Israeli musician creates red-hot YouTube mash

March 9, 2009 - 9:07 AM by

Sometimes, the stars align and out of the morass of self-indulgency known as YouTube emerges a clip that catches on like wildfire. And if the stars are really friendly, then it might even be an Israeli-created project.

Such is the case with latest YouTube sensation Thru You - an Internet album of music videos completely made out of remixed YouTube footage. It’s the brainchild of Kutiman – Ophir Kutiel – a Tel Aviv musician/producer. And it’s been viewed by a half million people in the last 48 hours!

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Kutiman takes YouTube footage of people giving gear demos and lessons on how to play certain riffs and combines them into incredibily cohesive and soulful songs. Hailed as the “psychedelic funk architect” Kutiman brings UGC (Users Generated Content) to the next level.

According to his record company NMC, Kutiman sat in his bedroom studio and watched and sorted thousands of music videos uploaded to YouTube by mostly anonymous users. Kutiman chose around a 100 of these videos – made by users from all around the world, featuring both musical instruments, vocals, toys and other surprising artifacts, and fused them together into Thru-You. Using only materials found on YouTube, not playing a single note himself, Kutiman’s Thru You is a 21st century version of Found Art.

Kutiman isn’t just finding other people’s art. He released his own conventional music CD last year, and this is what Pitchfork had to say about it.

His music is something like Israel itself, a mishmash of things from all over the world, the old and the new side by side, a melting pot with a common overarching identity. He’s schooled in the funk and fusion of the 1970s, Afrorock and Afrobeat, heavy psych from the 60s, hip-hop and modern R&B, a bit of reggae and dub, a couple decades of electronic music, and the general art of the groove.
This comes together in a fantastic, head-spinning debut album, a psyched-up groove monster that can’t decide between vintage and modern and instead just has it both ways.

Just in time to get you in the festive Purim spirit, check out Thru You, and experience a band like you’ve never heard before. And as Kutiman advises on his home page, watch closely, because you might just see yourself playing in the band.

Tags: , , • Category: A New Reality, General, Music, Pop Culture 

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3 Comments on Israeli musician creates red-hot YouTube mash

  1. pligg.com on Tue, Mar 10th 2009 6:48 PM

    2. Israeli musician creates red-hot YouTube mash | ISRAELITY…

    The latest YouTube sensation Thru You – an Internet album of music videos completely made out of remixed YouTube footage – comes via Tel Aviv. The brainchild of Kutiman – a Tel Aviv musician/producer has been viewed almost one million tims.

    Kutiman …

  2. » A Different Sound and a Centennial News of His Land: A Blog focused upon Israel and current events from a Christian Zionist view on Sun, Mar 15th 2009 12:58 PM

    3. [...] Israelity blog posted something new in sound about a new ’sensation’ on YouTube “Israeli musician creates red-hot YouTube mash“, saying that “… Thru You – an Internet album of music videos completely made out [...]

  3. Israelity’s top 10 stories of 2009 | ISRAELITY on Mon, Dec 28th 2009 11:36 AM

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