LennyTunes has spent the last years building a distinct organic house language rooted in live instrumentation, analog synthesis, Middle Eastern maqam, North African rhythm, and club-focused groove.
Photo credit: LennyTunes – Official
Behind the project is producer and composer Lenny Ben Basat, whose career has moved through film scoring, Mediterranean pop, electronic music, and collaborations across Europe and the Middle East.
His work includes scoring Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano’s feature ‘Le Sens de la fête’, collaborations with Avishai Cohen and Riff Cohen, and co-writing ‘Miş Miş’ for Turkish pop artist Simge. Since launching the LennyTunes project in 2019 with ‘The Bellydance Superstars’, his catalogue has continued exploring the connection between regional musical traditions, live performance, and contemporary electronic production.
His latest EP, ‘Jaffa Cakes’, was recorded almost entirely live in Jaffa and expands that approach across six tracks shaped by bansuri, Bedouin ney, qanun, kalimba, balafon, analog synths, live percussion, and violin taqsim. Following releases such as ‘Fine Sands’ and ‘Jericho’, the record pushes deeper into rhythmic and percussive territory while maintaining the emotional warmth of live musicianship.
To celebrate the release, LennyTunes shares 10 tracks that helped shape the musical world behind ‘Jaffa Cakes.’
1. Ziad Rahbani – Mais El Rim
“Ziad Rahbani is a great teacher for me because of the way he connects different worlds without making it feel forced. In ‘Mais El Rim’, I hear disco, bellydance energy, Lebanese sweetness, theatre, groove, and melody all sitting together naturally. There is a lightness in it, but also a very deep musical complexity.”
2. Cymande – Dove
“‘Dove’ is a moody, psychedelic, jazzy masterpiece. I love how patient it is. The groove stays steady and deep, while the guitar slowly opens the emotional space above it. It feels like the instrument is not just soloing, but becoming the voice of the track. That balance between rhythm, atmosphere, and live improvisation is something I connect to deeply, especially in the way I think about ‘Jaffa Cakes’.”
3. Omar Khorshid – Guitar Al-Hob
“Omar Khorshid is my favourite guitar hero. He had an amazing ability to take bellydance melodies and play them with a psychedelic guitar tone that still sounds fresh today. His phrasing is very vocal and expressive, but the sound is electric, sharp, and cinematic. I love the way he makes the guitar feel like it belongs inside the orchestra, but also slightly outside of it, almost like a magnetic movie character. That tension between tradition and the electric sound is something I always come back to.”
4. Aharon Amram – Sam’at Soutak
“Aharon Amram is one of my favorite singers. He also represents a very rich Yemenite-Jewish musical tradition, especially with amazing vocalists. The rhythms, the melodies, and the way the voice moves all have a very deep connection to memory and place. It is music that feels ancient, but also completely new and alive. Check out his prolific 50-year catalogue of wonderful music.”
5. Ofra Haza – Im Nin’alu
“‘Im Nin’alu’ is a masterpiece in the way it carries tradition into a modern sound. A true classic. Ofra Haza’s voice has something almost unreal in it: spiritual, clear, emotional, and powerful. The production also shows how a traditional melody can travel into a completely different context and still keep its identity.”
6. Maalem Mohamed Kouyou – Boiler Room Marrakech Live Performance
“The hypnotic groove of Gnawa music has always been a big inspiration for me. In this performance, you feel how repetition becomes trance. The rhythm keeps moving, but it also opens space. It is about going deeper and deeper into the same pulse. That idea is very important for dance music as well. A groove does not need to shout. If it is strong enough, it can hold people for a long time and slowly pull them into another state.”
7. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia – Raag Hamsadhwani
“Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is my favorite flute player, perhaps on any instrument. His direct tone has incredible emotional depth. In Indian-Karnatic classical music, especially with raga, the story unfolds slowly through improvisation. It is not only about melody, but mostly about patience, breath, development, mood, and atmosphere. The flute, in that case, is not just playing a beautiful catchy melody; it is telling a story in real time. That way of thinking is very close to what I look for when I bring live instruments into electronic music.”
8. Rastak – Mandiir
“Rastak are one of my favorite bands from Iran. What I love about them is the combination of strong roots, energy, and incredible musical complexity. The music feels alive and connected to tradition, but it is also arranged with a lot of intelligence and movement. There is something about music from that region that carries both celebration and depth at the same time. It can be very physical, but also very detailed. That balance is something I connect to strongly.”
9. Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited – Shumba
“Thomas Mapfumo is a master of vibe and flow. This is the kind of music you want to continue forever. The groove does not feel like a loop, even when it is repetitive. It keeps breathing. The musicians create this constant stride and movement where every part supports the next one. That is a big lesson for me: how to keep a groove alive without overloading it. Sometimes the deepest thing is just to let the music flow and trust the players.”
10. Stimming – November Morning
“Stimming is one of my favourite artists who really shows me freedom of expression in club or techno music. ‘November Morning’ has vulnerability. It is electronic, but it does not feel mechanical. There is emotion in the details, in the fragile nature of the sounds, and in the way the track opens itself slowly. This is a reminder for me that electronic music can be very personal. It can be beautifully clanky, almost broken, and still work rhythmically. That kind of emotional honesty is something I respect deeply.”
Bonus mention: Omar Souleyman – Mawal
“This one brings me straight back home. There is something in Omar Souleyman’s music that can remind me of the raw energy and sounds I have around me in Jaffa: weddings, streets, voices, celebrations. This music has that direct connection to the region, and a wild intensity.”
LennyTunes’ ‘Jaffa Cakes’ is out now. Stream and download your copy here.
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