Sivivon, dance to the beat

December 17, 2009 - 3:39 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Music, Pop Culture 

Infected Mushroom

Infected Mushroom

If it’s Hannukah in Israel, then it must be time for… trance music!

Yes, it may not have been around in Maccabean times, but modern day Israel is a hotbed of innovative electronic music. So, why not mix the levivot and the sufganiyot with a little psy trance, the form of dance music that Israeli artists have become identified with around the world?

Thursday night, the immense parking lot near the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem, is going to witness a Hannukah blow out, featuring probably the most successful Israeli musical artists the country has ever produced – Infected Mushroom.

Celebrated DJs who perennially make the top DJ list in international magazines every year, Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani (Duvdev) formed their electronic music project more than a decade ago near Haifa, after having been exposed to the trance music coming out of the Goa region of India.

Their music has evolved into a full-fledged rock-tinged extravaganza, and their latest CD, titled The Legend of the Black Shawarma (honoring the group’s favorite restaurant – Shawarma Hazan in Haifa), features guests spots by Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and Korn’s lead singer Jonathan Davis.

While the band relocated to Los Angeles a few years ago for career advancement, Duvdev told me that they wait with anticipation to return to Israel to perform for a hometown crowd.

“It’s definitely different coming back to Israel to perform. It’s like a homecoming, but the expectations are so high when we come back, there’s more pressure on us to have a great show in Israel than in other places,” he said.

Also performing on the electronic dance fest will be Astrix, an Israeli DJ originally born in Russia and the Matbucha Project which combines Middle Eastern music with electronica.

Certainly, it won’t be a traditional Hannukah event, but one that will likely make the capital a bit brighter on this Festival of Lights.

Tags: , , , ,

Hang the blessed DJ

November 8, 2009 - 2:44 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Music, Pop Culture 

Infected Mushroom - number 12 on the Top 100 DJs list.

Infected Mushroom - number 12 on the Top 100 DJs list.

Israelis are not only making their mark in world high tech and science. We also know how to boogie… or whatever people do when that electro-trance jackhammer stuff is playing.

British dance music bible DJMag knows what to call it, and being the experts they are, their readers recently came out with its ‘Top 100 DJs’ list, and there are six Israelis on it! No British boycott of Israel going on here.

Just in case you care, the top three DJs in the world are Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, and David Gueta. But our interest piqued already by the number 12 slot, awarded to Israel’s very own Infected Mushroom.

According to the magazine, the long-time duo – Erez Aizen and Amit Duvdevani – are the most likely to cross over to the mainstream, thanks to their album ‘Legend of the Black Shawarma’, which featured vocal contributions from Perry Farrell of iconic rock band Jane’s Addiction.

“We are continuing to play the Infected sound, which is continually evolving and building,” Amit explains. “‘Legend of the Black Shawarma’ was almost three years in the making and it encompasses rock, trance, breaks, psychedelic and many more styles,” he says.

Stopping in a number 43 was Ofer Nissim, the Tel Aviv-based DJ who helped bring Dana International to stardom. Besides a residency at the club Forever, Nissim has earned a worldwide reputation for performing at gay pride parades that take place across the globe.

“This year I’ve been finishing a double album with Mya Siman Tov, a singer songwriter. I also did a remix for Whitney Houston, which was very special,” he says of the latest in a long line of high profile collaborations that include Barbara Streisand and Christina Aguilera.

To see the complete list of the top 100 DJs and who the other four Israelis are, check out DJmag.

Here’s a clip of Infected Mushroom performing at a festival in Rio.

YouTube Preview Image

Tags: , , ,

 

© 2012 ISRAELITY | Site by illuminea | Sitemap