These days I’m against traveling by plane, unless it is absolutely necessary. It is therefore all the more pleasurable to be able to visit all kinds of different countries and cultures by music, and flying there by ear. It makes me able to visit a country like Canada quite often, even though I was never actually there. Only last week I flew past Greece, the USA, Italy, and Hungary in this fashion. And today I am visiting Israel.
Gishra L’anani is the new album by Tel Aviv’s King Isxan, and their sound transports the mind to the mediterranean, warm breezes, desert sands, and lots of hip shaking middle Eastern melodies. With a sound that holds a middle ground between the weirdo repetitions of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, the fast forward psychedelic swirl of forgotten heroes Verma, and the lazy city groove of a band like Wooden Shjips it is safe to say that King Isxan will appeal to fans of modern psychedelic music. And while there is not that much new to find here underneath the desert sun, the band does their repetitive sultan swing incredibly infectiously, and will make you hop on one leg across your room wishing of warmer days.
Their focus on repetition, drive, and atmosphere make King Isxan great mind traveling music. It is a perfect soundtrack to close your eyes to and drift to the distant shores of Gishra L’anani…
Time for a proper introduction then! I talked to Dor Yadlin, who handles vocals and guitar.
How are you? How has the pandemic period been for King Isxan?
We are just thrilled to have our debut album Gishra L’anani out and to be able to perform music from it, now that live shows are back. The past two years have been complex in many aspects of our lives, but for the band they were truly creative times. We’ve completed the work on our album, wrote and composed new material that we’ve recorded just a couple of weeks ago, and we even had an amazing and intimate concert just when we missed people the most.
Can you introduce the band, and how did you meet?
King Isxan is a trio consisting of two electric guitars and drums. About five years ago, as we were working together trying to make a living, Eyal, our drummer, and I introduced each other to our music. Back then, I wanted to learn how to record some demos on my computer and he was this talented Trap producer. At the same time, Yuval which I knew from when we were little, just came back from India on the King’s caravan and with a beautiful Sitar, and it was clear that this is a match.
What can you tell me about your musical backgrounds?
We’re all raised in musical environments, beginning like many others with jazz, rock and some electronic, long before we were into psychedelic and krautrock. Also, Yuval is a brilliant oud player, and as such he’s responsible for bringing in the Mideastern sounds to our music.
What does a regular day in your life look like?
Dreaming, waking up, learning, teaching, fighting fascists, making music and so on.
What is the story about the band name?
Back in the day, I was studying ancient cultures and since playing together felt absolutely ritualistic, we looked for a local, ancient kingdom to celebrate. Thank gods, The king revealed himself.
Where do you live and what is the environment like for musicians like you?
Yuval and I live in Tel Aviv and Eyal is living the country dream twenty minutes away from us. Tel Aviv is a cool place to create in, there’s a lot of different scenes, but as the city is pretty small all the scenes get mixed up and there’s a chance to experience and collaborate with very different musicians. There’s a lot of DIY going on in the city which is always a fertile ground for new things.
What is your main aim with your music, is it complete artistic expression, or an escape from the every day world? (or something else ;))
I can only speak on my behalf, but for me King Isxan is, first of all, sincere connection and communication. We leave outside all arbitrary conventions and background noises, having fun and co-create.
Can you tell me about how you go about composing and recording songs?
Usually, we get carried away with long jammings that get a bit shorter and into some structure and order with time.
What is “the dream” when it comes to being an artist?
Selling out as an NFT QR code, obviously; or alternatively, to continually explore together our roots, values and sound.
What should the Weirdo Shrine reader do after reading this interview?
You should be proud of yourself. Also, listen to the first 3 tracks on our album without any stops between them. Then, look inside you and ask “again?”.
Weirdo Shrine 