Brad Rubinstein
| Brad Rubinstein | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Binyamin Adam |
| Birth name | Bradley Adam Rubinstein |
| Born |
August 24, 1972 Ilford, Essex, England |
| Origin | Beit Shemesh, Israel |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | London, Shemspeed |
| Associated acts | Lisp, Shtar |
| Website |
shtarmusic |
Bradley Adam "Brad" Rubinstein (born August 24, 1972; Ilford, Essex, England; Hebrew name: Binyamin Adam) is an English-Israeli Orthodox Jewish guitarist, songwriter, and producer based in Beit Shemesh, Israel. Initially gaining fame with the short-lived London trip hop band Lisp, he moved to Israel after becoming a baal teshuvah and co-founded the Jewish hip hop group Shtar.
Career
Lisp
In 1995, Rubinstein, then living in East London, co-founded the trip hop band Lisp, together with vocalist Johnnie Gordon, bassist Jason Hall, drummer Adam Rich, and Disco Inferno's Paul Willmott on keyboards. Two years later, the band was signed to London Records' Mind Horizon imprint by Pete Tong.[1][2] While with the label, the band released two singles, "Flatspin" and "Long Way to Climb" (the latter of which received airplay on XFM)[1] and their debut album, Cycles, which released in 2000.
During this time, Rubinstein was encouraged by his father to start rediscovering his Jewish roots, ultimately leaving the group to avoid concerts that fell on the Jewish holidays.[2] Lisp ultimately disbanded in 2001.
Shtar
Following his religious awakening, Rubinstein moved to Israel and began studying at the Aish HaTorah yeshiva in Jerusalem. There, he met rapper and fellow baal teshuvah Ori Murray, with whom he co-founded the Jewish hip hop group Shtar in 2006.[3] They released their debut album, Infinity, in 2011; it was re-released the following year after the group signed to Shemspeed Records.
In December 2012, the group independently released the Boss EP, which he co-produced with Adrian Bushby and which featured a collaboration with Jewish rapper Nissim (then D. Black) on the song "Rabbit Hole".
Personal life
Rubinstein lives in Beit Shemesh with his wife and six children.
Discography
- With Lisp
- Cycles (2000; London)
- With Shtar
- Other
- Shtar, Boss EP (2012) - co-produced with Adrian Bushby
- Ari Goldwag, Am Echad (2013) - mixing, post-production
References
- 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Lisp". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- 1 2 Ben Bresky (June 25, 2010). "Yeshiva Hip-Hop Band "Shtar" Releases New CD". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ↑ Marder, Rachel (Dec 6, 2012). "The Israeli Music Scene's Rising 'Shtar'". Algemeiner Journal. Retrieved 11 January 2013.