Israeli company lands a (technical) Grammy

December 26, 2010 - 12:34 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Entertainment, General, Music, Technology 

Muting vuvuzelas - they deserve a Grammy!

It may not be the best song of the year or best new artist, but Israel is being represented at the Grammy Awards in February.

Ynet disclosed that Tel Aviv hi-tech firm Waves Audio has won a Technical Grammy for its technological achievements and contribution to the field of music via its audio signal processing technologies and audio effects, used in recording, mixing, mastering, post production, surround, live, and broadcast sound

Previous winners include such notable companies as Apple, Sony and Yamaha. Waves Audio’s technology has been used to enhance the recorded sound of everyone from Lady Gaga and Beyonce to U2 and Bruce Springsteen. In addition, Waves Audio technologies have been used in movies such as Shrek, American Beauty and Star Wars.

Waves Audio was established in 1992 by Gilad Keren and Meir Sha’ashua, and the company has since sold its various technologies to Sony, JVC, Toshiba and computer manufacturer Dell. The company’s headquarters are in Tel Aviv, but its global operations spread to offices in Knoxville, Tennessee and Shenzen, China as well.

TV viewers will undoubtedly thank the company for its latest development – reducing the noise of vuvuzelas during this year’s World Cup broadcasts from South Africa.

Keren was delighted to learn his company had won a Grammy, saying “It is a great honor to know that we had a part in the creation of so much wonderful music, and this pushes us to keep developing new tools for musicians. It is our small contribution.”

“You can always trust Waves to create well-engineered, good sounding products,” said Bob Ludwig, one of the most respected mastering engineers in recording history, who has mastered records for everyone from Neil Diamond and The Rolling Stones to Paul McCartney, and Mariah Carey.

So while we wait for Hadag Nahash or Asaf Avidan to show up with a Grammy nomination one of these years, we can still bask in the glory of Waves Audio’s achievements. They may not be able to improve the quality of the music we hear, but they can sure make it sound better.

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Rock around the clock

January 1, 2010 - 9:02 AM by · 3 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Life, Music, Pop Culture 

The Pixies - slated for a June show

The Pixies - slated for a June show

It’s unclear to me which of these are confirmed and which are just ‘in negotations’ and picked up by the most-read Israeli paper Yediot Aharonot as a done deal, but 2010 is shaping up to be another banner year for international pop artists performing here.

One confirmed show is the Pixies who are slated for a June performance in an unamned venue as part of a larger rock festival. And that’s the sure thing, right? Actually, this one sounds reasonable since a PR firm put out a press release about it, and since bassist Kim Deal was here recently with her band The Breeders, and reportedly had a great time.

But here’s the list of who else is supposedly on the way during the spring and summer of ’10 – Elton John, U2, Beyonce, Rhianna, and most recently announced, Santana. And let’s not forget the perennial Coldplay and Green Day rumors.

It will be the second appearances by Elton -who infamously fled the country in 1994 after a series of miscues upon his arrival, only to return a day alter – and U2, who performed famously in 1999 at Park Hayarkon, including The Edge leading the crowd in a singalong of an Abba song. And while I can’t put a finger on it, Santana’s been around for so long, that I’m sure they must have played here at some point.

While some on the list may be wishful thinking, two artists from the 1980s of a somewhat lesser stature are already signed up to appear in the first few months of the year – The Alan Parsons Project and Joan Armatrading. It’s good to know these oldtimers still have a place to play, and an audience eager to see them.

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Bootylicious, Israeli style

April 19, 2009 - 4:02 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Music, Pop Culture 

Israeli choreographer Kobi Rosenfeld

Israeli choreographer Kobi Rosenfeld

The next time you watch Beyonce, better check out her dance moves twice. You may find an Israeli step or two, thanks to choreographer Kobi Rosenfeld.

According to Ynet, the Israeli toe tapper has been tapped to choreograph Mrs, Jay Z in her new video for the song “Scared of Lonely.”

Rosenfeld, who is the assistant to Andrea Fuentes – one of Britney Spears’ backup dancers – was tapped to work with Beyonce during the “Carnival,” which is a music industry choreography talent contest.

His performance caught the eye of Beyonce’s people, who asked him to come up with a presentation suitable for her new release. Once the routine was green-lighted, Rosenfeld went on to teach it to her seven backup dancers.

Rosenfeld was born in Rehovot and has been dancing and choreographing all his life. He performed in local Israeli productions of Fun Tazi, Caberet, Peter Pan and K’Mo Be Seret., and has choreographed the Israeli version of Little Mermaid. Rosenfeld has won contests in choreography at the International Carmiel Dance Festival and the Israeli Jazz Contest in Haifa, and choreographed thesteps for the videos and tours of singers Roni Superstar, Mali Levi and Shiri Maimon.

Since trying his luck in the US, he’s choreographed 11 pieces for the California-based Keshet Chaim dance troupe and has been teaching dance. But with Beyonce kicking heels on his side, it’s likely that Rosenfeld won’t have to be teaching classes any more. I wonder, though, if she’ll be dancing from right to left.

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