Tag: Chutney

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Britney Spears and Beethoven Come Together For Chutney’s “Toxic Moonlight”

I don’t care what you’ve been listening to today; I can confidently say that “Toxic Moonlight,” the latest track from Eora/Sydney-based klezmer punk collective Chutney will be the most surprising thing today. It might even be the most brilliant. The song combines Britney Spears’ pop anthem “Toxic” with Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” and it’s actually fantastic. It doesn’t end there though. The band brings together these seemingly disparate elements with their trademark Eastern European and Middle Eastern flair. And then we’ve got vocals from Ilan Kidron of The Potbelleez on top of that. It’s off the wall, but somehow it works!

“It was 2021 and we had a gig lined up with Ilan,” shared Chutney violinist Ben Adler. “We were in a reprieve between COVID lockdowns so we’d developed a certain nihilism that, in retrospect, was highly conducive to unfettered creativity. I was talking with Ilan about songs he’d like to sing with us, and he observed that the string riff in Toxic sounds “really klezmer” – we only discovered years later that it’s actually a Bollywood sample! Anyway, Ilan’s suggestion was all I needed to klezmer-ify Britney’s song. Something about its darkness and (toxic) romance then led me to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, especially after I realised that importing Beethoven’s descending bassline might open up a whole new set of possibilities for the otherwise pretty harmonically static ‘Toxic’ verses. I sketched up a chart and we tweaked it in rehearsal, at a gig and in the studio into its present form”.

“I was always really impressed with Mark Ronson’s version, and although Toxic had been covered plenty of times, I knew Chutney would translate it really daringly and originally,” Ilan added. “They have an unashamed ability to bend the rules; but somehow it works. This version plays between a dark oceanic void and a western bar fight. There is emotional drama and a dance between tension and release that I love here.”
Take a listen to this. I know it’s going to blow your mind. Chutney will continue bending the rules when they release their next album Ajar on August 6.

Photo credit: Max Goodman

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

CHUTNEY Covers “Kama At Yafa” For Israel

As we all look forward to the year ahead, it’s easy to get wrapped up in all the fun of the festive period. Eora/Sydney-based Jewish band CHUTNEY are encouraging us to remember the plight of people in Israel with their cover “Kama At Yafa,” which translates to “How Beautiful You Are.” First performed by Shiri Maimon in 2012 and featuring Hebrew lyrics, this new version aims to raise awareness of the nearly 140 hostages who’ve been held captive by Hamas since October 7.

“Like Jews the world over, the 7th of October shook us to our core. We felt compelled to take a principled stance and be our authentic selves, despite the risk of backlash,” explained the band’s leader and violinist Ben Adler. “Within 36 hours, we had postponed a big show scheduled that week and pivoted to perform instead for the communal solidarity vigil attended by almost 10,000 Jews and allies.

“We see this song as a prayer, not only for the hostages, but also for the spirit of the people of Israel: ‘Do not fall, do not break. Come back.’ We want this powerful message to reach Israelis and Jews in the furthest corners of the globe, and we encourage everyone to share it widely.”

This song has an important message, but it’s also just a fantastic song. I love that the music video lets those of us who don’t speak Hebrew understand the lyrics. However, as a big Eurovision fan I’ve always felt like music is a universal language. You don’t need to read the subtitles to understand the emotion behind guest singer Sarit Michael’s gorgeous vocals.

We’ll be hearing a lot more from CHUTNEY this year, with the band planning to drop more singles in the leadup to the release of their debut album in March.

Image used with permission from CHUTNEY

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Chutney” – Chutney

The influence of early 2000s British indie-rock acts like the Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks, and the Wombats can be heard clearly throughout Chutney’s self-titled EP. The roughened vocals and guitar-driven melodies are dripping in nostalgia. But when it sounds this good, it’s hard to get too critical.

With just five songs, Chutney keep things short and snappy. Opening track “Consolation Prize” is a mid-tempo charmer that eases us into the recording. It gives us a great taste of what Chutney are all about before they pick up the pace with “Genie’s Lamp.” It might sing about a relationship that’s “far away from love,” but I found the relaxed earnest pleas of “Sleep With Me” irresistible. “Outcast” is a bold floor-filler that makes me crave live gigs even more. I can just imagine how this would go off in some sweaty pub. Chutney hails from the Gold Coast, but the EP ends with an ode to South Australia’s capital. “Adelaide” is a fairly gentle outro, the sort of track that might play as the party winds down.

Chutney might not be able to leave the Sunshine State, but they’re organising some local gigs until those borders open up. Home state fans can catch them with Selfish Sons at Vinnie’s Dive on September 26.

Image used with permission from the A&R Department