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Sample Track 1:
"Introduction" from Hiphopkhasene
Sample Track 2:
"Dobriden" from Hiphopkhasene
Sample Track 3:
"Freylekhs ..." from Hiphopkhasene
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Hiphopkhasene
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Solomon and Socalled,  HipHopKhasene (Piranha) Oy! The Hip Hop of Solomon and Socalled
A Jewish Marriage of Microphone and Fiddle


It’s the pinnacle of every Jewish family: a giant traditional Jewish wedding. This marriage however has a unique twist to it: the khasene, or wedding, of the microphone to fiddle. Solomon & Socalled’s new collaboration HipHopKhasene pairs the two in a unique exploration of klezmer music with a hip-hop backbeat. 

Solomon & Socalled, two prominent forces on the klezmer music scene, are united for the first time on their new release HipHopKhasene from Piranha Musik, released in the US on July 8, 2003. This union has already been called “the phattest wedding yet” (nowtoronto.com). It invites the listener to join in an ancient Eastern European wedding ceremony with a stomping hip-hop twist. The alternative klezmer wedding suite takes the listener through the ancient wedding rites—the ceremony, the ritual, the weeping of the bride, and the seven blessings.

Sophie Solomon, the so-called bride, is one of the leading young exponents of klezmer violin, fusing the traditional ornamentation and phrasing of the ‘fidl’ technique of Eastern European Jews with a truly modern sound that incorporates the latest in electronic effects wizardry. She has been playing the violin since age two and for a period of time spun ragga jungle at raves and festivals in Europe as DJ Starets. It was her father’s influence after spending a year in Moscow that drew her back to a more traditional style of music. Solomon is also known as the founder and also a member of the cutting edge BBC Music Nominees Oi-Va-Voi, with whom she tours extensively.

Solomon was revered as the “the revelation of the Krakow Festival of Jewish Culture 2002” when she played in front of a crowd of over 10,000 people live on Polish television alongside Klezmer Madness, The Klezmatics, and Brave Old World. According to Lifestyle Magazine, “Sophie Solomon is on the brink of what promises to be a wildly successful career.”

Solomon’s soon-to-be husband is Canadian DJ and hip-hop producer DJ Socalled. He mixes in comedy albums, Yiddish theater, and a variety of samples. Socalled’s first album The Socalled Seder was hailed as “one of the greatest works of Jewish music in years.” Socalled isn’t a DJ in the technical sense; he doesn’t spin turntables, but instead explores beats.

“I’m more of a producer. I got into collecting records because I wanted to do beats and you need them to do sounds. And collecting records, that’s what got me into klezmer,” Socalled told The Jewish Week. “That was my in to that whole sound and culture. No one else is sampling that stuff. Everybody is taking beats from James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic. Nobody else is sampling Aaron Lebedeff and Moyshe Oysher.”

David Krakauer, clarinet virtuoso and best man, was the mastermind behind the project and introduced the couple to each other. Solomon had been experimenting with blending the two genres and Socalled provided the perfect backbeat to add to her klezmer violin style.

Also making appearances in the wedding party are: Frank London (of The Klezmatics and Klezmer Brass Allstars), Smadj (known from DuOud and Ekova), Michael Alpert, Nik Ammar, Sol Gunner, Don Headgear, Elaine and Susan Hoffman-Watts, MC Dick Van Myke, Phillip Shaw Bova, Cantor Sam Weiss, and Zev Feldman.