2B Continued Podcast presents and exposes the most creative artists of the Electronic Music Industry from Israel.
Kalbata, real name Ariel Tagar, is a bass music pioneer based in Tel Aviv. Regardless of genre, his distinct musical approach comes through in everything he does – a deep affection for the lowest of frequencies and a collection of vintage effects and instruments which guarantee that his razor sharp beats will always have a warm analog feel, floating in a pool of endless ripples and echoes. The same qualities come forth in Kalbata’s precise and intense DJ sets, which can cover anything from early dancehall through the grittiest dubstep up to bouncy electro-bass or breakbeat infused rave.
Kalbata’s first worldwide release, “Contact Jerusalem”, a collaboration with fellow Israeli producer Spinks (on Buffalo Frequency records), was a surprise crossover record amongst electro-bass, techno & breakbeat circles, which went on to become a definite underground rave classic. Since then, he moved on to produce devastating remixes for highly regarded artists such as Spank Rock, Ben Mono, Sunship, Roll Deep & Fat Freddy’s Drop, exemplifying his unique & distinct style across a variety of moods & tempos.
2008 proved a pivotal year for Kalbata, with his 2 first solo releases seeing light simultaneously on London’s esteemed Soul Jazz Records – “Shooting Range”, featuring the mighty Warrior Queen, and “Solution” b/w “Saxon Londonium”, featuring UK dancehall veteran Clapper Priest. However, his musical range isn’t limited to the sonic lineage of Jamaica via the UK, and 2008 was also a testimony to his musical diversity, with releases of two of his intriguing side projects: The Koliphones, a dusty moog-funk project in collaboration with producers Mixmonster (of The Apples & Radio Trip) and Kutiman (the Thru-You/deep-funk genius), gaining worldwide acclaim with their magnificent “Voyage into the Sun” 12″ on Germany’s Melting Pot Records. Another side project, which takes a whole different route, was the deep tech-house collaboration with Israeli techno don Guy Gerber, “Akropolis”, released on Sven Vath’s titanic Cocoon label.
At the beginning of 2009, Kalbata was the man behind the mysterious “Ninja We Ninja” white label, championed by heavyweight DJs such as Toddla T, TRG, RSD & N-Type (who included it in his Rinse:09 mix-CD), which he now follows with the 4th release for Botanika Records – “Oh Gosh” b/w “Karl Butter”.
Featuring a short vocal sample from Tel-Aviv’s pop-tastic songstress Onili, “Oh Gosh” is an instant classic, dripping late night soul sentiments into the 2-step-garage/dubstep continuum, backed by a mean bassline hoovering beneath it. “Karl Butter” on the b-side is a more straightforward dubstep/breaks affair, fusing bouncy beats and killer breakdowns into total dancefloor mayhem, which cannot be fully appreciated until heard on a large soundsystem.
Kalbata feature in Slices Magazine, June 2009
Kalbata mix for Red Bull Music Academy Radio
View all Kalbata releases on Botanika
Download Via Drive
