Ophir Kutiel better known as Kutiman is a multi-talented artist from Tel Aviv. He is a musician, composer, producer, and an acclaimed video artist. Kutiman burst onto the international music scene in 2007 with the worldwide release of his critically acclaimed and self-titled debut album.
In 2009, Kutiman released his highly anticipated YouTube video mash-up project, Thru-You. In this project, Kutiman meticulously cut and pasted together clips he found on the video platform of amateur solo musicians to create seven, original, intricately arranged songs. He has since been commissioned by various cities such as Tel Aviv, Riga, New York, Krakow, and Jerusalem to create audiovisual portraits of each city’s uniqueness.
Following the success of Thru-You, Kutiman released Thru You Too in October 2014, another online music album composed of unrelated YouTube videos. This project led to interesting international collaborations with some of the world’s most prominent producers, DJs, and musicians, birthing the creation of the Thru You Remixes. In 2016, Kutiman released another full-length album titled 6AM, the first release off his new record label Siyal Music.
The Israeli artist’s latest album Don’t Hold Onto the Clouds was recorded live by Kutiman over the course of the last year, the album also draws upon his growing love for Indian music, and, alongside extensive use of a Juno 6, features his first, unorthodox use of a tabla his mother once gave him. “I had no clue how to even touch it,” he confesses, “so I just hit it with a stick.” The approach may have been unconventional, but the results justify the means: Don’t Hold Onto The Clouds is meditative and enigmatic, like nothing he’s done before. “I hope it will offer peace,” he smiles, adding hurriedly, “not in a big global way, but just as a break from reality. If anyone feels like head banging, I’ll be happy as well, but it actually helps me fall asleep. I can’t say that about any other record I’ve made.”
For this week’s Orb podcast, Kutiman brings an eclectic selection showcasing the likes of Deru, Ash Ra Tempel, and Terry Riley, inviting you into a deep ambient, minimal and avant-garde sound domain.
Tracklist
01. Eliane Radigue – Islas Resonantes
02. Deru – 1979
03. Pandit Kamalesh Maitra – Raga DeenTodi
04. Daniel Schmidt – In My Arms, Many Flowers
05. Daniel Schmidt – The Darkest Hour Is Just Before The Dawn
06. Unknown
07. Ustad Bismillah Khan Saheb – Raag Kedar
08. Terry Riley – Persian Surgery Dervishes
09. Ash Ra Tempel (Unknown track)
10. Don Cherry – Relativity Amboss
