OUZO BAZOOKA – EPK 2025
Middle Eastern psychedelia, surf, funk & cinematic groove – returning to the stage with new album Kapaim.
Ouzo Bazooka is the Tel Aviv-based project of guitarist, composer and producer Uri Brauner Kinrot, fusing Middle Eastern modes with psychedelic surf, funk and garage-rock energy. Over more than a decade and six albums, the project has become a reference point in the new wave of Middle Eastern psychedelia, touring across Europe and Japan and appearing at festivals including The Great Escape, Fuji Rock and Sziget.
Their new album Kapaim (“palms”), released on Batov Records, is a mostly instrumental suite of hypnotic basslines, saturated guitar and deep, head-nodding rhythms. Written, performed and recorded largely solo by Uri, the record has already drawn strong critical attention, and with a sold-out first vinyl pressing now repressed, Ouzo Bazooka are returning to the stage with a refreshed live show.
For fans of: Glass Beams, Derya Yıldırım, Khruangbin, LA LOM, David Axelrod, Oh No.
QUICK FACTS
Artist: Ouzo Bazooka
Origin: Tel Aviv, Israel
Genre: Middle Eastern psych rock / surf / funk / alternative
Latest album: Kapaim (Batov Records, 2025)
Key singles from Kapaim: “Kapaim”, “Seeds”, “Asia”
Current focus: Booking club and festival shows after a long break from touring.
Ouzo Bazooka are a Tel Aviv-based project fusing Middle Eastern scales with psychedelic surf, heavy grooves and garage attitude. Over six albums and more than a decade of activity, they’ve become recognised as key figures in the new wave of Middle Eastern psychedelia, touring extensively across Europe and Japan and appearing at festivals including The Great Escape, Fuji Rock and Sziget.
Their new album Kapaim (“palms”), released on Batov Records, is a mostly instrumental journey of hypnotic basslines, cosmic guitar and deep, danceable rhythms. With Kapaim and a sold-out first vinyl edition now repressed, Ouzo Bazooka are returning to the road and re-igniting their live show.
For fans of: Glass Beams, Derya Yıldırım, Şatellites, Khruangbin, LA LOM, David Axelrod, Oh No
BY THE NUMBERS
Audience snapshot – Spotify, Apple Music & Bandsintown
Spotify for Artists
(ast 28 days)
36,865 listeners
94,551 streams
3,489 saves
4,538 playlist adds
16,184 followers
Top countries right now: United States, Germany, Turkey, France, Israel, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Poland.
Top cities right now: Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Ankara, Izmir, Athens, Budapest, Warsaw, Brussels, Munich.
Apple Music for Artists
(current dashboard – global)
13.4k total plays
341 average daily listeners
1.6k Shazams
684 radio spins
Top countries right now:
United States, Israel, Japan, France, United Kingdom
Top cities right now : Tel Aviv , Tokyo, Paris, London and Sydney.
Bandsintown for Artists
5.9k followers
+74 new followers in the last 30 days
Top Bandsintown cities: Tel Aviv, Berlin, Jersey City, NJ, London, United Kingdom, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Istanbul
~37k monthly Spotify listeners (~95k streams in the last 28 days) with 16k+ followers and strong playlist support across the US, Germany, Turkey, France and Israel. On Apple Music they count 13k+ plays, 300+ daily listeners and 1.6k+ Shazams, and around 5.9k fans follow the band on Bandsintown, with Tel Aviv, Berlin and Istanbul as leading live hubs.
LATEST RELEASE - KAPAIM (LP)
Title: Kapaim (“palms”)
Format: Digital, LP (multiple limited vinyl editions)
Label: Batov Records
Release date: 6 June 2025
Running time: 9 tracks, ~35 minutes
Vinyl / sales note
The first vinyl edition of Kapaim sold out quickly; the album has been repressed, with limited colour variants also selling out via Bandcamp and selected record stores.
Sound & Themes
Kapaim is a mostly instrumental record where Middle Eastern scales glide over deep basslines, tight drum grooves and saturated psych-surf guitar. The album touches on Anatolian rock, 70s soul and funk, library-style soundtracks and modern psych, with arrangements that leave space for the music to breathe. It’s designed to work both on sound systems and onstage, with many tracks naturally unfolding into extended live versions. Critics have highlighted the album’s hypnotic grooves, cosmic guitar work and its blend of Mediterranean soul, Turkish-funk space-rock and spiritual jazz colours.
RIYL / file tags :Middle Eastern psych, surf rock, Anatolian funk, cinematic groove, global psychedelia.
FOCUS TRACKS
Primary focus: 'Kapaim'
(single & title track)
Additional single options
Immediately recognisable groove and hook
Clear snapshot of the Kapaim sound: funk-driven rhythm section, hand-clap feel, melodic Middle Eastern guitar and synth leads
Works for psych, global grooves, downtempo/leftfield, Balearic and alternative playlists
“Seeds” – hypnotic, bass-forward track with a strong melodic line; fits global grooves, leftfield funk and slightly darker/atmospheric playlists.
“Asia” – slow-burn, melodic album opener with a soulful tone; good for psych, “global” and late-night radio contexts.
FULL BIO
Ouzo Bazooka formed in Tel Aviv, channelling the city’s crossroads energy into a sound where Middle Eastern scales, surf guitar and psych rock naturally collide. Led by guitarist, vocalist and producer Uri Brauner Kinrot, the project takes familiar tools – fuzzed-out riffs, reverb-drenched melodies, vintage keys and driving drums – and bends them around Mediterranean and West Asian tonalities. The result is a sound that feels at once classic and forward-looking: melodic, cinematic and firmly rooted in groove.
The self-titled debut album (2014) and Simoom (2016) introduced this East-meets-West approach and laid the ground for Transporter (2019), which pushed the band further onto international stages. Along the way they released the EP Songs From 1001 Nights (2018), often cited for its intense, sweaty, genre-hopping take on Turkish-leaning psych and organ-driven surf.
With Dalya (2021) and the live LP Astral Session / Live at Teder (2022), Ouzo Bazooka expanded their palette: longer forms, thicker atmospheres and a more cinematic feel, while keeping the direct, danceable energy that made them a festival favourite. Dalya in particular drew praise from European blogs and magazines, described as adventurous yet accessible, warm, hypnotic and full of positive energy.
Their sixth album Kapaim (Batov Records, 2025) brings the project into a more intimate, studio-driven phase. Written, performed, recorded and mixed almost entirely by Uri at his studio in Eilat, Kapaim has been described as Ouzo Bazooka’s most personal and sonically adventurous album to date – a sun-drenched fusion of psychedelia, Mediterranean soul and cinematic groove, drenched in Middle Eastern surf-psych, Turkish-funk space-rock and spiritual jazz colours.
On stage, Ouzo Bazooka built a reputation as a powerful live act, with tours across Europe and Japan, sold-out Tokyo dates and sets at The Great Escape, Fuji Rock and Sziget. At one point they were playing well over a hundred shows a year. After a longer break from intensive touring, the band are stepping back into the live arena with a renewed focus: bringing the Kapaim material and catalogue highlights back to clubs and festivals, with sets that can lean rockier, deeper-groove or more cinematic depending on the context.
LIVE SHOW & BOOKING
Ouzo Bazooka’s live set is built around danceable, psychedelic grooves: saturated guitar, deep basslines and long-form vamps that move between Middle Eastern melodies, surf guitar and psych-funk. Depending on the slot and event, sets can lean more rock-driven, more groove-oriented or more cinematic.
Past touring includes extensive runs across Europe and Japan, sold-out shows in Tokyo and festival appearances at The Great Escape, Fuji Rock and Sziget, establishing the band as a reliable, high-energy live act. After a significant break from the road, Ouzo Bazooka are now actively booking club and festival dates around the Kapaim campaign, with flexible set lengths from 45-minute festival slots to 90-minute headline shows.
* Suggested copy for bookers :
After several years of intense touring and a subsequent break from the road, Ouzo Bazooka return with Kapaim, their sixth album and a new live set that traces the full arc of their catalogue – from fuzz-laced surf rock to deep, hypnotic Middle Eastern psych-funk. With strong streaming bases in the US, Germany, Turkey, France and Israel and proven ticket demand in cities like Tel Aviv and Berlin, they are a natural fit for psych/world stages, crossover festival slots and late-night club shows.
SELECTED ALBUMS
Kapaim – LP
(Batov Records, 2025)
Mostly instrumental Middle Eastern psych-funk; multiple limited vinyl editions; first pressing sold out and currently on repress.
Astral Session / Live at Teder – Live LP
(Stolen Body Records 2022)
Live recording from Teder in Tel Aviv, capturing extended jams and the band’s heavier psych side.
Dalya – LP
(Stolen Body Records 2021)
Lush, melodic psych with strong Middle Eastern and surf elements; widely praised by European blogs and magazines for its adventurous yet accessible sound.
I Dream of Naomi /ナオミの夢 – SINGLE
(Batov Records 2021)
Dreamy, cinematic material featuring Japanese vocalist Yurika; a more reflective, late-night side of the project.
Transporter – LP
(Stolen Body Records 2019)
High-energy record that leans into garage-psych and road-tested live material; ambitious in scope and rich in detail.
Songs From 1001 Nights – EP
(Stolen Body Records 2018)
Intense, genre-hopping EP frequently described as lively, claustrophobic and “sweaty”, with a strong, distinct identity.
Simoom – LP
(Satalite Records 2016)
Heavier, fuzz-forward psych rock with strong garage influences.
Ouzo Bazooka – LP
(Helicon, 2014)
Debut album that established the band’s East-meets-West surf/psych signature and introduced Uri’s approach to Middle Eastern psych rock.
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
Praised across the UK, Europe, Japan and beyond, Ouzo Bazooka’s albums have received strong support from outlets such as The Third Eye, You & The Music, BetreutesProggen, La Planète du Stoner Rock, Les Chroniques d’Eddy, Monolith Cocktail, God Is In The TV and more.
The Third Eye (UK) – on Kapaim: describes the album as the band’s most personal and adventurous work so far, a sun-drenched fusion of psychedelia, Mediterranean soul and cinematic groove.
You & The Music (UK) – on Kapaim: highlights its blend of Middle Eastern surf-psych, Turkish-funk space rock and spiritual jazz colours, and recommends it to fans of Glass Beams, Derya Yıldırım, LA LOM and similar global-psych artists.
BetreutesProggen (DE) – on Dalya: praises the album as “bringing the sun of the Middle East into every speaker” and calls it completely successful and hypnotising.
RockTimes (DE) – on Dalya: calls Ouzo Bazooka “a very cool indie band from Tel Aviv”, impressed by how naturally they merge lightly oriental sounds with psychedelic rock and danceable music – “psychedelic rock from the Near East – a cool thing.”
Les Chroniques d’Eddy (FR) – on Dalya: describes the record as comforting and enveloping, with a hypnotic quality and a sense of warmth, ultimately calling it a kind of small masterpiece in positive, psych-leaning rock.
La Planète du Stoner Rock (FR) – on Dalya: presents Ouzo Bazooka as specialists in upbeat, positive psych rock with electronic touches and describes Dalya as a real delight of positive energy.
Monolith Cocktail (UK) – on Songs From 1001 Nights: calls the EP lively and intense, with a claustrophobic, sweaty vibe across the whole record, hopping across genres while maintaining a strong identity.
Japanese coverage – blogs and music sites in Japan describe Ouzo Bazooka as a Tel Aviv psychedelic band mixing an exotic Middle Eastern atmosphere with surf rock, often in connection with their Fuji Rock appearance and Japan tour, and have reviewed releases from the debut through to later albums.