Lee Triffon

inger, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lee Triffon is about to bring you in her universe, the one where another sun is shining. Close your eyes and get hypnotized by the indietronica of “Different Sun”.


After having lived and grown up as the frontwoman of the prog-rock band Eatliz, the artist, who is from Tel Aviv but is now living in Los Angeles, was also part of the synthpop duo Mononokii. She also published music as Kokoro. All these previous lives lead us to say that the artist is not short of ideas and perseverance.

Lee Triffon‘s “Different Sun” is the debut single from an upcoming EP whose tracks will be monthly unveiled.
The song is announcing a new artistic and experimental move. It will be the first time for her to officially release music under her name as a solo artist. “Different Sun” was produced by London/Tel-Aviv based producer Ariel Levinsohn (Another MP) and sounds like Kylie Minogue going on acid or MDMA. It is striking in different aspects and we can’t wait next month for a new track!

By the way, Lee Triffon‘s “Different Sun” is featured in the Deer Du Bois playlist of this week! The track is available for free download on Soundcloud, so enjoy! - Highclouds

Lee Triffon might be a new name for many, but the debut single from Tel Aviv’s native is far from a beginner’s attempt at making a remarkable track, it’s an instant hit.
The mystery that revolves around this name is felt in her debut single, which will be featured on her up-coming EP. Lee’s musical background is influenced by her world wide touring experience while fronting for an indie prog-rock band (Eatliz) and her former release (Kokoro).

“Different Sun” is a melting pot of futuristic melodies, carefully crafted downtempo percussions and a hint of Lana Del Rey’s mysterious atmospheres.

Borrowing from the best of atmospheric, electronic and pop music, ‘Different Sun’ is a tool for the imagination to travel. - True Music Network

INTRODUCING // 30 JUN 2016
Lee Triffon “Different Sun” (Video Premiere / Exclusive)


Lee Triffon is an Israelite emerging singer-songwriter, produced and multi-instrumentalist from Tel Aviv currently based in Los Angeles, who started her musical journey as Kokoro an as part of indie prog-rock band Eatliz, but now she’s back with new name and exciting new sound!
The first proper single from this era is called “Different Sun” and it’s a hypnotizing slow-burning electropop piece with a mermaid voice which reminds me a lot to early-Kylie Minogue.
This is confirmed as the first taste of her upcoming debut EP, which is expected to be released sometime this year. About the song, she told us:
It’s different in style and sound from my former work as I was drawn into a downtempo and atmospheric world, and is the evolution of all the experimenting with different genres and collaborators
“Different Sun” was produced by London/Tel-Aviv based producer Ariel Levinsohn and it was released on digital retailers on May 22nd. The music video was directed by herself and it was premiered exclusively right here on June 30th.
The result it’s atmospherically amazing! - Ultimate Music

PHOTO OF THE DAY: GIRL ROCKERS MAKE US SWOON AT CULTURE COLLIDE
Posted By: Frank Mojica |Posted In: Culture Collide , Photos | October 17, 2014 |No Comment
Remember when we recommended The Kokoro as a must-see artist of Culture Collide? Hopefully you didn’t forget…it was pretty recent. Well, we caught their first set on the festival’s opening night yesterday, and it was phenomenal. The final artist of the first night, The Kokoro were as much of a treat to watch as they were to hear. Musically, think back to Grimes’ summer jam “Go.” If she had continued in that direction rather than scrapping the album, it may have turned out something like The Kokoro.

Backed by a keytarist/vocalist, Tel Aviv-based Lee Triffon cooed soaring pop melodies before the backing beats jolted into a chaotic trap direction. In response, Triffon unleashed hell on the drums. The duo sported elaborately designed leotards and often left their respective spots on the stage to play while facing each other, as if entranced by the music. We were similarly enthralled, thanks to their aural onslaught as well as their dynamic performance style.

The Kokoro plays again tonight at Lot 1 Cafe at 11:00 p.m. Stay tuned for our full gallery and review of Culture Collide. Spoiler alert: lots more shots of The Kokoro are coming.

Photo by Frank Mojica - Lyynks Music

If Die Antwoord went to a sordid sex club, took Poliça’s vocoder with them and then highjacked a trap-fuelled dance floor…

As a naive teenager I went to Ibiza in the mid 90s (before I’d ever taken ecstasy) and hit up the Murder The The Manumission Motel. Thoroughly confused by the girls peeling potatoes in swimming pools, people carrying suitcases with human legs sprouting from the sides, and other mayhem designed for people on mind altering drugs, it was the video on the huge screens that stuck with me the most: slightly demonic girls who were also confusingly sexy taking showers in run down buildings…. which goes some way to explain why this track from The Kokoro gave me some weird flashbacks.

This delightfully disturbing video is part of an ambitious project from the warped minds of Lee Triffon and producer Dan Farber who clearly make music for your eyes as well as your ears. Lee (she’s a girl) is the force behind the creative concept: she is a woman with drive and ideas, and who frankly doesn’t give a fuck about what people think of her. She’d probably have fun at at a wardrobe swapsie party with Lady GaGa.

It’s impossible not to see some similarities with the outrageousness of Die Antwoord here – there aren’t many acts who make videos like this. Which is why the crazy video for Broken should rack up some considerable attention on youtube.

The Kokoro’s aptly titled album Demons will be out later this year. - Repeat Button

A short while ago we featured the mysterious duo The Kokoro as they teased with an intro video featuring apocalyptic shots from their upcoming productions. The duo followed this up with their outlandish debut video for “Broken“. The track lulls you into a false sense of security before hitting you over the head repeatedly with THAT drop.


The Kokoro, which means heart of things in Japanese, is the brainchild of vocalist and all round performance queen Lee Triffon with uber producer Dan Farber. Both have achieved numerous successes with their past output be it touring China, hitting up SXSW/Primavera/etc and achieving over 1 million views on youtube with Lee‘s previous projects. While Dan‘s production work has won him shootouts from some of EDM‘s biggest players as well as regularly scoring plays in the tens of thousands.

The Kokoro is a different proposition; A collision of worlds where no detail is left unattended. Not only has the duo prepared visuals for up to four tracks in advance but by choosing to collaborate with choreographers, dancers, fashion stylists means that there is a constant imagery and language seen throughout their work.

Of course this track may not be to everyone’s liking but love em or hate em The Kokoro elicit real reactions. Having had a sneak peak into their world I can not wait to see more and I’m convinced that The Kokoro have the material and the attitude to last the course.

“Broken” is out now and available as a free download via the duo’s FB. - Cougar Microbes

Now in its fifth year, Culture Collide continues to be a kind of international Echo Park Rising. It's still accessible at $30 dollars for a three-day pass, and like Echo Park Rising, the festival takes over Sunset Boulevard with enough music, craft beer and munchies to cause a riot.

But Culture Collide also offers a unique element of discovery that's now missing from major music industry gatherings like SXSW. This year alone, you'll be wigging out over avante-garde EDM from Israel and Korean rock 'n' roll that doesn't sound like homogenized, plasticky K-Pop — minds blown, right?

In all, over 60 bands from around the world will invade Echo Park for three days, October 16-18. Which means there's a lot to see when you're not getting blitzed in the beer garden — or trying to figure out what an Aussie BBQ is without missing the next set. But that won't happen, because you'll just take this list with you. Here are the five acts you simply cannot miss at this year's Culture Collide.

The Kokoro (Israel)
"Tel Aviv is an amazing city," said Lee Triffon, audio-visual artist behind The Kokoro, "It's a perfect mixture of culture and hype." Out of all the hype and energy of her hometown, which sounds a lot like L.A., Triffon (formerly a rock singer), decided to collaborate with co-producer Joni Zicholtz and renowned Israeli designer Yosef to create The Kokoro — an electronic project that combines elements of trap with melodic vocals, Japanese folk visuals, and fat bass. This will also be The Kokoro's first visit to Hollywood, so who knows: Triffon might turn up the volume (and Kabuki) during her speaker-melting set. At Taix, Thursday, Oct. 16 at 11:30 p.m., and Lot 1 Cafe, Friday, Oct. 17 at 11 p.m. - LA Weekly

CMJ week, also known as “When all my Hanukkahs come at once” (if I had Christmas I would tell you about it), is an all-you-can-eat buffet of international music concentrated within just a few blocks of New York’s Lower East Side neighbourhood, and over the bridge in Williamsubrg, Brooklyn. It’s also the worst, most FOMO-inducing week of the year for music lovers.

As an industry insider, running off to catch “the next big thing” and hoping you won’t be “that person” who didn’t catch the band everyone’s talking about at the moment – as a music lover, there’s also that incessant need to make sure that you don’t miss your favourite band, or the band that you’ve just discovered that you’d love to see twice even though you know there’s other new bands to discover, and then of course missing that epic moment in that random daytime set that you can’t attend because you have a day job – well, you know the deal.

Or maybe you don’t, which is why you’re reading this particular post. Because I’m here to tell you all about it, and give you the highlights of the week, and of course this is a week within which – disclaimer time! – there were multiple gigs at multiple venues with multiple artists at multiple times ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT. Think music festival, on steroids, with venues a lot farther apart than “oh yeah across that field past all the food trucks and near the big green tree installation thingy that we think is a strawberry but will find out tomorrow is an apple when our minds, um, clear”.
At the risk of not being the person who says “I called it and I saw them first”, here are the week’s discoveries, music lovers and music journos and music critics and music insiders alike:

The Kokoro

While Pianos is festival central throughout the week, it’s not always an after-midnight draw for the bleary-eyed playing showcases or attending conferences in the light of day. That all changed when The Kokoro took the stage close to 2am, at “Oy Vey CMJ”, a showcase headlined and curated by talented freestyle rapper Kosha Dillz, who bridged the hip hop and Jewish/Israeli community in a late night event at Pianos on Wednesday. The Kokoro is Israeli project spearheaded by the striking Lee Triffon, who arrived onstage clad in a black-milk-esque patterned catsuit, immediately winning in the Fashion Stakes at CMJ. Surrounded by multiple instrumentalists, lights and projections, Lee’s brand of “melodic EDM” defies stylistic conventions with live drumming, commanding vocals and a prevailing stage presence that causes her to throw up her hands and shake her head with laughter when trying to describe The Kokoro’s precise genre. As Israel becomes a hotbed of progressive electronic acts, The Kokoro’s live show along with their recent video releases cements their place on the watchlist.

Son Little

Son Little set the bar high by being the first show I caught all week, and despite not seeing most of it, the former RJD2 and Roots collaborator proved his solo act can live up to his resume, with bluesy keys and some light backup only complementing what came through to be most powerful vocals of the week. Closing out with the stirring “Your Love Will Blow Me Away”, local venue Rockwood – host to thirty odd bands per day, for five days – saw one of CMJ’s highlights – and at 7.30pm on Tuesday, night one.

Little May

Music for when you want to listen to the Dixie Chicks but don’t want to put it on Spotify because then everyone sees it and finds out that you still aren’t Ready to Make Nice; these Australian girls have been dubbed by some as “Haim noir”, but bring a lot more to the table – and the stage, which didn’t go unnoticed by the many punters and industry alike packing their shows out throughout the week, closing at the Aussie BBQ midnight slot on Saturday night. It’s folksy pop rock, but also with an almost tribal, gypsy-meets-Klezmer feel that makes you want to break out into a jig.

Tkay Maidza

Not everyone can convince a largely-industry-heavy crowd – even a packed out, predominantly Aussie one at Pianos – to climb down from their ivory towers and dance, but that’s precisely what this pint-sized Zimbabwean-Australian did, not once but several times throughout the week, even stepping off the stage and jumping on the floor to throw in some moves of her own as a ring surrounded her at Aussie showcases at Piano’s and The Delancey. Combining extensive rap that sounds not dissimilar to most millennial females on a hairbrush in the mirror with tightly constructed beats from her house DJ, interspersed with deliciously crunchy dubstep and slick drum’n’bass along the way, Tkay’s music isn’t just a show – it’s a party. Already getting attention in the US for her recent release of the Switch mixtape and the most recent video, this is one female rapper buzzing about CMJ with a lot more buzz to come.

Happyness

What is happiness? The concept – not the band? Well, one sign of good music is when you can shut your critical blogger ear off and start partying, and that’s what happened when these British boys hit the stage at Rockwood Stage 2, and admittedly non-rock-n’roll venue that still managed to host some of the best up-and-comers this past week, including Australia’s very own Delta Riggs. Fuzzy indie rock with a definite nineties undertone that makes you think for a second you’re still doing your maths homework and listening to Incubus, it’s really the lyrics that take the front row seat, even at this “child friendly set”, recorded for WFUV, with “no swearing”. “The more I talk to you / the more I like my dog / that’s why I take him out / when you come around” is just one gem from these very South London, very raw, very fun group of Brits.

San Fermin

In a week that’s often focused on catching the bigger bands in smaller rooms, it’s hard to bite the bullet and head to the Terminal 5 / Webster Hall showcases, even with the promise of crowd-pleasers like the hyped – and well-deserved Bombay Bicycle Club, Foster the People, Courtney Barnett (so beloved! So deserved!) and San Fermin. San Fermin wasn’t on my list, but with the album getting fair play on the work playlist and the fantastic darling of CMJ 2013 Courtney Barnett opening, it was a worthwhile addition to the CMJ roster. San Fermin are a big band, and they fill the room with a big room sound, which makes the big rooms a worthwhile stop on the list – as it was on Wednesday at CMJ, when the crowd at Webster Hall danced and sang and clapped and cried and laughed and joined in the San Fermin musical jamboree.

Banoffee

Another buzzed-about Australian electronic artist over the week, Melbourne’s Martha Brown brought her vintage synths and distorted vocals to the party with a sound that fits right in to New York’s club-loving crowd, amping up the crowd in a party-prep atmosphere with hits like “Let’s Go To The Beach”. Featured in Sounds Australia’s Beat Pie showcase at Santos Party House, along with a double header on Friday night at the Mondrian Soho and then Knitting Factory, the sweetly indulgent taste of Banoffee pie looks on its way to being flavour of the month.

Joseph

Until just over a year ago, Stage 3 at Rockwood Music Hall didn’t exist – which is why it took me 20 minutes of waiting for the band to come on to realize that I was in the wrong place. Packing out a tiny room in the basement, on the first night of CMJ, to see these sisters perform their harmonious take on sweet, country-like soul was a treat that lingered in the mouth for the rest of CMJ. - The AU Review

Visual art and music (namely fat bass) may not sound like they go hand in hand, but in the world of The Kokoro they explosively come together to create one of the most fascinating and unique displays of art. Israeli singer, songwriter, and rocker, Lee Triffon has always been fascinated by EDM. She recalls initially missing her days in a rock band, “However" she notes, "I began to realize it needed to go back to where it was rooted from. I wanted to create an audio-visual experience that would become the world of The Kokoro. That involved assembling an intimate group of artists that could work together on all aspects of this project.” She collaborates with many of Tel Aviv’s forward thinkers such as her life-partner/co-producer Joni Zicholtz, and praised Israeli designer Yosef, and renowned producer Dan Farber, to infuse her music with post-modern visualism. Between her colorful, sometimes erotic, presence and powerful beats, one thing is for sure — you will be stimulated. We cannot wait to see what this creative soul has in store for us in SF, LA, and CMJ NY.

AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

10/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Haus of Hipstamatic (Culture Collide)
10/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Taix (Culture Collide)
10/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lot 1 (Culture Collide)
10/22 – New York, NY @ Left Field (CMJ)

Find out Triffon's regular spots in her home town of Tel Aviv, Israel, which she describes as the perfect mixture of culture and hype.

Where are you from? Tel Aviv

What current city do you call home? Tel Aviv

Describe your perfect day in the your current city: Tel Aviv is an amazing city. It's a perfect mixture of culture and hype.

I'd say the perfect day would start with a walk in the park (Hayarkon) or with Yoga practice (there are many yoga studios all around the city) and then breakfast at one of my favorite organic restaurants (Caffe Louise), after some shopping at the local designers district (Gan Hashamal) and then the flea market. Then a trip to the old city of Jaffa, the most magical place around. There is always some kind of cultural event happening in, so maybe catch a street concert or exhibition, and then of to the most famous dance center (Suzanne Dellal) for a modern dance performance by local dance company Bat Sheva. Then off to the beach to watch the sunset and then dinner, so many amazing restaurants to chose from.... there is practically everything in Tel Aviv in this department. Then off to a rock or electro concert by one of the many local bands around, probably at a venue called Barby or Levontin 7. After that it's clubbing time!! Again, so many amazing clubs and bars to chose from, Tel Aviv is a 24/7 city, there is always a party somewhere. After that I would go jam at a place called HaEzor where after hours musicians meet to grab some beers and play until the sun rises.

What is your favorite place for happy hour? Rothchild 12 - they have the best cocktails on happy hour and there is always a live band playing.

What is your favorite landmark? I love the old city of Jaffa it has the most amazing energy.

What is your favorite undiscovered gem? A place called Port Said, only true Tel Avivians go there. It's located right behind what was the first synagogue of Tel Aviv. It's the most hype place at the moment to hang out.

What is your favorite neighborhood and why? Neve Tzedek - I used to live there for many years, it's the most bohemian neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Nowadays it has became a bit more touristy but it still has its charm.

What is your favorite dive bar? Shishko - always happy, the owners are always drunk and passing around chasers to everybody

What is the best place for coffee? So many... coffee is really good in Tel Aviv. I like a place called ahat ha'am but you are bound to get good coffee where ever you go.

Where is a late-night haunt we may catch you at? Pasage.

Best live music venue? Barby.

Best spot for shawarma? I don't do Shawarma, but if I did - Shawarma Shemesh.

Best play to still buy records? Hor Ba shahor.

Recommended hotel for someone visiting? Hotel Montefiori.

Favorite apparel boutique? I love local designers, there are quite a few but my absolute favorite is Yosef.

Favorite locally brewed beer or distilled spirit? Malca, Alexander, Herzel - all amazing.

LA Culture Collide is 3 days (October 16-18), more than 60 bands for only $30. Buy tickets at culturecollide.com/latix.
SF Culture Collide is 2 days (October 14 & 15), more than 40 bands for only $20. Buy tickets at culturecollide.com/sftix.

Keep up with all the latest from Culture Collide Festival here.
Photography: courtesy of The Kokoro - Culture Collide Festival

Are you ready for the "Wolf?"

ARTISTdirect has teamed up with The Kokoro, the EDM project of Israeli visual artist Lee Triffon, to premiere the video for "Wolf" from Demons, out next year.

The video for the song was filmed in Tel Aviv during Yom Kippur last year. Triffon explained, "Yom Kippur is a day where you're supposed to stay home and think about the last year. Because of that, there's something unexplainable in the air on Yom Kippur. My team and I thought it would be an amazing atmosphere to shoot a video. This video became a spiritual experience and cleansing process for me."

Although Triffon identifies as Jewish, she asserts that her Israeli roots have a larger impact on her music, explaining, "Israel is a condensed and intense environment to live in, especially for artists. For many Israeli artists, there is a constant flow of information to deal with. You question things all the time. It's what drives me to create and communicate."

Keep all that in mind when watching the clip.

And here's all the intel you need on The Kokoro: Originally from a rock background, Triffon was always fascinated with the melody, emotions and electric production that came out of the EDM scene. After initially forming as a group project, The Kokoro quickly became the sole creative outlet for Triffon and allowed her to follow her artistic ideas to their extremes with various collaborators, including world renowned producer Dan Farber, her life-partner/co-producer Joni Zicholtz, and acclaimed Israeli designer Yosef.

Featuring elaborate choreography and stunning war paint partially inspired by her love for the concepts of Japanese folklore stories, The Kokoro holds nothing back with its over-the-top visual elements.

The Kokoro will be making its stage debut in the U.S. at this year's Culture Collide and CMJ.

The Kokoro's U.S. appearances:

10/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Mission Workshop (Culture Collide)
10/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Taix (Culture Collide)
10/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lot 1 (Culture Collide)
10/22 - New York, NY @ Left Field (CMJ)
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/exclusive-video-premiere-the-kokoro-wolf/11198708#gsRwIRbdRQm0HHS3.99 - Artist Direct

Although she comes from a rock-and-roll background, Lee Triffon's current musical project- The Kokoro (taken from the Japanese word for "heart")- falls under the EDM category. But despite the genre shift, Triffon says that The Kokoro's live performances "still [feel] like rock." As a part of her tour with SKYROADS and Dorine Levy, The Kokoro stopped in New York City for the CMJ Music Marathon last month, where AXS sat down with her for an exclusive interview.

AXS: For the record, could you state your name and a random fact about yourself?

THE KOKORO:

Lee Triffon: My name is Lee Triffon- my artist name is The Kokoro. I sit down when I take showers.

AXS: Even in a really small, cramped shower?

Lee: I have to sit down, otherwise I can't concentrate. It's a thing.

AXS: How did you settle on the artist name, The Kokoro?

Lee: The Kokoro is my first solo project after many, many projects and bands. "The Kokoro" means "heart" in Japanese. Finally, I could connect with my heart.

AXS: You've been in a lot of musical projects and you've done a lot of different styles. How did this project come to fruition, with this EDM style?

Lee: I was always in to EDM and electronic music in general. I came from fusion rock and crazy stuff but I was always waiting for the electronic phase of my life to come to fruition.

AXS: How did you know it was time?

Lee: When I left my former band, I really felt it was time to go and do my thing. Everything pointed in that direction. The music producer that I did this album with, Dan Farber- I really love his style and he introduced me to many different genres within EDM that I was not as familiar with before. The combination of what he did and what I did was really fascinating so I was like, "Okay, let's just flow with it."

AXS: Who are some of your musical influences in EDM? What artists inspired you to pursue this style?

Lee: Well, basically the style that I do is different from what I really like but it's a mixture of things. I'm influenced not necessarily by EDM, but one of my favorite electronic artists would be Trentemøller. It's really a mixture of things and especially the people you hook up with. In this case, that was the musical producer and his influences- it's always about the connections and whoever you work with.

AXS: How does it feel different performing EDM vs. performing rock music?

Lee: I get a lot of show reviews saying that what I do feels very much like rock- I suppose the energy still stays. In the live set that I do, I play bass and my partner plays the keytar, but it feels very much like a rock thing still. It's so different because I'm used to having a lot of musicians around and this is kind of scaled down. But in the end, everything still feels like rock to me.

AXS: You are from Israel- what does the music climate look like there?

Lee: Tel Aviv is a very international city, so it's very much like New York vs. [the rest of] the US…. Everything is there. Tel Aviv is a very hyped place for clubbing- it's 24 hour craziness. It's a really cool city, you should come. Israel is a tiny, tiny, tiny country so the people who would be your audience for something that is not mainstream or for the musicians that work in English, it would be hard. For Israel, mainstream [music] would have to be in Hebrew. I love my country, and I do my best to still show [support].

AXS: Are there any other up-and-coming Israeli artists that Americans should check out?

Lee: We've been touring with two acts that I personally adore- one band is called SKYROADS and the other is called Dorine Levy, they're a duo. The three acts did Culture Collide together and now we're doing CMJ. They're really amazing; I love what they do.

AXS: Can Americans expect to see you back in the states any time soon?

Lee: Oh yeah, definitely. I'm really hoping to be back for South by Southwest if it works out- I really hope so. After that, the full album will be released.

AXS: So next March or so?

Lee: Yeah, hopefully- I'm having so much fun. I just love it here!

AXS: What's one US city you'd like to hit on tour but haven't performed in yet?

Lee: I would love to go to Portland and Maine. My drummer, actually, that came here today- this is an amazing story- he was not supposed to be here today; He's my best friend from high school, Michael- I called him up and went, "Listen, we don't have a drummer for CMJ" and he was like, "I'm flying in!" So he just flew in today.

I love Austin. I did South by Southwest and that was a lot of fun.

AXS: How do you respond to haters or anyone who doubts you as a musician?

Lee: I never really listen. I'm doing a lot of stuff. If everybody likes you, you're doing something wrong. Sure some people are not gonna dig you but other people are gonna love you. It's better to be that way, I think. - AXS