Rejoicer, aka Yuvi Havkin, is a musician and producer who splices together funk, hip-hop, breakbeats and jazz rhythms. He’s known for helping cultivate Israel’s modern beat movement, and for fostering a community of international artists who contribute to his label Raw Tapes. With more than 20 releases to his name under several aliases, Havkin also plays in the band Buttering Trio, and has collaborated with the likes of Mndsgn, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Dudley Perkins and Black Milk, among others.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
I guess my friends… Learned so much from being around great musicians.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
Around 2006, after making the simplest grooves on Fruity Loops, 2 good friends – DubZ and Hellmo showed me CUBASE and I was hooked till today.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
King Tubby – Dub from the Roots
Marion Brown – GeeChee Recollections
Sun Ra – Jazz in Silhouette
iogi – the ceiling
Aphex Twin – …I Care Because You Do
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
So much stuff… I stayed in Berlin for almost 2 years and have many good memories from the city…
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
Cafelix – bomb cafe in downtown TLV.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Drainage.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
Hiroshi Yoshimura ‘Green’ in Disk Union Shibuya, Tokyo.
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
David Lynch.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
One of the best ever for me was this september (2018) with Buttering Trio at WWW club in Tokyo.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Very important… :)
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
Ya I have 2 brothers, an older one and a younger one. How do i feel about my art is a weird question i fell :)
In August Rejoicer released Energy Dreams, his first album for Stones Throw Records. Rooted in beats and jazz, the project explores the idea of what it means to be awake, and questions the more surreal aspects of human consciousness.
Photo © Robb Klassen
