A Fantastic Playlist on Yom Ha’atzmaut

In an effort to stay connected to the goings-on in the land of Israel this Yom Ha’atzmaut, I’ve been spending a lot of the day listening to Galgalatz radio.

After doing so for a while, I noted two interesting observations:

1. They’re ONLY playing Israeli music today.
2. Their playlist today is amazing!

You see, on any given day, the Galgalatz playlist features Israeli music only about HALF of the time. That means that every other song, generally, is sung in English.

To make matters worse, when they do play Israeli songs, well…let’s just say their taste in music doesn’t always align with mine.

Still, I listen often…mostly because, a. I had the privilege to visit last summer, and, b. They’re the biggest radio station in Israel, and EVERYONE’S listening.

So I was pleasantly surprised today when I discovered that I really enjoyed most of the songs they were playing! OK, so not every song was a slam dunk, but for the most part, I had a great time listening. So just for fun, I decided to jot down an hour’s worth of songs they played, from about 11:15 – 12:15 Eastern time (18:15 – 19:15 Israel time). Here’s the playlist:

Galgalatz Israeli music playlist (5/9/19)

1. Hatikva 6 – Od Pa’am Pa’am
2. Tipex – Perach HaShchunot
3. Lidoi, Astma, & Shaked Ferara – KaDaWa
4. Cafe Shachor Chazak – Yihiyeh B’seder
5. Sarit Hadad – Chagigah
6. Eli Botner & Yaldei HaChutz – Naim Achshav
7. Yehuda Poliker – Kim’at Kvar Noge’a
8. Idan Raichel Project – Milim Yafot MeEileh
9. Ivri Lider – Nesicha Sheli
10. Kobi Aflalo – Mah SheHaLev Bachar
11. Lahakat Geysot Hashiryon – Pashut Shironer
12. Jimbo J & Lahakat Spa – Asiti Asiti
13. Shlomo Artzi – Ahavtiha
14. Keren Peles & Ron Bochnik – Shkufim
15. Monica Sex – Manginah
16. Tzvika Pick – Ahava B’sof HaKaytz

Not bad, huh?

So my question is, why can’t Galgalatz offer this kind of playlist every day? Why can’t any Israeli station offer this kind of playlist on a regular basis?

Kan Gimmel’s playlist skews too old for my tastes, and most other stations tend to sprinkle in too much English music. I know, I know…it works for them, their audience, and their advertisers. But from my extremely selfish point of view, I wish there were more Israeli radio stations that played this kind of music on a regular, consistent basis.

I realize I may not be in the Galgalatz target audience…but would you agree that most Israeli radio stations don’t play the kind of music you’d like to hear with any consistency? Aside from our podcast, what’s your go-to source for Israeli music?