For someone who has spent years producing electronic club tracks, returning to the piano to write songs might seem unexpected. But for Omri Smadar, "Interplanetary Affair" - his debut album as a songwriter and recording artist - represents the completion of a circle that began when he was first drawn to making music in his teenage years.
The songs accumulated gradually over the past few years, like a cluster of stars forming a constellation with its own recognizable story. This evolution follows his successful 2-volume Collage remix project, club EPs on labels like Correspondant and Hard Fist, and sold-out live shows - finding him in peak momentum.
At the album's heart lie vintage analog synthesizers and modern instruments, but the arrangements expand to include live drums, percussion, brass, and strings, creating a rich tapestry that incorporates influences from disco, synth-wave, soul, jazz, and indie-pop, all unified by a psychedelic sensibility into an undeniable modern sound.
What sets the album apart is its foregrounding of vocals. Smadar sings for the first time on record across three tracks, while collaborating with Roy Avital (Garden City Movement), Kayma, underground project Megaphonim, neo-soul artist Dafna Shilon, Brazilian musician Udi Fagundes, post-punk royalty Berry Sakharof, Sun Tailor, and the Nona Youth Choir. They are joined by acclaimed trumpeter Sefi Zisling (Tru Thoughts, Raw Tapes), drummer Ofer Bymel, and Sakharof's majestic guitar playing.
The standout "Lose Your Soul" (in collaboration with DJ Jenia Tarsol) transforms Dead Man's Bones' 2009 song into a timeless anthem that's become a sought-after ID in DJ sets worldwide.
Having performed at venues like Rex Club and fabric, and his earlier music gaining support from Jamie XX, Jennifer Cardini, and Gilles Peterson, this debut marks a bold new chapter in his evolution as an artist. In returning to his songwriting origins, Smadar has created something entirely his own, charting new territory between electronic production and timeless songcraft.