Kutiman

Ophir Kutiel, who records as Kutiman, was born in Jerusalem in 1982 and has built a career as an Israeli composer, instrumentalist, and producer whose work emphasizes dance rhythms and groove-based textures while frequently exploring collaborative online video formats. He also forms half of the production team Sabbo & Kuti. He began piano lessons at six and added drums and guitar during his teenage years. Following secondary school he enrolled in jazz studies at Rimon Music College, where he encountered the producer Sabbo, whose influence directed him toward reggae, Afrobeat, and funk. In 2006 Kutiman joined the Cologne label Melting Pot Music, and the following year he issued his first full-length release, Kutiman, which contained the tracks “No Groove Where I Come From” and “Music Is Ruling My World” with guest vocals from Karolina Avratz of Habanot Nechama.

During the same period he conceived the Thru You series, constructing original pieces by splicing together unrelated YouTube clips of musicians working in disparate styles. The resulting videos appeared in 2009, quickly accumulated more than ten million views, and broadened his audience. He later extended the approach through Thru You Too, My Favorite Color, Off the Grid, and location-specific works shot in Krakow, Tokyo, and Tel Aviv. As a sought-after studio collaborator he continues to team with Sabbo under the Sabbo & Kuti banner; their contributions to Karolina’s album What Do I Do Now? earned Israel’s ACUM award in 2010. Returning to solo work, Kutiman released the jazz-inflected Space Cassava in 2016 and followed it a year later with 6 A.M., which included appearances by Adam Scheflan and Karolina.