Help yourself to a taste of Yemen Blues, combining traditional Yemeni music with various genres and a myriad of instruments. The Israel-based collective’s upcoming online performance at Turkey’s Zorlu PSM is surely not to be missed.
In 2017, Israeli Ravid Kahalani’s much-lauded musical project Yemen Blues made its Ankara debut as part of the city’s annual World Music Festival.
Vocalist Kahalani recalls that the show, performed at the MEB ŞURA Concert Hall, was an incredible moment: “It was full of love. It makes me so happy to see Muslims and Christians support music from other places in the world without thinking about what divides,” he says.
The band has returned to Turkey on various occasions since, performing at several venues and events including Istanbul’s Rock’n Coke Festival. Their latest show will take place as part of the TLVSOUND concert series held by the Zorlu Performing Arts Center (PSM) at 10 p.m. on June 14. The band will take to the stage for an intimate performance that carries the energy and breeze of Tel Aviv right into your home via the Zorlu PSM’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
The band’s lead singer and co-founder Kahalani is a devoted musician who has always felt that he was born feeling music. “I was always very attracted to sounds and rhythms. Since my childhood, I was always humming to myself and enjoying the sounds that came out of my mouth. I grew up in a Jewish Yemeni family and we were always learning the prayers and songs. So, this also included lots of melodies and a special swing,” he said. Later, many great musicians had a big influence on him. All his dreams came to be formed around the creation of music, dance and art. And today, he gifts music lovers across the world with Yemen Blues, one of the most gripping and electrifying live bands in contemporary music.