Yossi Fine | |
---|---|
![]() Fine at Havana Club in Tel Aviv, 2011 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Joseph Thomas Fine |
Born | Paris, France | December 7, 1964
Genres | World, reggae, funk, jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
Instrument(s) | Bass, guitar |
Years active | 1981–present |
Labels | Avila Street Records |
Website | yossifine.com |
Joseph Thomas Fine (born December 7, 1964), known professionally as Yossi Fine, is an Israeli bassist and producer. Fine fronted the world music/reggae/funk band Ex-Centric Sound System.
Fine was born in Paris, France, to a West Indian vocalist mother and an Israeli guitarist father. [1]
At the age of 16, Fine began working as a session musician in Israel.[ citation needed ] He moved to New York City in 1985, performing with a variety of musicians around the city, [2] working regularly with the Gil Evans Orchestra from 1985 to 1991. [3] In 1991, he received a Grammy nomination for his composition "Always Knows," which appears on the Stanley Jordan record Cornucopia. [4] Fine moved back to Israel in 1995.
In 1997, Fine formed Ex-Centric Sound System with drummer Michael Avgil and three Ghanaian vocalists, Nana Dadzie, Adevo Savour and Benjamin Kouleho, who also contribute melodies on flute, kalimba and balafon. [2] NME described Ex-Centric Sound System as "a band that mixes authentic African sounds with dub, techno and hip-hop," adding that the band is "a triumph of the collective imagination." [5] Their debut album, Electric Voodooland, was released in 2001.
In 2007, he released the solo album Live in Jerusalem, consisting of four tracks culled from his one-man bass tour. "Few people are brave, or crazy, enough to stand on stage with a few simple drum loops, an effects board and a bass, and go for it. Yet that's exactly what he does, amazingly well," wrote PopMatters. "The landscapes he paints are orchestral, lush and textured." [6] An introduction to Fine on Israeli music television station Music 24 proclaimed, "Yossi Fine does to bass what Hendrix did for electric guitar." [7]
Fine has frequently worked with Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré. After remixing a track for 2008's Vieux Farka Touré Remixed: UFOs Over Bamako, he took a larger role in Touré's career, producing and playing bass on his 2009 album, Fondo, as well as remixing a track on the follow-up, Other Roads: Fondo Remixed, at Fine's studio in Novato, California. [8] Fine plays bass in The Touré-Raichel Collective, a collaboration between Touré and Idan Raichel, which led to the 2012 album The Tel Aviv Sessions. [9] Haaretz singled out his bass playing for being "flexible and dynamic." [10]
Fine has performed, recorded with and produced music for musicians across the globe, including Naughty By Nature (recreating the bassline for their 1993 hit single "Hip Hop Hooray"), [6] 85-91Gil Evans Orchestra, 85John Scofield, 86-87Kenny Kirkland, 87Lou Reed, Rubén Blades, 89-95Stanley Jordan, 93-94Me'shell Ndegeocello, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Anthony B, Karsh Kale, Cheb i Sabbah, Antibalas, Hassan Hakmoun, Hadag Nahash, Ofra Haza, Noa and Hamsa Lila. [2] [6] [8]
Considered a pivotal force in the evolution of the bass, [6] Fine has produced over 25 albums, and contributed bass to over 150. [4] In 2005, he received the ACUM Award for music producing, for his work on Hadag Nahash's 2004 LP, Homer Mekomi . [4] ACUM is Israel's music and literary rights association.
In 2016 Yossi moved from Bass to Microtonal guitar and together with drummer Ben Aylon formed a band Yossi Fine & Ben Aylon. The style of music is defined as 'Blue Desert' or Afro Arab Trance, inspired by regional music styles. In 2018 the band released their debut album 'Blue Desert' and toured Europe, USA, Canada, China, India and Israel.
An early adopter of live looping in order to perform as a one-man band, Fine's style in his solo work has been called "extreme bass groove," incorporating drum & bass, breakbeat, dubstep and heavy metal influences. "When you cop such an attack on bass guitar, and make a line come at you with such power, that's extreme bass," he has said. "It's about creating a sound with tons of low end that pounds you in the chest and makes you go, Whoa!" [11]
Fine has called U2 guitarist The Edge a huge influence, stating that his "echo-laden sound" is "the most innovative without being too technical." [11]
Hadag Nahash is an Israeli hip hop and funk band, founded in 1996 in Jerusalem, which makes leftist political statements in many of its protest songs.
Israeli hip hop refers to hip hop and rap music in Israel. Israeli hip hop artists have mainly emerged from the populations of Mizrahi Jews, Ethiopian Jews, and Israeli-Arabs, though there have also been numerous artists from Israeli Ashkenazi Jews especially Hasidim. Israeli hip hop artists enjoy wide popularity in Israel and have succeeded in appealing to international markets particularly the United States.
Shabak Samech is one of the first recognized hip-hop groups to come out of Israel. Their sound is primarily hip-hop, but it includes elements of rapcore, dancehall, ska, and funk. Their sound has been compared to the Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine. The group had two and three vocalists, two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist. The group placed minimal reliance on beats and samples.
Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists.
Boureima "Vieux" Farka Touré is a Malian singer, composer and guitarist. He is the son of Malian musician Ali Farka Touré.
Khen Rotem, known by his stage name Sagol 59, is an Israeli rapper, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being a Jerusalem-based hip-hop MC and has been hailed as the "Israeli godfather of hip hop." He also writes about music for many Israeli publications, including Haaretz and the Tel Aviv guide City Mouse. He also teaches Rap and Hip Hop classes at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music.
The BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music was an award given to world music artists between 2002 and 2008, sponsored by BBC Radio 3. The award was thought up by fRoots magazine's editor Ian Anderson, inspired by the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Until 2006, the awards panel was chaired by Charlie Gillett and the awards shows co-ordinated by Alex Webb.
Modiba is an artist management and music licensing company dedicated to international artists and social responsibility.
Ali Ibrahim "Ali Farka" Touré was a Malian singer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the African continent's most internationally renowned musicians. His music blends traditional Malian music and its derivative, African American blues and is considered a pioneer of African desert blues. Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and number 37 on Spin magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
6 is the sixth album and fifth studio album of Israeli hip-hop band Hadag Nahash. The album was released in February 2010 on the Eighth Note label under the production of Yossi Fine.
Ali and Toumani is a 2010 record by Malian musicians Ali Farka Touré on the guitar and providing vocals and Toumani Diabaté on the kora. It is the second album featuring the two musicians; it is a follow-up to In the Heart of the Moon which was released in 2005. The album was recorded in 2005 in London prior to concert dates in Europe following the release of In the Heart of the Moon. The album was released after Touré's death in 2006.
The Young Professionals is an Israeli electro pop band made up of producer Johnny Goldstein and singer/songwriter/producer Ivri Lider. The band mixes electronic sounds, guitars and acoustic percussion to create music described as alternative pop.
The Touré-Raichel Collective was a musical group led by Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli singer and pianist Idan Raichel. The group's debut album, The Tel Aviv Session, was released on Cumbancha in March 2012.
The Tel Aviv Session is the first album by the Touré-Raichel Collective, a collaboration between Vieux Farka Touré from Mali and Idan Raichel from Israel. The project includes Israeli bassist Yossi Fine and Malian calabash player Souleymane Kane. It was released on 27 March 2012 on Cumbancha records. The album features contributions from Yankale Segal, Frédéric Yonnet, Cabra Casay, and Mark Eliyahu. It received acclaim, with reviewers praising the duo's ability to "complement each other phenomenally, with Raichel almost improving the sound of Farka Touré's guitar and the Malian doing the same to the Israeli's keyboards."
Joseph "Yossi" Mizrachi, better known by his stage name Joseph E-Shine, is an Israeli multi-instrumentalist and music producer. E-Shine is considered to be one of Israel's busiest artists in the past few years, and was labeled as a "wonder boy" from an early stage. At under the age of 30, he already has 5 Gold Records, dozens of successful productions, and high-profile international performances and collaborations. He is married to the actress-singer, Ninet Tayeb.
Idan Raichel is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician known for his "Idan Raichel Project", distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, and diverse musical influences. Prior to the project, Raichel was a keyboardist, collaborating with artists such as Ivri Lider.
Jewish hip hop is a genre of hip hop music with thematic, stylistic, or cultural ties to Judaism and its musical traditions.
Jah Levi is an American record producer and multi-instrumentalist songwriter, bandleader, luthier and archivist of folk and world music.
Quarter to Six is the fourth studio album by Israeli music group The Idan Raichel Project. It was released in March 2013 by Helicon in Israel and Cumbancha worldwide. The album features guest appearances by Andreas Scholl, Tamir Nachshon, Anat Ben Hamo, Idan Haviv, Ana Moura, Mira Awad, Vieux Farka Touré, Amir Dadon, Marta Gómez, Shai Tsabari, Liat Zion, and Ishay Ribo. It peaked at ninth place in Billboard's World Albums chart. In 2015, the album was certified 4× platinum in Israel, selling 120,000 copies.
Ali is a collaborative studio album by Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and Texan trio Khruangbin. It consists of covers of songs by Vieux's father, Ali Farka Touré. It was released on September 23, 2022, on Dead Oceans.