Infinity | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 2, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 at Shemesh Music studio, Ma'alot-Tarshiha | |||
Genre | Hip hop, rock | |||
Length | 46:10 | |||
Label | Shemesh Music (first release), Shemspeed, HaTav HaShmini (8th Note) | |||
Producer | David Epstein, Brad Rubinstein | |||
Shtar chronology | ||||
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Infinity is the debut studio album by Jewish hip hop band Shtar. Produced by then-drummer David Epstein, the album was originally released by the independent Shemesh Music label on May 2, 2010. After the band was signed to the larger indie label Shemspeed a year later, it was re-released by that label on March 5, 2012.
The album was recorded in 2010 at Shemesh Music Recording Studio in Ma'alot-Tarshiha. It was produced and mixed by then-drummer David Epstein and guitarist Brad Rubinstein. [1]
Musically, the songs on the album combine lead vocalist Ori Murray's rapped verses with melodic choruses that echo Shlomo Carlebach, Sephardic music, and funk, among many other artists and genres. [2] [3] Rubinstein told Ynet, "It's not just hip hop, I mean, it's more like pop, rock, techno, trip hop, and groove. So, ordinarily, like, the verses are all hip hop, but the choruses are something you'd expect from a cool pop band and a rock band." "If you listen on the CD," Murray noted, "there's an entirely acoustic track with no rapping...[The album is] a broad spectrum of everything." [4]
Lyrically, the album is similarly divided, with the choruses quoting traditional Jewish prayers such as " Adon Olam" and " Ashrei", and the original English verses exploring Orthodox Jewish themes such as God's infinity, " tikun olam", the soul, and returning to Zion. [3] Max Elstein Keisler of The Forward noted that "Shtar's music...has none of the egocentrism of hip hop." [5]
The album's initial release was promoted with the single "Modeh (Restoring My Soul)". A music video, directed by Shmuel Hoffman and filmed in Beit Shemesh, Israel, was released on April 6, 2010. The video on YouTube, shot in black-and-white, depicts the band performing in a studio, as well as various locations around the city.
Originally released by the independent Shemesh Music label on May 2, 2010, [6] the album was re-released on March 5, 2012 under the Shemspeed label, who had signed the band several months prior, [3] [7] with the HaTav HaShmini (8th Note) label handling distribution in Israel.