Israeli Musician Alexander Kotler Releases New Animated Music Video "Salome"

Israeli musician Alexander Kotler, the frontman of the band "Gefilte Drive," has released a new song titled "Salome." The track is slated for his upcoming album, tentatively named "About War, About Love, and About Everything Else." Kotler is currently working on his fourth album with Dmitry Stuchevsky at One Step Recording Studio.

Kotler explained that the "Salome" in his song deviates from the traditional depiction and draws inspiration from Oscar Wilde's play of the same name. He also cited Roman Viktyuk's play "Salome" as an influence, particularly the line "Let the poison of your lips touch my mouth." The song explores themes such as the femme fatale, the dance of the seven veils, the conflict between strength and weakness, desire versus reality, and acceptance of inevitability.

The song's accompanying music video was created using a meticulous, hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation technique. The video's creator is Polina Tronchik, a professional book illustrator and animator. Tronchik, who began her career in book graphics, has mastered various hand-animation techniques and has received awards at international festivals. She is also the inventor of the "Portable Animation Studio," a compact, foldable wooden setup designed for hand-animation filming, complete with lighting, a stage, and a camera mount.

Tronchik, originally from Donetsk, currently resides and works in Poland, where she balances her animation projects with teaching creative workshops for children and adults. The song "Salome" features music and lyrics by Alexander Kotler, with recording and production by Dmitry Stuchevsky. The arrangement was a collaboration between Stuchevsky and Kotler. Other musicians involved include Konstantin Balabin (bass guitar), Dmitry Stuchevsky (guitars), Shay Miora (drums), Maxim Kofman (brass programming), and Alexander Kotler (acoustic guitar).