Idan Raichel Project Israeli World Beat
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Idan Raichel (Hebrew: עידן רייכל, b. September 12, 1977) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and a musician, known for his Idan Raichel Project (Hebrew: הפרוייקט של עידן רייכל), distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, Middle Eastern and Ethiopian music. Prior to the Project, Raichel was a keyboardist, collaborating with artists such as Ivri Lider. He has sold over 300,000 records to date.
Early life
Idan Raichel was born in Kfar Sava, Israel. Raichel began to play the accordion at the age of nine. He was attracted to long hair, gypsy music and tango, and studied jazz piano in high school, which improved his improvisational skills and ability to collaborate with other musicians.
Military service
At 18, Raichel went into the Israeli army, as is compulsory for all Israelis of that age. It was in this military setting that Raichel developed musical skills that later proved vital. Raichel joined the Army rock band, touring military bases performing covers of Israeli and Western pop hits. As the musical director of the group, he became adept at arrangements and producing live shows.
Counselling career
Following his military service, Raichel became a counselor at a boarding school for immigrants and troubled youth. The school was attended by many young Ethiopian Jews, who introduced him to Ethiopian folk and pop music. Whilst many of people in the school rejected their own cultural traditions in an effort to assimilate into mainstream Israeli society, a small core of teenagers remained fans of Ethiopian music, passing around cassettes of songs by Mahmoud Ahmed, Aster Aweke and Gigi. After hearing them, Raichel began to frequent Ethiopian bars and clubs in Tel Aviv. In April, 2007, Raichel travelled with Save a Child's Heart to Rwanda and Ethiopia.
