The Apples (Israeli Band)

The Apples took shape in 2002 through a transatlantic phone call: the band's bassist, then living in the United Kingdom, rang the drummer, then based in Switzerland, and proposed creating what DJ Erez Todres later recalled as a "monster super-group."[1] The founding members were scattered across Tel Aviv, New York, Haifa, and Jerusalem, making it difficult to bring the group together.[1]

The band was founded by DJs Uri Wertheim — known by the stage name MixMonster — and Ofer Tal, known as SchoolMaster.[4] Its broader lineup drew on graduates of Jerusalem's Rubin Academy of Music alongside musicians from South Tel Aviv's underground scene and jazz circles associated with Haifa.[5] Contemporary accounts identified nine members, including four horn players, two DJs, a drummer, a bassist, and a sound-console operator.[5]

The Apples blended funk, hip-hop, big-band jazz, rock, and turntablism, weaving horn arrangements and raw grooves together with DJ scratching.[1] Live performances could incorporate Ray Charles samples and traditional Jewish klezmer melodies within the same set. Todres summarized the band's range as combining rock, electronic music, jazz, hip-hop, and "classical'n'oriental" elements.[1] When asked about the band's one shared musical touchstone, he was unequivocal: "The one thing we all agree is that James Brown is the godfather!"[1]

The group's approach to performance was structured yet improvisational. Drummer Yonadav Halevy described the live set as operating somewhat like a DJ mixing records — linking one track to the next so that transitions, pauses, and spontaneous moments became part of the audience interaction rather than interruptions of it.[5] A Globes reviewer characterized the energy of their concerts as closer to a rave or mass dance party than a conventional alternative-music show, contrasting the repetitive, dissonant qualities of their studio recordings with the dance-focused propulsion of the live experience.[4]

By 2012, The Apples had released five albums. Their debut, Mitz (2003), was made primarily for the band itself; the follow-up, Attention (2005), came in response to outside demand for more material.[5] Both early albums were released independently, and the second was also pressed on vinyl — a format that helped attract interest from abroad.[2]

The third album, Buzzin' About (2008), followed a record-deal advance and was released on the UK label Freestyle Records.[5][1] It contained twelve tracks combining hip-hop, blues, and funky jazz through sampling and mixing.[4] The fourth album, Kings (2010), featured collaborations with American funk trombonist Fred Wesley and Israeli world-music figure Shlomo Bar, leader of HaBreira HaTiv'it.[5][3] Four tracks on Kings featured Bar: "Al-Wajdi," "Ani, Atah Ve-Hu," "Halikha La-Armon," and "Banana-Jam." They followed roughly two years of joint performances and recording work.[3]

The fifth album, Fly on It, was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Records studio after the band was commissioned by the label.[5] Halevy described the record as "really intense, heavy, a somewhat relentless beast," adding that "the peaks are higher, and the lows are deeper."[5]

An earlier standalone release that proved pivotal was a 7-inch single of the band's cover of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name." The recording came about after DJ Adrian Gibson — described as the band's English patron — heard them perform the song live and urged them into a studio.[2] The single sold rapidly and drew attention to the group in funk scenes across the United States, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand.[2]

The Apples built their reputation primarily through live performance. By 2007 they had toured more than ten cities in England, and their domestic shows were drawing large crowds: at one concert at Tel Aviv venue Comfort 13, roughly 1,000 people packed the room while several hundred more were turned away at the door.[2]

In 2009 the band embarked on a UK tour as its third album, Buzzin' About, was released on Freestyle Records, having recently completed dates in Israel.[1] Further touring was planned across the UK, United States, Israel, and Europe.[1] Their music attracted notice from prominent UK broadcasters and DJs including Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, A Skillz, and Mr Scruff, who played or praised the group's releases.[1]

The Apples eventually disbanded, though no precise date for the breakup has been reported. In 2020, saxophonist and guitarist Yakir Sasson said that he had performed with The Apples until the group dissolved; the report gave no breakup date.[6]

The band's history connected an unlikely multi-city formation to independently released records and international touring.[1][2] Its later work included collaborations with Fred Wesley and Shlomo Bar and a fifth album recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Records studio.[5][3]