Reviews: "Itamar Ziegler's self titled debut album resonates with the emotional clarity of private self exploration. It is an album ripe with the fullness of feeling that is unique to home-made, self-recorded albums. Yet, unlike the poetic musings of, say, a Daniel Johnston or an Elliot Smith, Ziegler's album is full of throbbing rhythmic grooves and virtuosic performances. These are the private ruminations of a master bass player with years of experience in hip-hop, reggae and punk, after all. The album is rich with a gyrating array of world music knowledge embracing Fat Possum-style country blues and middle eastern pop-music. Ziegler's record is representative of the sensibility of the Brooklyn underground music scene, and yet at the same time it is true to its own inner logic. This is a wonderful album that should be owned by all." (Jeremiah Lockwood) "Itamar Ziegler is well known for his driving bass work in the Brooklyn based bands: The Blam, Pink Noise, Shot'nez and Balkan Beat Box. His solo work is also a heart pumping treat as well, full of pulsating rhythm and near comical twists and turns. Fun and inspiring, Arabic Surf Dance gives you a good visual reference to start with." (Chris Smith Brooklynrock.com) "2 LPs from a Brooklyn-based composer and producer who has soundtrack work for Israeli short films, BBC documentaries and even 'Pimp My Ride' on the CV. From the self-titled largely instrumental LP of 2002 it is easy to see how his works would fit into this context. Short pieces ploughing various furrows. 'Jimi Stack Shakshooka Shak', an antiquated mechanical toy whirring into life to start with, 'Slum' following with desertrockrinkydinknu-Bhangrese. Waitsian spasm occurs on 'Filth', watery Beefheartian brood on 'Night Ride' while 'Arabic Surf Dance' adequately advertises it's thrilling, spiraling self. There's a Sex Clark Five style skewed acuteness and cuteness throughout, with touches of the Magic Band's dexterity. The more recent LP 'The Birds...' features more recognizable songs with more vox, and is more folkish, less hectic. The opening untitled track is the gem, an Asian sub-continental post-rock spoken word epic. Less fascinating but a good accompaniment to showcase the range of Ziegler's talent." (Skif/Vanity Project/UK) "...Ziegler has something most Israeli musicians almost lack completely - groove. Hence, his album, which is lo-fi, alternative rock, whatever you'd call it, is blessed with very addictive rhythms that makes it a big attraction. Ziegler is using all kinds of percussions and noise makers to create something that could be an excellent sound track for a film or a dance piece. ...when you listen to the cd, which a big part of is instrumental, all you want to do is to listen to it again. And what's more important than that?" ....Ziegler's album is such a pleasant surprise, because it really presents an artist with a crystallized statement, good taste and talent". (Time Out - Tel Aviv) ___ ___ Itamar about his first album: In the past I've always spent the free time I had between playing with the bands to mess around in my living room/home studio/play ground recording my own music. One day - that's how most stories start and this is one on them - my friend, Brian Gitkin (a great musician and a huge influence on me) came to visit. I played him the tracks and he said "that's great, let's mix it". A few months later the project was completed. Thanks Brian. He never asked for anything in return and at the time I was so broke (almost like today!) that all I could offer him were sexual favors which I'm sure he would have rejected. This album turned out to be a collage of some instrumentals, some songs, some 4-track stuff from my 4-track days and collaborations with friends like Brian Gitkin, Tamir Muskat, Yuli Beeri, Rafi Malkiel and my ex-room mate Martin Williams (a.k.a - Squatter and the ant). Evyenia Gennadiou did the layout, thanks Evye. My brother, YZ, helped me with Art work, mastering and editing. Thanks Yuval. Enjoy the ride! ___ ___ Below is in interview with Itamar for Vanity Project Magazine: After reviewing his excellent two LP's for Vanity Project, I spoke to the Israeli-born NY-based innovative musical artiste Itamar Ziegler about his work. >Please introduce yourself, what do you believe to be your strengths musically? What got you started in music? I was born in Israel, I'm 29 years old and I moved to NY when I was 21. What got me into music was love. Pure love and passion. And I intend to keep it this way. My older brother started taking guitar lessons and soon after I started to go to the same teacher. I started with classical guitar but a few months into the lessons my teacher said to me: "You've got a bass player's fingers, you should play the bass". And so the bass guitar has been my main instrument since. My brother and I have always loved music, we would make mixed tapes by recording stuff from the radio and all that. We were living in Israel but listening to the same sh*t kids in England and America were listening to. Plus we had some middle astern music magic around us... maybe at the time I didn't appreciate that, but today I do. These days in NY, I'm a member of a few bands. I play with Pink Noise, indie rock, or as I like to call what we do, interesting rock. I play bass and guitar, me and Sharron, the lead singer, switch all the time...We just completed our second album 'all is nue' (www.pinknoiseny.com). I play with Balkan Beat Box, this is a different world, it's like a live/electronic gipsy circus. We've had a great time touring Europe and the U.S this summer and we are actually coming your way this November to play Scala in London! It's going to be the best party in town. Well, there's more but I guess I should focus on my solo records, right? I record my music at home, in the living room. It's my play ground. I play all of the instruments most of the time, sometimes I'll bring in friends to lay down something. I like the fact that this is purely a recording project. I have no intentions on performing this material live. >For someone exploring your music for the first time, what one fact about you should they know before they start? Ah... I don't let record companies cut my hair.... I'm Jewish... (I'm joking...) Oh man, I don't know... That I'm human...? >What inspires you, musically and lyrically? Everything. I think everything inspires us to do something or to not to something. There are some obvious things but in my case it's a lot of subconscious stuff, for example, maybe a film I've watched two months ago inspired me to write a song, or to feel something that made me change something in the way I play...? Maybe I'm not even aware of it. Lately I've been inspired by music from Mali, Africa (Ali Farka Toure, Boubacar Toure, Tinariwen), it's blues, African style. But that does not mean my next album will be that. Then again, something from that will be there, noticeable or not. I've injected lots of PJ Harvey, Bob Marley, early blues, Sly stone and many more to my blood through the years. My talented artists friends here in Brooklyn are an inspiration as well. But the compliment I enjoy the most about my music is when people say it's not similar to anything... >If the musical world was ideal, it would... Be boring... >How did you end up working on BBC Documentaries and MTV for 'Pimp My Ride'? A young film maker who listened to my CD called me and asked whether I'd like to make the music for this documentary film him and his partner are working on. BBC bought the film. I've been working on the music, should be done soon. Pimp my ride...well, I used to be in a hip hop group called Sideffect, we came to NY together from Israel in 97', we were the first hip hop group in Israel... anyway, it's a long story, there was a documentary film made about it, it's still running in Israeli television. We broke up long ago but at one point I missed it so I started making some beats on the MPC 2000. I sent a few to a girl that does music licensing and MTV picked it out from her catalogue. >Why should people buy your records? So I could pay my bills. Seriously? Well I HOPE people buy my records because they are thirsty for more originality and creativity in music today. Non of that trendy fashionable stuff. Just honest music. >Suggest a publicity stunt to increase the Ziegler profile in the UK. I don't roll like that... (To the UK "anti Israeli" community I'll say don't judge a book by its cover, or actually don't judge a bloke by his government. I refused to go to the army. I'm pro solution. Being pro Israeli or pro Palestinian won't bring us any good. ) >What do you consider your best achievements in music? These will be some specific pieces I'm really happy with musically. Like 'The Score' from my latest album and 'Kroto' from my first solo album. But that's only my opinion... >What more would you like to achieve with your music? I wish to continue creating interesting music, to improve, to be productive, to be able to live off my music without compromising... I also would like to make more music for films, I'm exited about that. >On an Itamar Ziegler curated festival bill, who would play? Day one: Radio head, PJ Harvey, Pixies, Tom Waits, blond red head, the Beatles (if we can go back in time)... Day two: Sly Stone, Ali Farka, boubacar Toure, Tinariwen (from Mali)... This is from the top of my head. >If you weren't doing music, what would you do with your evenings? Forget the evenings...I'd like two live two more lives: one as a photographer and one as a cook... >What are your future plans for gigs and recordings? Well, I'm going to be touring with BBB in November, then got some NYC dates with Pink Noise, I going to finish the music for the documentary and then I will start squeezing in some work at home towards my next album. >What, with regards the US music scene, upsets you? Too much crap. I'm tired of really bad music and bands. Go and do something else, give some respect to music. You won't make furniture if you aint got the skills for it, would you? >What, with regards the US music scene, delights you? Not much. I don't even know what's going on in the "US scene"... or in any scene for that matter. I know there is a lot of bullshit out there. >What are you passionate about in life, apart from music? My wife. Photography. Cooking. Basketball (to play not to watch). Art. (and..music) >What is/was your favourite children¹s book? 'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein. >Any other words of wisdom? I think I've said too much. Lets let the music talk.