11 Israeli musicians every bellydancer should know

Belly dancers are always in a pursuit for that perfect song. Here are some great Israeli musicians you should add to your list.

1. Orphaned Land

An Israeli progressive metal band, formed in 1991, that combines Jewish and Arabian influences. Orphaned Land has just released their fifth album, entitled All is One.

2. Yair Dalal

Yair Dalal is an Israeli musician of Iraqi-Jewish descent. His main instruments are the oud and the violin, and he also sings as accompaniment. He composes his own music and draws on Arab and Jewish traditions, as well as European classical music and Indian music. He is also a peace activist, and works to enhance understanding and communication between Arabs and Jews.

3. Mark Eliyahu

Mark plays a Caucasian instrument called kamancha which is a sort of a Violin, with a deep penetrating sound. He was born in the region of Dagastan, and grew up in a musical Jewish home. In his childhood he studied western classical music, yet he also started to learn his music roots, which might be similar to Jewish music and Turkish music.

4. Izabo

Izabo‘s musical style is diverse, ranging from indie rock, disco and Middle Eastern music.  Featuring high-to-ultra-high vocals, twisting and expressive Arab-flavoured guitar work, powerfully funky basslines, arrogantly catchy keyboards and intense disco beats, Izabo have established themselves as one of Israel’s most absorbing live acts.

5. Shye Ben Tzur

Shye Ben Tzur is an Israeli composer, producer and performer who have been living, and creating music in India and Israel over a decade. After attending a concert in Jerusalem by the Indian classical musicians Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Zakir Hussain, he became interested in Indian music, which brought him into contact with Qawwali.

 6. Yemen Blues

Conceived from vocalist Ravid Kahalani’s vision, Yemen Blues mixes music of Yemen and West Africa with contemporary grooves from funk to mambo and the deep soul of old chants. Conjuring up a rich and diverse aural palette with the use of percussion, oud, horns, and strings, Yemen Blues coexist in both the past and present, at once timeless and modern.

 7. The Alaev family

This family of great musicians has been brought up on the stage basically from the moment they have been weaned from diapers. On stage, you will see three generations playing together, with the precision, coordination and joy that can only come from the centrality of music in their individual and familial lives.

8. Madboojah Project

Madboojah Project combines various worldwide music styles, languages and instruments in a special blend of ancient and modern, electronic and acoustic, computers and live exotic instruments like Irish and Scottish Bagpipes, Irish flute, accordion, Cretan lira, Persian tar, didgeridoo, guitars, percussion, drums, flamenco dance, violin, bouzouki and more.

9. Boom Pam

Founded in 2003, Boom Pam took its name from Aris San’s song of the same name, and plays a mixture of Mediterranean, Balkan,Greek, rock and surf music in a format of a power trio consisting of electric guitar, tuba and drums.

 10. Zadik Zecharia

Zadik Zecharia was born in the village Sharnash in Kurdistan, in 1950 he emigrated to Israel. He plays The zurna, a wind instrument, usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Anatolian folk music.

 11. The Libyans

A project that brings to the center of the stage the sacred music created by the Jews in Libya. A fascinating combination of different musical styles: Arabic, African, Turkish, Western and more.