Tel Aviv’s Soulico inject new life into party-jam DJing by
staying true to their Middle Eastern heritage. The four-man crew mix up
international favorites with regional fare, layering hiphop and Hebrew,
American pop and Israeli folk. Your brain might not understand the
words, but your ass definitely knows how to respond.
Formed in 2000 in the wake of a party thrown by the four eventual
members, Soulico claim to be the first Middle Eastern DJs to master
production, turntablism, and the elusive art of party rocking. That’s a
bold statement, but with sold-out appearances throughout Israel and a
recent spate of successful stateside dates, the Soulico crew are taking
Israeli flavor international.
Judging by my e-mail exchange with Soulico’s Eyal Rob, one of
the most obvious traits of the group is their love for the music and
the party. From a region where escapism is a necessity, Soulico are
contributing to dance floors worldwide, collaborating with Palestinian
MCs (“Arabic is one of the illest languages in hiphop,” Rob says) and
looking everywhere for further inspiration. “We’re trying to stay away
from the politics, which is hard in a place where taking a breath is
considered political,” Rob explains. “Hiphop is of course
political, but we’re trying to enjoy our life and have a fun and
quality music dialogue first.”
That dialogue is immediately evident in the group’s output. Their
latest Blend De Luxe mix is an accessible series of funk,
reggae, and hiphop blends, a love letter to Soulico’s North American
influences. Even more interesting is their earlier Made in Tel
Aviv mixtape, which can rightfully be called hot shit, with
plenty of Middle Eastern instrumentation and regional hiphop in the
globe-spanning mix. It’s both fresh and familiar, hinting at
Gorillaz and M.I.A. and not sounding like either,
revealing how Soulico get down in their hometown.
“Tel Aviv is more open-minded than most places,” Rob says of his
home. “People there are much more into pure fun rather than ‘Show me
something that I haven’t heard yet’ or ‘Play me something I’ve heard a
million times.’ Plus, if you wanna keep on partying at 6:00 a.m., it’s
the place to be.”
Made in Tel Aviv captures what Soulico aspire to do in their
own productions. The crew are readying their debut full-length for a
late-spring/early-summer release on JDub Records, sure to follow
in the vein of the tracks on their MySpace page, which unapologetically
reveal the group’s heritage. “We’re taking our time so that we can
really dig deep into our Mediterranean and Israeli roots for a unique
and cohesive sound on the whole album,” Rob says, “and we want to make
sure each track is a great song.”
In the meantime, Soulico plan to continue touring, sharing what
they’ve already absorbed and reaching out for collaborations wherever
they travel. “We’ve all been listening to American records for almost
20 years, so there are too many inspirations to list,” Rob says, “but
when you hear a blend of the Clash or the B-52’s mixed with a
tarbouka drum track and a hiphop beat during our set at Nectar
Lounge, don’t be surprised.” 
Soulico play Nectar (412 N 36th St, 632-2020) Sun Oct 14, 9
pm–2 am, $7 adv, 21+. With Scientific American, DJ
Leftovers.