Uri Frost
Encyclopedia
Uri Frost is an Israel
i rock
guitarist, producer
and director
. Frost's dark and often intellectual art and music are informed by a sense of rootlessness and exile. As an introverted artist he has often refused to conduct media interviews. Yoav Kutner
, Israel's acclaimed rock music critic wrote about Frost: "He is a unique voice in Israeli rock music and his restless guitar, filled with feedbacks is eminent in all the music groups he was a part of".
, Germany, December, 22nd, 1962. He spent his early childhood moving with his family between different countries. They moved to Brussels
in 1964, to Rio de Janeiro
in 1966, to Vienna
in 1969 and at the age of 11, just two months before the 1973 Yom Kippur war
, the family moved to Israel
. As a teenager, his first guitar was the Gibson SG
, a 150$ find (he was told about by Yoav Shaaya) on which he plays ever since.
, with the intention of staying there. He met Philippe Hemadou who played the Moog synthesizer
and they started playing music together. They were later joined by Adriana Dolabella whom Frost showed how to play the Bass guitar
. Together they formed the band Kazbah. The band was a part of the underground scene that started taking off in Rio de Janeiro
in the mid 1980's. They recorded on a 4 channel tape and released several pop songs. One of them became a hit and was often played on the radio.
and Niss (who never disclosed his full name) on the drums. The band mixed rock and roll with a scent of middle eastern music. HaPliz is considered to "have been there ahead of their time a prepared the grounds for what was to follow later, through the generation of the 'Roxanne' bands". Their single album "Behashpaat HaKishouf (בהשפעת הכישוף) is a "well constructed, brilliant array of songs that shows HaPliz in it's best moments", concludes the Jerusalem music critique Yoram Bar after returning from their show. He also wrote "HaPliz show in the Pargod had been the best Rock show I have experienced in my entire life"
). In 1991 they recorded their debut album, Black Flower (Hebrew: פרח שחור). The album received plenty of attention but its financial success was limited. Carmela Gross Wagner is considered to have been a great influence on the Israeli sound of the 90's. Later on, Frost left the band but continued working as guest musician and producer.
and is faced with a Zionist conspiracy. The film won the 1995 Best Experimental Short by the Israeli Film Institute.
.
. Together with Arik Hayut, Ran Slavin (Shalosh Het) and Adam Horovitz of Nosei Hamigbaat (נושאי המגבעת). They released two albums Rir
, 1993 and Rare
, 1996.
. He has written music for seven different plays among them 3 Short Breaths at Croydon Warehouse, Fever at Riverside Studios
, People Show 105 at Young Vic studio.
In 1999 he directed the theatre performance Miss, Did it Hurt When You Fell Down from Heaven, as part of the London festival for visual theatre.
and from 2001 started to write music for dance. He directed and wrote music for Iteret and "Gaza
" by Tamar Borer, Black Country
, Tetris
, Arnika for Noa Dar,
Between 2002 and 2004 he collaborated with Ran Slavin on SuBo, an improvisational duo which used live electronic instruments and video. They performed in Austria, Slovania and Israel.
In 2002 Composed soundtrack for the documentary film Garden (directed by Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz) that tells the story of two Palestinian
male prostitutes in downtown Tel Aviv
.
In 2005 Assaf Tager invited Uri Frost to produce Katamine
's first album (Lag
) and Frost also directed two video clips. Lag
included nine original songs and a cover of the Butthole Surfers
. The album was Album of the Year (2005) of Tel Aviv's "Haiir" (lit. The City) newspaper. Their second studio album was titled Forest of Bobo and was produced by Wharton Tiers
.
yielded the music album Ressek Zar (from Hebrew lit. Foreign
Purée
), released and distributed by Hi Fidelity. It is a journey into an ever changing identity exploration made up of nine songs that range from folk
to rock
, expanding into psychedelic
and country
combined with multiple classical motifs. The album was hailed as "the embodiement of pure art. Kowner and Frost are in constant search and they give the listener that feeling of going into a museum
of modern art
".
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist, producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
. Frost's dark and often intellectual art and music are informed by a sense of rootlessness and exile. As an introverted artist he has often refused to conduct media interviews. Yoav Kutner
Yoav Kutner
Yoav Kutner , is an acclaimed Israeli music editor, TV and radio presenter, who has significantly promoted performers ranging from Mashina to Radiohead. The 'Little Man from the Radio', is rather, a passionate hero calling for the love of new music.-Life:Yoav Kutner was born in Jerusalem, Israel on...
, Israel's acclaimed rock music critic wrote about Frost: "He is a unique voice in Israeli rock music and his restless guitar, filled with feedbacks is eminent in all the music groups he was a part of".
Early years
Uri Frost was born in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany, December, 22nd, 1962. He spent his early childhood moving with his family between different countries. They moved to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1964, to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in 1966, to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1969 and at the age of 11, just two months before the 1973 Yom Kippur war
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, the family moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. As a teenager, his first guitar was the Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
, a 150$ find (he was told about by Yoav Shaaya) on which he plays ever since.
Kazbah
In 1984 Frost went back to Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, with the intention of staying there. He met Philippe Hemadou who played the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
and they started playing music together. They were later joined by Adriana Dolabella whom Frost showed how to play the Bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Together they formed the band Kazbah. The band was a part of the underground scene that started taking off in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in the mid 1980's. They recorded on a 4 channel tape and released several pop songs. One of them became a hit and was often played on the radio.
HaPliz
In 1988 Frost returned to Israel and together with "Shosho" Yoav Shaaya, a childhood friend. They formed the band HaPliz. Later Shahar Levi joined on the BassBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Niss (who never disclosed his full name) on the drums. The band mixed rock and roll with a scent of middle eastern music. HaPliz is considered to "have been there ahead of their time a prepared the grounds for what was to follow later, through the generation of the 'Roxanne' bands". Their single album "Behashpaat HaKishouf (בהשפעת הכישוף) is a "well constructed, brilliant array of songs that shows HaPliz in it's best moments", concludes the Jerusalem music critique Yoram Bar after returning from their show. He also wrote "HaPliz show in the Pargod had been the best Rock show I have experienced in my entire life"
Carmela Gross Wagner
Frost later worked with Eran Zur on a project that was later known as Carmela Gross Wagner. They were joined by Ori Ballak (percussion) and Avshalom Kaspi (keyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
). In 1991 they recorded their debut album, Black Flower (Hebrew: פרח שחור). The album received plenty of attention but its financial success was limited. Carmela Gross Wagner is considered to have been a great influence on the Israeli sound of the 90's. Later on, Frost left the band but continued working as guest musician and producer.
Film school
In 1992 Frost started studying filmmaking in sam spiegel school, Jerusalem. In 1995, he left Sam Spiegel after a dispute with the head of the school. Frost completed the 2nd year project with a film titled 22/D. The film was a Sci fi political tale that shows a few episodes in the life of a man who immigrated to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and is faced with a Zionist conspiracy. The film won the 1995 Best Experimental Short by the Israeli Film Institute.
Paluma Twist
Together with an old friend, percussionist Arik Hayut, collaborated on the project titled Palloma Twist in 1994. They worked on different songs and released only one of them. It was a cover of The Soldier Song (שיר החייל) by Shlomo ArtziShlomo Artzi
Shlomo Artzi is an Israeli folk rock singer-songwriter, and composer.He was born on November 26, 1949, in Moshav Alonei Abba. In the course of his career, he has sold over 1.5 million albums, making him one of Israel's most successful male singers....
.
Rir
Between 1992 and 1995 Frost was a member of the band RirRIR
RIR may mean:* Real Illusions: Reflections, an album by American guitarist Steve Vai* Reduction In Recruitment, a type of foreign labor certification program by the United States Department of Labor that preceded PERM program* Rock in Rio...
. Together with Arik Hayut, Ran Slavin (Shalosh Het) and Adam Horovitz of Nosei Hamigbaat (נושאי המגבעת). They released two albums Rir
RIR
RIR may mean:* Real Illusions: Reflections, an album by American guitarist Steve Vai* Reduction In Recruitment, a type of foreign labor certification program by the United States Department of Labor that preceded PERM program* Rock in Rio...
, 1993 and Rare
Rare
-In music:* Rare , a band from Northern Ireland* Rare , a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade* Rare , an album by the progressive rock band Asia* Rare , a compilation album by David Bowie...
, 1996.
The London years
Between 1996 and 2000 Frost lived in London and wrote music for TheatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. He has written music for seven different plays among them 3 Short Breaths at Croydon Warehouse, Fever at Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
, People Show 105 at Young Vic studio.
In 1999 he directed the theatre performance Miss, Did it Hurt When You Fell Down from Heaven, as part of the London festival for visual theatre.
2000s
In 2000 Uri Frost returned to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and from 2001 started to write music for dance. He directed and wrote music for Iteret and "Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
" by Tamar Borer, Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
, Tetris
Tetris
Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
, Arnika for Noa Dar,
Between 2002 and 2004 he collaborated with Ran Slavin on SuBo, an improvisational duo which used live electronic instruments and video. They performed in Austria, Slovania and Israel.
In 2002 Composed soundtrack for the documentary film Garden (directed by Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz) that tells the story of two Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
male prostitutes in downtown Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
In 2005 Assaf Tager invited Uri Frost to produce Katamine
Katamine
Katamine is a collaborative musical project that joins a changing cast of artists with the Israeli singer and songwriter Assaf Tager...
's first album (Lag
Lag
Lag is a common word meaning to fail to keep up or to fall behind. In real-time applications, the term is used when the application fails to respond in a timely fashion to inputs...
) and Frost also directed two video clips. Lag
Lag
Lag is a common word meaning to fail to keep up or to fall behind. In real-time applications, the term is used when the application fails to respond in a timely fashion to inputs...
included nine original songs and a cover of the Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
. The album was Album of the Year (2005) of Tel Aviv's "Haiir" (lit. The City) newspaper. Their second studio album was titled Forest of Bobo and was produced by Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers
Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.- Biography :Diplomed from Villanova University , he moved to New York City in 1976 and was part of the No Wave scene.As an audio engineer and record producer, he has worked on projects such as Sonic Youth,...
.
Ressek Zar
In 2010 the collaboration between Uri Frost and Elyasaf KownerElyasaf Kowner
Elyasaf Kowner is an interdisciplinary artist who explores issues of abuse, loss, control and love for people. He has made over 30 poetic short films that were screened in festivals and museums internationally...
yielded the music album Ressek Zar (from Hebrew lit. Foreign
Foreign
Foreign may refer to:*Foreign corporation, a corporation that can do business outside its jurisdiction*Foreign key, a constraint in a relational database*Foreign language, a language not spoken by the people of a certain place...
Purée
Purée
Purée and mash are general terms for cooked food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, blended, and/or sieved to the consistency of a soft creamy paste or thick liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., mashed potatoes or apple sauce...
), released and distributed by Hi Fidelity. It is a journey into an ever changing identity exploration made up of nine songs that range from folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
to rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, expanding into psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
combined with multiple classical motifs. The album was hailed as "the embodiement of pure art. Kowner and Frost are in constant search and they give the listener that feeling of going into a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
".
Selected discography
- 1988 – HaPliz, Behashpaat Hakishouf (Under the Spell), , The Third EarThe third earThe third ear may refer to* Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, an Icelandic guitarist and inventor.* The Third Ear, a book by Chris lonsdale....
- 1991 - Carmela Gross Wagner, Black Flower (Hebrew: פרח שחור), Hed Arzi
- 1993 - RirRIRRIR may mean:* Real Illusions: Reflections, an album by American guitarist Steve Vai* Reduction In Recruitment, a type of foreign labor certification program by the United States Department of Labor that preceded PERM program* Rock in Rio...
, Hed Arzi - 1996 - RareRare-In music:* Rare , a band from Northern Ireland* Rare , a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade* Rare , an album by the progressive rock band Asia* Rare , a compilation album by David Bowie...
, Hed Arzi - 2004 - KatamineKatamineKatamine is a collaborative musical project that joins a changing cast of artists with the Israeli singer and songwriter Assaf Tager...
, LagLagLag is a common word meaning to fail to keep up or to fall behind. In real-time applications, the term is used when the application fails to respond in a timely fashion to inputs...
, No Distribution
Work as director
- 1995 - Short film 22/D
- 1999 - Theatre performance Miss, Did it Hurt When You Fell Down from Heaven
- 2001 - Dance performance Iteret
- 2003 - Dance performance "GazaGazaGaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
" - 2005 - Short film The Escaped
- 2008 - Short film Pussy Men