Yonatan Albalak on SoundBetter

Take your music to another dimension with kaleidoscopic psychedelic guitars, bass, synths and other organic frequencies. Feel free to check out my bands: Apifera Geshem Big Vicious

Yonatan Albalak - Guitarist, bassist, composer, producer and arranger, with releases on labels like Stones Throw and ECM.

Yonatan is not just your typical session musician. With a diverse background in guitar, composition, and music production, he brings a unique blend of colors and creativity and innovation to every project.

From electronics to acoustics, psychedelia to jazz, he pushes boundaries and explores uncharted territories. His work is not limited by style; instead, it's a colorful mosaic that spans across genres and sounds like nothing else.

As a highly sought-after session musician, Yonatan has worked with Israel's top artists, lending his talents to Legends like Matti Caspi, Shalom Hanoch, Avishai cohen, Marina Maximilian and many more. His versatility and creative vision make him a standout in any collaboration.

With accolades like the Ophir Award for Best Score for the colossal animation epos "Legend Of Destruction" and the Jerusalem Film Festival Award for the heartfelt "Daniel Auerbach," Yonatan's compositions are celebrated for their originality and emotional depth. Be sure to check out Yonatan's projects like Apifera, Geshem and Avishai Cohen's Big Vicious.

If you're looking for a fresh, out-of-the-box perspective to your project, Yonatan is your go-to artist. His fingerprint infuses every project he touches with a unique and captivating energy.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Yonatan Albalak

Masok
Günter Baby Sommer*
מטרופולין*
Daniel Zamir
אהובה עוזרי*
Avi Lebovich Orchestra
LayerZ (2)
Marina Maximilian*
Sol Monk
LayerZ (2)
Live Beat Tapes*
שם-טוב לוי* ו אבי ליבוביץ' אורקסטרה*
שי צברי* ו נבחרת הגרוב של המזרח התיכון
מארינה מקסימיליאן*
Nitai Hershkovits
Buttering Trio
Amir Bresler
מוקי*
Various
דויד ברוזה* = David Broza
Geshem (2)
Time Grove
Time Grove
Rejoicer
Liquid Saloon
Rejoicer
Various
Яejoicer*
Avishai Cohen*
Apifera
Geshem (2)
Steve Arrington
Avishai Cohen*

Languages

English
Hebrew

8 Reviews

Endorse Yonatan Albalak

by Zach Drory
Hello, I am pleased to endorse Yonatan, an exceptionally talented musician and a unique guitarist.

His performance is thought-provoking and unforgettable, and he has a true talent for conveying stories through music.

I have produced and arranged hundreds of songs, with Yonatan playing guitar in most of them. There is no way to quantify his influence and contribution to my arrangements.

Aside from his endless musical abilities, Yonatan is highly organized and cooperative. He replies quickly, has great communication abilities, and is enjoyable to engage with.
by Morris Miller
Worked with Yonatan on my song, to which he added dimensions I did not know I wanted. Of course, he also did deliver what I wanted. Which is “the Albalak” magic.
Within a couple of hours we were done and the song transcended to “the other side”.
by Ronen Roth
I had the pleasure of working with Yonatan Albalak on several remote projects, and I can confidently say that he is a phenomenal musician and collaborator. Yonatan's play is exceptional, bringing a unique and captivating sound to every track. His quick response time and high communication skills make remote collaboration seamless and efficient. Yonatan consistently exceeds expectations with his creativity and professionalism. I highly recommend him for any musical project.
by Daniel Zamir
What a brilliant, versatile, soulful musician.
Love every note he plays
This guyyyy
by Simon Starr
Yonatan is a one-of-a-kind blend of emotional creativity, precise technique, an unswerving commitment to the highest standards, and a hard worker. I have been using Yonatan for over ten years, in which time, whenever I need international standard guitar sessions with the extra zing, I get in touch with Yonatan as soon as possible.
He is also a super intelligent, curious and multi-faceted autodidact with an endearingly dry sense of humour. Is this over the top? Yes, because what Yonatan delivers is over the top.
by Moti Frances
Yonatan Albalak has a rare and blessed combination of qualities: he is an extremely talented musician and a very pleasant and open minded person.

I had the privilege of working with Yonatan while recording my debut album, where he contributed various guitar parts to my songs. During these sessions I was exposed to some of the unique and beautiful wealth of what he can provide as a musician and a guitarist.

Yonatan is a big inspiration for me, and I’m sure that everyone who will work with him will gain a lot as a musician and as a person.
by Adee Gershon
I worked with Yonathan on my songs which he produced and played on.
He is an extraordinarily special musician who plays and produces in a variety of styles with unique creativity.
He has a rare ability to create completely new musical worlds and still maintain the taste and style of those he works with, he always has magnificent ideas and excellent listening skills, infinite musical knowledge and outstanding technical skills.
It's simple and pleasant to communicate with him.
I definitely recommend working with him both in terms of the experience and the result.
by Alon Lotringer
This guy is a rare bird. A true professional with a range of expertise that combine the knowledge of an old school educated musician, with the technical abilities and imagination of a post modern multi-genre producer. A generous class act with great communication and distant online service. Fast reaction, fast working pace, and everything at the highest standard possible. Highly recommend!!

Interview with Yonatan Albalak

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I'm just one thing.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I can do the conventional stuff, but looking for new and interesting stuff is where I like being, so keep an open mind:)
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, portable recorder, headphones, Fm9.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been making music professionally since age 16 - so around 24 years now. I studied composition and guitar at the Jerusalem music academy, moved to Tel Aviv and played with dosens of bands, artists and musical projects. I've always combined between making my music (usually with bands) and taking part in other people's projects and productions. Learned so much from other people, mostly my colleagues, and also from digging by myself for thousands of hours. Still learning and i feel like the journey is eternal:)
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Thundercat, becuase he's extremely talented and a goofeball.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Doing my thing, playing around in my studio, coming up with sounds that make my ears perk and delivering emotion to other souls.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: "What are you hearing on this track?" And I like to connect distant dots on the map, like: "If Johnny greenwood and Herbie Hancock took shrooms together" Lol.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are the genres you like, How far do you want me to go? Do you want it focused/abstract, astral/earthy, minimalism/maximalism
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: My band Apifera is a very special project that's changed the way i see music. We are four members, each with his own distinct style and language and we write, produce, record, mix together, and this way of working "democratically" really takes us to another level of music making. every note, chord, sound or other aspect of the creation is filtered through 4 different personalities, resulting in a very distilled outcome, with all the cliches, blind-spots and stylistic inconsistencies left behind.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: A solo album of my songs which I'm writing with my good friend and amazing producer Rejoicer.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Roni Eytan - an amazing Harmonica player Petros Klampanis - A versatile Bass Ace Ronen Roth - A highly demanded mix and mastering engineer
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: That is a pretty stale debate in my opinion. I like to close my eyes and go with whatever sounds good:)
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: To give you colors rarely heard, to take your music to the 4th dimension, and of course to deliver accurate, fast and hi end tracks.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Shifting shapes and delivering both organic and other-worldly sounds, whether it's straight/conventional or abstract/textures, I like to visualize the details of sound and create something you can almost touch and even taste.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Air, colors, hooks, rhythm, harmony, and whatever I feel the tune needs.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: One way of working is where clients send me stems of the music and possibly a chart. Usually within a few days I record as many tracks as requested on various instruments, export them and send them back. Another option is I build a production from scratch around a basic idea, including structure, harmony, drums and everything the track needs.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Electric Psychedelic Post-Jazz Cinematic Modernism.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Amazing musicians like Quincy Jones and Miles Davis are big advocates of looking for the space between the notes. It's easy to overload, so I always like to leave room for the listener's soul to fit in the music.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, rock, electronic, cinematic, nu-jazz, funk, vocal, instrumental, groove, ambient.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My main gear: Macbook pro RME Fireface Neve 1073 Preamp Neumann M49b (70's) Deusenberg Falken Electric Guitar Hofner Artist 185 Bass Guitar Takamine EN10 Acoustic Guitar Fractal Audio FM9 Line6 Helix Teenage Engineering OP1 Various pedals and plugins Ableton Live 12
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Louis Cole, Thundercat, Tame Impala, Boards Of Canada, Blake Mills, Steve Reich, Soundgarden, Little Dragon, The Bad Plus, Hiatus Kaiyote, Mr. Bungle, Massive Attack, Frank Zappa, Air, Claude Debussy, Sergei Prokofiev.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I record various instruments - From Guitars (Electric, acoustic, bass, baritone) to synths, drum programming and sample based textures and hooks.