Showing posts with label Kutiman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kutiman. Show all posts

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Hot damn, it's Kutiman!

I try to abide by some rules for my posts, and one of those is to only discuss albums here on Ear To The Sound, but something came across my desk today that I am compelled to share. And thankfully I've already written about the artist in question when his full-length album came out.

Kutiman has REMIXED YOUTUBE, the results of which can be seen here and below. And when I say "remixed youtube" I mean he took a bunch of videos and spliced them together to create a project entitled Thru You from the assembled audio parts. IT IS FREAKIN' AMAZING.



That is all.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

K is for Kutiman


There are some things I just feel a little foolish saying on my radio shows - the name of the latest Spoon full-length was one, and the subject of this post is another more recent one.
Try saying 'Kutiman' out loud - doesn't it sound like the villain in a story written by a third-grader? Granted, it'd be spelled Cooty-man and he'd probably be battling Captain Underpants...
The Kutiman moniker undoubtedly comes from Ophir Kutiel's last name (though I can appreciate the notion that it's a tribute to Fela Kuti) and the singular 'man' is as important as the 'Kuti' because the fantastic self-titled full-length released recently on Groove Attack is entirely Kutiel's creation. Recorded at his home studio with a handful of guests, Kutiel came up with the album "as a reaction to a confusing return to Tel Aviv after a long trip to Jamaica, where he cut his teeth working with artists such as Damian Marley, Stephen Marley and Turbulance."
You read that quote right - Kutiel lives in that suprising hotbed of funk and electronic production: Tel Aviv. Looking at the links on the Kutiman Myspace page it would appear that Kutiel is involved in half the projects listed, including Anikuku and Funk'n'stein.
He's taken his experiences with those groups as well as his time in Jamaica and come up with a unified and unique record that blends psych guitars, funk breaks and Afro-beat horns into a glorious racket that connects with every listener I've played it for. The second track on the album, "No Reason For You" is especially winning and was released as a 7" prior to its inclusion on the full-length (it's the first track on the Myspace media player).
In addition to his musical acumen, Kutiel is also a pretty decent animator who has created videos for some of his own songs, including a hilarious one for "Chaser."


And here's Kutiman with Funk'n'stein live:


Finally, don't forget to check out the Kutiman Myspace page.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...