commenced piano lessons at the age of six and then learned to play drums and guitar at 14 years of age. When Kutiel was 18, he moved to Tel Aviv to study jazz at Rimon Music College. While working at a local convenience store in Tel Aviv, Israel, Kutiel discovered a college radio station that was playing genres of music that were vastly different from the classical jazz he had been accustomed to up until that point in time. Following this experience, Kutiman met Sabbo, another Israeli artist, who introduced him to Afrobeat and funk music, including the sounds of James Brown and Fela Kuti, among many others. As Kutiel's taste for music deviated from his traditional training, in 2003, Kutiman embarked on a journey to Jamaica, where he researched reggae and worked with both Stephen and Damien Marley.