FREEZE
Joshua Alexander Israelievitch, aka Freeze, was born in St. Louis and moved to Toronto before his first birthday. Growing up in an artistic family with a dedicated concertmaster for a father, he developed a passion for making music.
"For me," he explains, "music is not only a form of expression and entertainment, but also a way of life and a medium for communicating a message of reality and positivity."
Living in an environment where his father was constantly practicing violin and performing, and a significant value was placed upon culture and creativity, it seemed natural to be looking to music as a profession. Studying and playing piano since he was five, he also spent time with guitar, saxophone and various kinds of drums, from djembes to full drum sets.
"I've always been surrounded by piles of tapes, cds and records, and I 'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel and be inspired by many cultures and genres. I listen to anything and everything I can get my hands on, whether it be from the West, the East, South America, Africa or anywhere else."
His oldest brother, a recording artist known as Psy (of the Oddities), introduced him to hip-hop at an early age, lighting a fire that led to Freeze's first beats nearly a decade ago. He started collecting LPs, and digging through all sorts of records for sounds became central to his work.
"Sampling can be a wonderful way to pay tribute to someone, but unless you make it your own and really do something original with it, it can come across as lazy and unprofessional instead of creative. What I like to do is blend live instrumentation with bits of samples, and that helps me achieve the grainy, organic feel that I love."
Although he was already accustomed to performing piano and playing with other musicians, it wasn't until he recorded his first song with Psy at 17 that he discovered how fulfilling it was to compose and vibe with other artists in the studio. Since then, he has been working with Book and collaborating with the likes of Grafh, Psy, Doxx, Chip Tha Ripper, Moka Only, Saafir, and many others. On his 20th birthday (Dec. 18th, '07), he independently released "The Big Chill," the first installment in what promises to be a long line of projects.
With a knack for bringing out the musicality and emotion in those he works with, Freeze has developed an ear for putting together cohesive albums as well as striving to make each song powerful enough to stand on its own. Currently in school at York University studying liberal arts and music, recording and producing continue to be his primary focus. In the last year, he has put out three promotional mixtapes with a charismatic Cleveland up-and-comer, Doxx ("Swagger Music," "Uptown USA," and "Shoot Me"). They continue to build up the hype for their first group album, "Let's Be Famous," that approaches its release in mid 2009. Freeze's second solo project, "Flightplan," is almost finished and will be coming out in the new year as well.
Web: www.listenclosemg.com
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