Rami Fortis

Infobox musical artist
Name = Rami Fortis

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Origin = Tel Aviv, Israel
Genre = Rock, Punk rock
Years_active = 1975 - present
Label = CBS
Nana Disc
Hed Arzi
Helicon
Associated_acts = Mayim Hamim, Chromosome, Jean Conflict, Minimal Compact, Foreign Affair, Fortisakharof, Fortis Bros.
URL = [http://4tis.com 4tis.com]
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Rami Fortis ( _he. רמי פורטיס, born July 7, 1954, Tel Aviv) is an influential Israeli rock singer.

Biography

Rami Fortis (normally known just as "Fortis") is of Iraqi and Italian origin. He is considered one of Israel most influential rock singers. He served in the 1973 Yom Kippur war and was highly influenced by his experiences at the front. He began his musical career in 1975 as a lighting-man in the shows of the Tamuz band.

His 1978 album “Plonter” is considered a breakthrough in Israeli music and one of the most influential in the history of Hebrew rock. This album was to become one of the wildest and noisiest albums ever to be recorded in Israel. Plonter was way ahead of its time and was influenced by such artists as The Clash, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop and The Ramones, and was characterized by topics and style that were unfamiliar and unconventional In Israel at the time it was released.

Meanwhile a group of his Tel Aviv friends, guitar player Berry Sakharof (with whom Fortis had played in S.O.B), bass player Malka Spigel (who was Fortis' girlfriend at the time) & singer/ poet Samy Birnbach (who had contributed lyrics to "Plonter") formed Minimal Compact in 1981 in Amsterdam. The band established itself as an alternative rock band in Europe, signing to Belgium's Crammed Records label, making two albums and adding drummer Max Franken. In 1984 Fortis was asked to join and stayed with them up to the first split in 1988. He was part of the line up which produced the band's two best known albums: "Deadly Weapons" produced by Tuxedomoon's Peter Principle and "Raging Souls" produced by Wire's Colin Newman. He went on to tour with them extensively in Europe and Japan. Minimal Compact remain notable as the only (mainly) Israeli band to have gained considerable success outside of the country. They had a song ("When I go") included in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire movie soundtrack and had covers designed by Neville Brody and Russell Mills.

On his return to Israel in 1988 he recorded his second album, "Sipurim Mehakufsa" ("Tales from the Box"), a collaboration with Berry Sakharof which has been described by many music critics as the most important rock album ever to come out in Israel. Later albums included a collaboration with Mashina's Shlomi Bracha. Since 2004 the collaboration with Berry Sakharof has been revived with the re-formation of the duo Fortisakharof.

Fortis resides in Beit Yitzhak in Israel and is married to Naomi, director of the Batsheva Dance Company.

Discography

* 1978 – Plonter (Knot), (Hebrew: פלונטר)
* 1988 – Sipurim Mehakufsa (Tales from the Box), (Hebrew: סיפורים מהקופסא)
* 1990 – 1900? (Fortisakharof)
* 1992 – Lehitraot Bechalomotai (See You in My Dreams), (Hebrew: להתראות בחלומותי)
* 1992 – Kshehagitara Menaseret Et Halaila (When the Guitar Saws the Night) (Live, Fortisakharof)
* 1994 – Shoter Poshea VeHa’anak Halochesh (Cop Crook and the Whispering Giant)
* 1996 – Eifo Hasusim (Where’s the Horses) (Fortis Bros.)
* 1998 – Ratz Al Haketzeh (Running on the Edge) (With Shlomi Bracha)
* 2001 – Hatzi Otomati (Semi Automatic)
* 2006 – Al Hamishmeret (On Guard) (Fortisakharof)

External links

* [http://4tis.com Official site] (Hebrew)
* [http://www.taar.co.il/indexenglish.html Tel Aviv Alternative Rock: Alternative rock]