Welcome to the eclectic world of master mixer, cratedigger, musical continent-spanner So Called AKA Josh Dolgin. Looking beyond the usual pantheon of samples for hip hop artists, So Called explores the shtetls of Eastern E... more »urope and the Yiddish vaudeville stages of 2nd Avenue for inspiration. Armed with his Akai MPC, heritage and love for genre-bending music, So Called is a Yiddish rapping, accordion weilding, Klezmer-hip hop maestro. Heralded by Jewish, Klezmer, and hip hop musicians alike, including Killah Priest, Theodore Bikel, and David Krakauer, he builds Jewish music from the bottom up.« less
Welcome to the eclectic world of master mixer, cratedigger, musical continent-spanner So Called AKA Josh Dolgin. Looking beyond the usual pantheon of samples for hip hop artists, So Called explores the shtetls of Eastern Europe and the Yiddish vaudeville stages of 2nd Avenue for inspiration. Armed with his Akai MPC, heritage and love for genre-bending music, So Called is a Yiddish rapping, accordion weilding, Klezmer-hip hop maestro. Heralded by Jewish, Klezmer, and hip hop musicians alike, including Killah Priest, Theodore Bikel, and David Krakauer, he builds Jewish music from the bottom up.
CD Reviews
So-Called, Balkan Beat Box, Hip Hop Hoodios = Best New Jewis
Lil' Creeper | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/03/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"DJ So-Called (aka Josh Dolgin) has put together a clever project that brings together some incredible musicans for a hip-hop Passover seder. Also a musician with klezmer maestro David Krakauer, So-Called laces hip-hop beats with klezmer music for a goodtime that both youngsters and their grandparents would probably dig.
2005 has really shaped up to be quite a year for Jewish-alternative music. First, Latino-Jewish crew Hip Hop Hoodios blew me away with their full length debut "Agua Pa' La Gente", which fuses funk, hip-hop, Rock en Espanol, klezmer, and sephardic melodies. Then Balkan Beat Box crashed the party with their excellent debut, which likewise has a great 'everything but the kitchen sink' aesthetic. It's nice to see that Jewish music is finally coming around in a manner that will appeal to hipper audiences. I'll be curious to see what 2006 brings...."
Low rating unwaranted
Daniel Feldman | Denver | 11/30/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I had to chime in after seeing how this had a low rating based mostly on people not liking the language, which I don't think are profane or bothersome. To the contrary, it adds a degree of emphasis to the pieces, and is barely heard across record as a whole. The other reviews seem to give it low ratings because people expected to hear a connection with other "similar" artists. Socalled's music is highly original and this record follows suit, so throw out expectations of it sounding like someone else. It ties together so many unlikely subjects with a highly realized vision that makes the music accessible, educational, beautiful, and fun. I can't wait to see what he will do next and thank him for bringing me closer to understanding Judaism through fun, creativity and first-rate musicianship. Oh, and you gotta love the packaging too!"
Great stuff
Simon Charbonneau | Montréal | 09/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I loved the hip hop / yiddish music mix ! Great hybrid music, it's inspired, you can feel the meticulous work behind it. I read socalled's got like 4000 jewish music albums and well, it shows!
See also Ghettoblaster..."
Genius
E-dogg | New York, USA | 09/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Worth every penny. So Called has talent and has great beats, and funny lyrics, and are just enjoyable to listen to, especially with the knowlegde of Judaism. I saw So Called live, and it was the funkiest, funniest, and was a ton of fun. So pass out for passover!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1