offerings include the 40 Days and 40 Nights College Tour, Jewish High School Music Project, The Keffiyeh Project, and our longest running program -- the Sephardic Music Festival. By way of this work, we are also attempting to put forth a public Jewish face to multi-cultural, inter-faith, creative, and collaborative bridge-building.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER:
Erez Safar - a.k.a. Diwon (pronounced dee-wan) - an LA-based creative machine producing video, music and art that pops in a world where popular styles have been left in a state of static. Safar serves as Producer and CEO of Bancs Media, a cutting-edge production company specializing in branding, video and music production, graphics, interactive design, and commercials and Shemspeed, an independent recording label and promotional agency devoted to producing and developing dynamic multicultural artists and interactive media. The producer of the extremely successful annual Sephardic Music Festival in New York City, Safar recently moved to Los Angeles to launch the Hollywood branch of Bancs Media.
Safar began as a radio personality at WMUC (University of Maryland’s campus radio station) in 2003, alongside popular music insider Peter Rosenberg. Soon after, Erez created Modular Moods and his first signed artist debuted on the Top 40 CMJ Music Charts. He has since performed across the globe, negotiated deals with Warner Brothers and Sony, and continues to sign the most dynamic and inspiring artists to Bancs Records and Shemspeed Entertainment. Safar has been selected by The Forward as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Jews and has been featured in countless publications and TV programs including the New York Times, BBC and CBS. His businesses have been profiled in Bloomberg Business Week, Time Magazine, and on NBC. His artists have performed with stars such as Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Idan Raichel, and Eminem; they’ve been profiled in Rolling Stone, SPIN, The New York Times, and XXL; and they’ve been seen and heard around the world on Conan O’Brien, CBS, and BBC World programs.
WEBSITE:
sephardicmusicfestival.com
MYSPACE:
myspace.com/sephardicmusicfestival
TWITTER:
twitter.com/sephardic
SELECTED PRESS:
Nextbook (click here)
Daily News (click here)
Time Out (click here)
NPR (click here)
Brooklyn Vegan (click here)
The Jewish Week (click here)
The Jerusalem Post (click here)
The Forward (click here)
PHOTOS FROM PAST FESTIVALS:
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005 |
