SMF 2010 LINE UP IS NOW ANNOUNCED! CHECK THE EVENTS PAGE
"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
Time Out will be featuring SMF in their "Own this City" (1st time / 2nd time) section two weeks in a row and list SMF as "101 Things to do in Winter" two eeks in a row, both in print and on web.
To be eligible to win tickets, email tickets@shemspeed.com with “Shemspeed Chanukah” in the subject. In the body of the email, include your name and which night you would like to attend. 4 lucky winners per night will be chosen.
* GET THE OFFICIAL SMF COMPILATION VOL. 1 FEAT; ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING YASMIN LEVY, YAIR DALAL, MATISYAHU & MORE http://sephardicmusicfestival.com/cd
11/3/10 - SMF Art Rave & Fashion Show Video Teaser!
click here to view
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11/3/10 - Our Next Music Video (We Want You!)
On November 21st Be’Chol Lashon and Shemspeed Music Group are collaborating to produce a Music Video for Shemspeed Performing Artist Y-Love. The intention is to highlight the Diversity and Unity that lives and thrives within our Jewish Community. We are extending an invite to as many people as possible to participate in this very historic gathering. DON’T MISS OUT!
-The shoot day is NOV 21st. Location: TBD (To be determined.)
-Extras are needed from the hours of 12pm - 6pm. Anyone that can stay longer will be greatly appreciated.
-We are looking for Jews from every and any ethnic background.
-Participants will be asked to be on camera alongside Shemspeed Artist Y-Love as he performs his new hit song “This is Unity.”
The overall message we hope to convey is that Jews come in many different shades and that ultimately we are all Unified.
If you would like to be in the video, please send a paragraph about yourself and a photo to: unity@shemspeed.com
* We will notify you by Monday, November 15th if you have been chosen
We are excited to be working with Romemu on their Chanukah Bash, which will be an official SMF Event. Soulfarm and Diwon will bring down the house with a mix of original and traditional Middle Eastern songs. There will be Havdalah, Chanukkah gifts and more. The party continues to closing night with SMF's first Culture Mash at the Knintting Factory with a headlining performance by world-reknowned dub MC, Dr. Israel.
To get inovoled as an artist, musician or even a model for our Fashion Show, Art Rave or concerts, please feel free to get in touch with our staff - info@sephardicmusicfestival.com
We are excited to have our favorite Vodka as sponsors for this year's Sephardic Music Festival! Be sure to check their www.lchaimkoshervodka.com and look out for their Free Shemspeed song download.
TO LIFE (L'Chaim) is a compelling concept…… bringing people together from everywhere regardless of social, political, cultural, economic or religious backgrounds; that is the true meaning of L'CHAIM. L'CHAIM kosher vodka is made in Israel with extreme care and attention from small batches by passionate people. We invite you to taste the relationship between the old world and new. Fill your glasses and celebrate! L'CHAIM! “TO LIFE”.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10/10- SMF COMPILATION VOL. 1 TO BE RELEASE 11/30/10
A mix of traditional, dance, electro, hip hop, and folk songs from around the Sephardic world makes up the Sephardic Music Festival's first compilation album, set for world-wide release on November 30th. 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, Yair Dalal, the world-renowned Sephardic musician who performed 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 displays the true breadth of Mizrahi and Sephardi creativity through song. The lyrics embrace traditional liturgy and ceremonial texts, love poems and Sabbath songs, personal reflections, and Biblical inspirations. The range of colors, harmonies, and rhythms in the music mirrors the astonishing diversity of Jewish languages and Jewish culture.
PRE-ORDER THE CD NOW (HERE) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sephardic Music Festival will be releasing a compilation album of the best middle eastern music in all genres (dance, traditional, electro, hip hop, folk).
The festival is now accepting submissions to be a part of this album which will be used to both introduce the world to new and amazing 'world musics' as well as a fun way to raise money for the festival. The 6th annual festival will take place this year over the course of the eight nights of Chanukah (Dec 1st - 9th) and will soon after begin to pop up in cities around the world!
If you, your friend, fiend or neighbor have ridiculously amazing Sephardic style music, send it on over to info@sephardicmusicfestival.com The festival will be in touch with more details and to announce who will be chosen for the official SMF CD! .
SMF on CKUT 90.3 FM (more info on the press page)
SMF Live at Best Buy (more info on the events page)
SMF on WFMU (more info on the press page)
2 page spread in Sundays NY Post (more info on the press page)
VILLAGE VOICE/SMF ticket giveaway (click to enter)
NY Times shouts out SMF (more info on the press page) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUST ADDED: YAIR DALAL, MATISYAHU, DELEON & LEVI MORDECHAI.
* to preview some of the artists, scroll down for the SMF audio player
Sephardic Music Festival Player:
"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
* The SMF mixtape is much like the festival. It gives the listener a great taste of all sorts of music, but with an emphasis on beats. All music mixed by the festivals founder and producer, Diwon.
Diwon's Sabra Sessions Vol. 1 (Free Download):
Grab a free download of "SABRA SESSIONS VOL. 1" - a high energy Israeli dance club hip hop influenced mix by Diwon, the American-Israeli DJ/Produ
cer extraordinaire behind the Shemspeed label. The listener hears Diwon remixing, choppin up, slowing down, speeding up, and sampling all types of sounds to create a seamless mix of seemingly disjointed tracks that sound like Israel landed on top of Daft Punk & M.I.A.'s studio. "Sabra Sessions" is a mixtape I was driven to do," commented Diwon, "where I remixed, chopped, and sped up Israeli and Hebrew music to the style of Baltimore and Miami club music and beyond." The Sabra Sessions makes for a festive and energetic blend into Israeli culture, Hebrew music, and the sounds that move people to dance floors worldwide. Enjoy it and feel free to blast it to your emails, blogs, facebook groups, twitters...and all.
We are stoked that Matisyahu will be one of the performers for this years festival!
check Diwon and Matisyahu at Webster Hall on Dec 14th. Diwon playin his latest Yemenite and Sephardic mashes, and Matisyahu performing with Dub Trio, like you have never seen before!
Yediot Achronot features the Festival, Diwon & Electro Morocco in their weekend edition:
DeLeon to join SMF 2009 at Knitting Factory: DeLeon plays 15th Century Spanish indie rock infused with the deeply mysterious and entrancing cadences of the ancient Sephardic tradition.
DeLeon’s intricate sound has been a long time in the making. Their music, birthed in Spain before the Inquisition and raised in pre-WWII Italy, has finally reached maturity in modern-day Brooklyn. The band, named for 12th Century Kabalistic philosopher Moses Deleon and front man Daniel Saks’ great-grandfather Giorgio Deleon, was conceived to reconcile Saks’ cultural journey with modern influences. By re-imagining these ancient melodies as contemporary pieces, DeLeon has given the world at large a unique chance to experience the rich musical history of Sephardic Judaism
Free Download of "ROCKRAGA MIXTAPE VOL. 1" by Electro Morocco: Electro Morocco, a New York-based band of Israeli expatriates, who mix everything from retro-rock and Middle Eastern folk, to warped electro have just put together Volume one of their “ROCKRAGA” mixtape series. The series, like their music is packed with off-beat world rhythms and layered with organic guitars and synthetic beats. Sebastian, Diplo & Switch’s Major Lazer, Balkan Beat Box, Daft Punk, and Electro Morocco’s own tracks make the cut. Click below to download and bump the new sound of NY’s Electro Raga.
