boom pam
By Jordan at The Zion ListSometimes contemporary Israeli music can sound a bit schmaltzy. That's just my hot take, but overly synthesized ballads seem to dominate the airwaves. In my search for something a bit more authentic, I stumbled across the granddaddy of Israeli bands: Boom Pam.
Maybe stumbled is the wrong word, because when you hear Boom Pam, their sound wallops you in the face with surfy guitar licks, retro keyboard riffs, swinging rhythms. and booming tuba bass lines.
Yes, you heard me right: tuba. It's not the dorky brass instrument you remember from high school band, but the driving force behind Boom Pam's sound. Formed in Tel Aviv, the band takes its name from the legendary Aris San song "Boom Pam," and you can hear that influence trickle into their music. I'd describe their sound as desert Balkan, '60s-inspired, psychedelic surf rock.
Boom Pam doesn't check its sound at the door. Whether they're backing Berry Sakharof or jamming with Tomer Yosef, they bring their infectious grooves, thumping tuba bass lines, and surfy swagger along for the ride. One standout collaboration is 2010's Dancing Across the Abyss with Beni Bashan, which is an absolute banger of an album. Between Bashan's crooning and Boom Pam's unmistakable sound, it's stayed in heavy rotation on my commute to work.
Boom Pam just feels like my Israel. Their music is the perfect soundtrack for a drive to the desert, along the beach, or up to a remote hilltop moshav. It captures that exotic, sandy, windswept landscape while infusing it with quirky Eastern European flourishes. Like Israel itself, Boom Pam is a little wild, a little unpredictable, and a ton of fun, bringing together influences that shouldn't fit but somehow couldn't belong anywhere else. It's a soundtrack that conjures the spirit of the Jewish pioneer in Eretz Yisrael.
If Boom Pam's music doesn't transport you to 1960’s Israel, it'll at least make you want to shake your tail feather. And if you're anything like me, you'll never hear a tuba the same way again.
At a Glance
Who: Boom Pam
Where: Israel
Why It’s On The List: Their thumping tuba bass lines and surfy Balkan exotica are totally infectious
Find Them: Instagram
a raucous good time
beni bashan
x boom pam
album cover
modern band -
60’s sound
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worth seeing live
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