Artists
Artist Profile
Soulico
- Contact
- For all inquiries, contact Jacob Harris
- Links
Sabbo: 
Ido: Rob:
Circa 2000, the four members of Soulico were just friends that loved records, liked to party and had stockpiled massive collections of rare and unique Middle Eastern vinyl. DJs Sabbo, Rob, Shimmy Sonic and Wido would sometimes spin together, but mostly alone, rocking beats that masterfully fused hip hop, reggae and dancehall to Israeli folk and disco from the 1970's. The excitement surrounding their eclectic sound was more akin to that of the underground club scene budding in Europe than anything the Middle East had experienced prior. They decided to throw a party as a group, pooling the genius of four radical DJs into one red-hot set. But what to call it?
Soulico.
It was the party to end all parties in Tel Aviv, but the DJs already had other plans. Sabbo traveled to Jaimaca to work with Stephen and Damien Marley while Wido joined the staff of VP Records in NYC. Meanwhile, Rob and Shimmy Sonic spun as a duo, perfecting the base for what would eventually solidify the group as a whole. Sabbo and Wido's return brought weekly parties, fresh new tracks and the very first Masabacha mixtape - all united under the Soulico moniker.
A handful of madcap mixtapes and countless parties later, Soulico was awarded Israel's top DJ prize, driving their breakout radio hit and ringtone favorite "Lo Tzipiti" (a version of Tanya Stevens' "It's a Pity") to the top of the charts. By 2004 Soulico was a household name, with the guys handling production for Israel's biggest stars. The group was throwing the wildest parties around.
But it wasn't enough.
"I was digging through the bins at Tel Aviv's Hatav Hashmini record store and I found the first mixtape, Masabacha," says JDub founder and CEO Aaron Bisman. "The sound and the attitude were exactly what I look for in a group-authentically Jewish and musically unique. They flip a 500 year old folk song into a hip hop beat and that's not an easy task. Neither is putting Kelis, Sean Paul and Israeli rap group Hadag Nachash back to back, but Soulico does it seamlessly. It took a lot of work to find them, but the day they put up their US Myspace page I was the first to message them. We signed them immediately."
Soulico's deal with JDub was a perfect opportunity. From there, the crew began to tour the USA, rocking parties in New York, Los Angeles, SXSW, San Francisco, Boston, DC and Seattle. They've performed alongside Del the Funkee Homosapien, Buju Banton, Kid Koala, Nightmares on Wax, Devin the Dude, Balkan Beat Box, Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars and Hadag Nachash. In 2008 they released a mixtape podcast through Diplo's Mad Decent label.
Their debut album, Exotic on the Speaker, features guest appearances by Ghostface Killah (Wu Tang), Del the Funkee Homosapien, MIA protege Rye Rye, Pigeon John, MC Zulu, Ceci Bastida and Middle Eastern MCs Tomer Yosef (of Balkan Beat Box), Onili, Saz and more.
Latest_news
Josh Kun Digs for Dawn
Author, musicologist and member of the esteemed Idlesohn Society for Musical Preservation Josh Kun has made a dope little mixtape in support of Dawn 2010, the Tablet Magazine sponsored, May 15th late night party in San Francisco, celebrating Shavuot.
Kun’s mix is a deep dig into the crates of vintage and archival recordings sitting right next to more modern dance tracks with a few more mind-blowing gems sprinkled in between, with all the tracks pulling from a different corner of the globe with a heavy pulse on that Jewish tip.
The mix includes tracks from the famed Barry Sisters, funked out Jewish soul music from Slim Gaillard, Musica de Latina, a ton of classic African tunes, some crazy Hava Negilah rendition and a bunch of JDub artists including Soulico, Balkan Beat Box and The Sway Machinery. The mix closes out with a banger from Mexican Institute of Sound, who happens to be homies with Kun’s beau.
All around worth a listen, head over to our friends at Tablet Magazine to listen to this exclusive mix.
92 year-old Irving Fields, who has a few tracks on this mix has been writing hit songs since the 1920’s. He recorded over 90 albums, including his biggest LP hit, Bagels and Bongos. JDub recording artist SoCalled suggested he write a song about Youtube, and he did. check it below
Soulico videos
The last time Israeli dj crew Soulico and MCs Axum were here in the states, we took them over to Orchard’s sweet ass studio in the East Village and without question they tore it down!
Back in January, Soulico hosted a crazy release party for Exotic on the Speaker in Tel Aviv @ Barzilay and were joined on stage by a crew of guests including Axum, Idan K, Kutiman and more. Check out a clip from the show.
Finally check out 1 of Soulico’s explosive performances from SXSW 2010, Come Back featuring the one and only Onili.
Soulico on PRI’s The World
After playing a PRI showcase at SXSW, it comes as no surprise that the fine people over there have deemed Soulico worthy of a super great Global Hit. You can listen to that, along with an interview, HERE, or above.
“A wide array of Israeli artists have been getting greater international attention in the past couple of years. Bands like Soulico.
But it wasn’t an easy outing for Israel’s first cultural diplomatic presence at South by Southwest.
When the delegation from Israel’s consulate in New York arrived in Austin last week, relations between Israel and the US had become as tense as they’d been in years.
The announcement that Israel planned to build 1600 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem provided pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Austin with a rallying cry.”
We’re Baaaack
We’re back from Austin, and it was a BLAST! We’re still uploading photos and video, but the clip above should tide you over until we’ve got more. Enjoy!
SXSW, Are You Ready?
Team JDub is headed to Austin for SXSW, and we’re bringing Soulico with us! If you happen to be down there too, check Israel’s best DJ crew at these official parties:
ALL MUSIC IS WORLD MUSIC
Thursday, 3/18 @ Momo’s (618 W. 6th)
Soulico is on at 11PM!
Saturday, 3/19 @ Palm Door (401 Sabine St.)
Soulico is on at 10PM / Balkan Beat Box is on at 1AM
Want to know what we’re up to while the team is on the ground in Austin? Follow us on Twitter!
@jdubrecords
@24kgoldsher
@micawave
@harveyelliot
@tater2863
Video
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Pitom Banu
Photos
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Rooftop Roots Volume III
A JDub Mixtape - (v/a)
2007
Out Of Stock
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Telavivin Mixtape
2007
Out Of Stock
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No events are scheduled for Soulico.
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