iLan Azoulai

Freestyle | Acoustic | Bossa Nova

Boston | Los Angeles | Tel Aviv

About iLan Azoulai

Artist and composer iLan Azoulai (אזולאי אילן) has just released a new single, LIES (שקרים) in preparation for his forthcoming album. The previous singles, "Hold Your Ground " (אל תוותר), "Painter" (הצייר), "Song Story" (סיפורו של שיר), "Day After Day" (יום ועוד יום), “New Beginning” (התחלה חדשה) and “Separation” (פרידה) were already released and were a great success. The intimate songs draw on iLan’s personal feelings and experiences while turning back to his musical roots. The songs were produced by legendary musician Nathan Cohen and draw on iLan’s personal experiences while turning back to his roots in live and analog music.

The four singles were released between August 2008 and April 2009 to great success on Israeli radio. The singles have played in regular rotation on 47 individual stations as part of more than 60 editorial programs, including high-profile outlets Reshet Gimmel, Galey-Zahal, Kol-Israel and all its subsidiary stations. iLan has been featured in interviews with Anat Harel on Reshet Gimmel, Daniel Kochavy on Radio Ariel 106FM and Amir Barkaai on Radio Eshel Hanasie.

According to iLan, “these songs essentially represent train stops in the journey of my life so far. ‘Song Story’ seems to simply trace the life of a song, but in retrospect I see how it foreshadows my own journey as a musician and as a person. ‘Separation’ focuses on a failed relationship during that early period, and is about trying something on and realizing it doesn’t fit. In ‘Day After Day’ I describe romantic love in the language of religious faith, but ultimately that relationship proved as lacking in substance as my experience with religion. ‘New Beginning’ is the most recent song and reflects my realization that I have in fact been on a journey—and that my relationship at this time was just another stop and not the final destination.”

iLan grew up in Tel Aviv in a secular Jewish family that became ultra-Orthodox when he was 14 years old. He got his first guitar at age 11 after listening to a record of the preeminent Israeli recording artist Matti Caspi. His parents couldn’t afford guitar lessons, so he learned to play by ear and wrote his first song at 12. From age 14 to 18, he performed across Israel as a member of להקת הנוער העובד, the Israeli Labor Party youth singing group. He also toured the country with an interactive children’s musical show endorsed by the educational department of Israel, among other groups.

After completing his Army service, iLan studied musical composition, arrangement and production at the prestigious Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. While at Rimon he studied or collaborated with Izhar Ashdot, Ilan Mochiac, David Broza, Roni Yedidia, Achinoam Nini, Gil Dor and others. After graduation in 1992, he wrote, arranged and produced the song “Lies” (שקרים) which was released on Israeli radio.

iLan moved to Boston in 1999 and continued his studies in music production and film scoring at the Berklee College of Music, where he scored a feature starring Matt LeBlanc (Friends) in one of his first roles. Today he continues to compose music for film and performs at the legendary Club Passim (formerly Club 47) in Cambridge, MA. His technology & postproduction company produces the work of local musicians.

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