Hailed by the New York Times as “dizzyingly versatile… an eclectic with an ear for texture… strikingly original and soulful”, LJOVA (Lev Zhurbin) was born in 1978 in Moscow, Russia, and moved to New York with his parents, composer Alexander Zhurbin and writer Irena Ginzburg, in 1990. He divides his time between composing for the concert stage, contemporary dance & film, leading his own ensemble LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND, as well as a busy career as a freelance violist, violinist & musical arranger. Among recent projects is a string quartet for Brooklyn Rider and a commission for Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, arrangements for Alan Pierson and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, tenor Javier Camarena, conductor Alondra de la Parra, the Mexican songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, composer/guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla, The Knights, and collaborations with choreographers Aszure Barton, Damian Woetzel, Christopher Wheeldon and Eduardo Vilaro (with Ballet Hispanico). Ljova is also the composer and conductor of the video project “Signal Strength“, shared by over 200,000 viewers worldwide.

SoulFeast Music is a joint Production and label venture initiated by producers Brian Michel Bacchus &  Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell.  SoulFeast is also a Soulful and Cathartic production entity for Dance Music production and presentation that incorporates the skills of these two Iconoclasts with other like minds in the Undergound Dance Music community.  And by Dance Music, we mean any sounds that make you want to Move Your Body,  regardless of genre!
        
      In 1997, Blue Note Records was looking for an A&R man and was able to coax Brian Michel Bacchus into accepting a position that lasted four fruitful years. More importantly as to the formative chemistry behind SoulFeast, he enlisted friend and cohort Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell to remix several classic tracks by Blue Note artists Cassandra Wilson (Run The Vodou Down & You Don't Know What Love Is), Ronny Jordan (London Lowdown), The Wild Magnolias (Battlefield) and Salif Keita (Tolon Willie).  Claussell also enlisted Bacchus to co-produce 2 Tracks with him of Japanese artist Monday Michiru (Chasing After The Sun & Mysteries Of Life) for her 4 Seasons project on Polydor KK. Bacchus' parting gift to Blue Note was the signing and A&Ring of Norah Jones' Come Away With Me, which went on to garner 8 Grammy Awards. On the heels of this runaway success & the crumbling of the Twin Towers, Bacchus finally escaped the major label Ball & Chain and left Blue Note to pursue independent production again. The first person who called was Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell, who suggested they form a separate production co-venture.  And so SoulFeast was born! Mixes by SoulFeast include the Afro-Brazilian jam "Manhattan" by Eliane Elias, "For Fun" & "Universe" by Rh Factor [Nominated For A Grammy] and "One Day (My Love)" by N’Dea Davenport, "African Lady" By Somi, "Life Is Real" and "Down On My Knees" by Ayo and an ongoing series of collaborations with legendary drummer Chico Hamilton ("I’m Still Thirsty", "Magical Maiden") called Alternative Dimensions.  
        
      Besides working as SoulFeast, both Brian Michel Bacchus and Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell each produce music under their own names and entities.  Bacchus  as Brian Bacchus still works as an independent producer for various artists (Gregory Porter, Lizz Wright, Allan Harris, Sarah McKenzie, Richie Havens, Janis Siegel, Sullivan Fortner, Brian Owens, Quiana Lynell, Matthew Whitaker,  to name a few) and Claussell has several imprints (Sacred Rhythm, Spiritual Life Music, and Mental Remedy) that he releases music under.  He is also in constant demand as a producer and remixer as well as a cosmic DJ in the US and overseas(Body & Soul, Sacred Rhythm, Cosmic Arts)and has opened a new venture in Brooklyn, Cosmic Arts.  Check it out!

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