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“I used to paint and do sculpture,” says Renno (aka Ran Shem-Tov), founder and lead singer of the eclectic Israeli rock band, Izabo. “But then I picked up a guitar, and I never went back.”
The band’s 2003 debut LP, The Fun Makers, garnered huge critical acclaim, and spawned two national hit radio singles. Izabo soon signed to Sony BMG, which released their British debut, followed by a European tour. Throughout their career, Izabo’s musical style and range have embraced styles as diverse as indie rock, disco and Middle Eastern music.
“Renno is a personal hero of mine,” producer Muskat says. “We were in a band together as teenagers, so there is a lot of mutual trust. He’s like some kind of mad scientist.” Renno played the violin on ‘Perfect is Dead’ with an invention he designed and built himself. “He’s also a serious food freak,” Muskat says. “And in some strange way it translates into his playing and production skills. Working with Renno is like being in the kitchen with a master chef.”
Born just outside of Tel Aviv, singer and multi-instrumentalist Renno sleeps just four hours a night, feeding off the energy of this small but intense city. “Everybody here is doing something creative,” he says. “Everyone you ask in the street is some kind of artist. Or wants to be.”
Renno and his band Izabo have collaborated with a wide range of artists over the years, both on stage and in the studio – from Ahuva Ozeri to award-winning choreographer Ohad Naharin. Izabo’s collaboration with Shotei Hanevuah produced the award-winning hit single ‘Hu’. In 2012 the band was chosen to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, with their song ‘Time’. Sadly the song didn’t make it past the semi-finals. “I am not a guy that cries about what didn’t happen,” Renno says.
A completely self-taught musician, Renno values the mistakes he has made along the way. “After teaching myself the guitar and bass, I decided to learn the drums,” he recalls. “You do it the wrong way at first. But you learn stuff that those that did it right the first time will never see.”