Ellyott Ben-Ezzer: "Breaking Boundaries in Israeli Rock" | Talks at Google

Very. Happy to be here so, you. Grew up in Tel, Aviv you know I actually I grew up in. The suburbs, okay, but, I spend. A lot of time in Tel Aviv's my grandparents, lived here mhm spent, a lot, of my time and then I moved here when, I was 18. So. Your, your great-grandfather. Was one of the founders of beef. Right. Yes, that's absolutely true, Wow, is there like a plaque there there, is a flag absolutely. That's, you I believe really, yeah Wow, it's yeah I don't know anybody else who I was like a relative. So. Pitiful it wasn't enough to lure. You away from Tel Aviv it's. It's. No. I. Mean. We did my. Other grandmother. Lived in plastic van we were there a lot and I still feel. The. Place is very dear, to my heart but. I. Never lived there so. What. Was the music scene like when. You were a teenager, like who did you listen to. Did. You did you want to be you, know anybody in particular I wanted, to be Patti, Smith, I, wanted. To be Joni Mitchell, and. I. Wanted, to be Karina, log and. And. Laurie Anderson, and I think in between these four. Founding. Mothers is, actually. Where I find. Myself and, I think, later on, Bowser, II was. Added, to this list and, in, between those. Great. Women, I find, my inspiration, so you still used to draw on them from your absolutely. And I had. A privilege of working, with two of them Rover, was early before she died. We, actually DJed, together. It's very sounds very strange to say as she wasn't, a DJ. But she, did Jade one night in this place where I, played, also and we. Also. Cooperated. On a. Music. For a theatre piece a few, years ago and. That was a dream. Come true really do something with her and Karina Lyle and me have been working together for several, years now so, and she's. She's a, one. Of the, greatest teachers I ever met yeah. The. First band, that you started was your brother's, band I guess that you were involved I they let me join yeah, did, you so, that you asked, they didn't pull you in I used, to just hang around with them I was fifteen they were 18 they were they. Seemed, to me like they knew it all you know they took me more or less everything I knew about being. In a band yeah and it. Was only later on after they, had finished the Army and I was in the Army they, lost a drummer because he was a pilot. In the army and, he wasn't available anymore. To jam, with him they, asked me to step. In as the drummer and. We. Played a, hard festival, and actually. We opened, for Karina, Lyle I was, 85, and I was like oh okay. Then and. Later. On they all went to do. Other things and, I, continued. With the music and actually, when I. Left, the country when, I was 21, and, when, I came back after a year just for a few weeks holiday I. Recorded. A few songs at, home with my brother who was in the, band and when, we needed a bass, player and a guitarist we, very naturally, called upon our friends. From his old band and, that's how actually the the classic, poliana Frank lineup, got. Together oh wow, so, tell us a little bit more about that well, what we did was we recorded, eight songs, at home. On. A full track recorder. Just as simple as could be and, we. Really, did, not, intend. To release any of it but. Some. Guy we knew just took it to. This new indie label that started in Tel Aviv the third ear I was an associate and, they. Decided. To release it as a cassette, mm-hmm, and the. Cassette was doing really well very, very quickly because, it was very different from, other. Things that were being released in Israel at the time it was so, very freeform. And, outspoken. And. Probably. Because it wasn't meant to be, released. And. We quite. Frankly didn't, belong to any scene or didn't much, care of. What. People, would make of it we just kind, of really. Recorded. What was in our hearts, and I think that's always the best way with music if you owe anything, if. You can really focus on. What. You, want to say and, shut. Out the whole world. Around you. You'll. Come out with something quite unique that. Was it so were you expecting to be that. It would be picked up or they noticed yeah and. I wasn't in the country, when it was released and all of a sudden I got this phone call and they said well it's selling. Thousands. I said, what. And. Please. Come and do some gigs so we weren't actually a functioning. Band at that point and we never were right, so you were just a studio studio, we were just, a group of friends who got together once in a while so we don't go that album and the next album the, year later 1990. Right and. Some. Gigs but we were living in three different countries now it's, four different countries and. So. We get together once in a while obviously we're still best, friends and one, of them is my brother yeah. Ten, years ago or nine years ago we did a big. Gig together mhm, celebrating, 20 years for the album but, we. Were always sort of a project and ongoing project, and not a functioning. Band so. Do you still collaborate, with them do you still write with Omer absolutely, ok how do you vary when, you're so. Well all, four of us have home studios, will not, so how my studio, is not a home studio, anymore but pretty, good studios and we send each other stuff right, and.

So. We collaborate, with each other not so much with the writing but with the, playing. Instruments. And doing, backing vocals or anything that anybody needs so, how does it work is you like, you. The. Person who writes, the piece of music lays down a track and then you ask other people to okay, you send it to them okay, and it comes back with bass guitar, or with a very. Weird noises or anything there anybody write wants to come up with yeah, so do when you send it out to you provide, like any kind of instructions like this is what I'm looking for or they just say like this is what I'm given. To start with let, me see what I can build around, in this core I think by. Now we've known each other for so long because actually. We were friends since high school though, there's no instructions. Needed, and I'm sure all. Of you in your work have, people like that that, you know, you can collaborate with and just, know know. Where it's necessary to send it and see, where they come. Up with right Wow. Are. You surprised, at, what, people come up with. Never. Like, come, back to you like, come, back totally, unexpected. Absolutely. But I mean I think across the board in everything, that I do it's, great I love being, surprised, but, what. Other the, other souls, that I'm creating with when they come up with this beautiful yeah otherwise, you sort of shut. Up in, your own world and there's. A limit, how. Often. You, can renew. Yourself you. Know it's nice, to work with other people do, enjoy. Performance. Or do, you perform, or, the composition, do, you like, before performing. In front of a live audience says, that feed you would you prefer studio. Work I like, all of it yeah, equally. I would say yeah I go, a bit crazy if I don't perform for, a while well, then you know if I perform, a lot and I miss the studio, and I miss just. Being, quiet. And working. On something and then all of a sudden realizing. That I've been there for eight straight hours did. Not drink did not go to the ladies, room I think I like. That as well going to my own tunnel, you mentioned that you left the country you were you were out of the country RIT for quite a while it was I would I think first Amsterdam, and London. Why. Did you choose those. Two countries I knew some people there I went there straight after, the army just to check things out and met. A lot of people was lucky. Enough to meet a. Lot, of women right. Away who would become my friends till this very day and, so I knew kind of where I was going and I stayed in Amsterdam, for a couple of years but I. Really. Wanted to make music in London was a lot more of a music city right, so I moved there and all, in all I was away for about. 14, years, was there a lot of culture, shock for you moving, absolutely. Well Saddam in Tel Aviv yeah yeah I mean it's funny because I'm said I'm in Tel Aviv at, the time were. Of, about, the same size and, with, both of them I would say that the music. Scene. Was. Kind. Of sleepy, in the same way but. Electronic. Music was just starting. Up and it started, exploding, in Amsterdam and even more so in London and, that, was a big difference from, Tel Aviv and that really interested, me so you said you had like a bigger, shot going to Amsterdam than -. Yeah. I think him where, London. Is a cosmopolitan, city. Yeah, it's, very mixed and. Amsterdam. Is, very Dutch yeah. And. It's very like you. Know you can be sitting in a squat which, I was living, in a squat, with. Like, the. Most left-wing. Anarchist. Person, you've ever met in your life, just. Kind, of trying to, absorb. You, know all these new ideas and, then you, said it's some that someone, okay, so how. About we go to the movies next week and oh how, you, know let's, meet up again and they bring. Their diary. And. They say well, you know a month from now on Tuesday afternoon, I have time between 4 & 6 that, is so unease really right, that was that.

Was My big shock right in the beginning right, everything, is very structured. Timed. Yeah. Controlled. It. Took me a long, time to. Read the, body language oh. Yeah, and to. Decipher, in the, beginning I thought nobody. Wanted. To be my friend in a way you know Irina's right right not, in a hostile bad way but I thought they were being quite. Uninterested. Whereas they were just being them right. Right I mean Israelis you know what they're thinking. And. I guess sort of Northern, Europeans, you it's it's different and London is you, know it's a huge monster. Of a city and people, are Brasher. And they're more. Energetic, and, it's, more, chaotic and, when. You were living abroad did you come home at all or you were like just a way for though now once a year okay okay. What. Did you miss did you miss anything while, you were there or it's, just you, just needed it, the. First few years I didn't, miss the place so much I. Guess, I needed the time away this is a very, intense place right, but, as time. Progressed, I, was. Missing, it and till, I finally came back and I, think, well. The weather in London is so fantastic, as you know. You're. The other second Israeli admit who says that and I think only Israelis, would ever say that no I mean I'm being like very. Subtle. It's. Always gray it's, you, know and. Yeah. Well. So. Having. Having, grown, up here and lived. 20. Odd years in. The sunshine, I was, I will, come the rain with open arms and the grayness and the cold and everything and then, about 10 years go by and, then, they I just looked. Out on my window and I said I missed. The sunshine. I need. The sunshine right now and that was it like there, was no going back after that yeah and. I. Love. This place I love this place, dearly, I'm over here I am, part. Of this, earth. I'm. Part of this place very, much so. And. I, was happy to. Have. The privilege to choose where to live and I chose live. When, you were there were, you mostly, with other. Resume Lea's or other musicians, or other expats. Like non-british. None, it. Was years before I knew any Israelis, in London one, or two friends but no I. Lived. Him I lived. In a big house with five other women for.

Many Many years and. They were a Dutch German Irish, English. And, Scottish was, the language, problem. For you, comfortable. I lived in the States when I was in high, school okay, so my English was pretty good but I was, told on my first week in London to. Lose my American, accent pronto. So. You want to be taken seriously looser, accent, you're, not American are you so if you're American, okay. What can you do tough luck but, if you are American, didn't you know lose, the accent I did. I've. Decided the. Music scene in London at the time was, such that if you had a none British, accent. Also. Meaning Australian. New, Zealand, you. Did not get jobs you did not yeah you were not taken seriously at, all even even, in song because like I find it often, in music the accent, tends to be less this. Is because the singers, lose. It lose their original acts, okay you know. Also. I think part. Of the whole revolution of. Was. That people. With, working-class. Accents. Whether it's northern, or cockney, also. Their accents, were not, acceptable. Right. Music and then all, of a sudden people, like. Billy Bragg you, know would, sing in their natural. Accent. And. That. Was a revolution, so also the Israeli accent with them so. If you find it music now it's it's a little bit more either acceptable. Or even yes. It's interesting, if. You speak in it it's a it's it's a lot more acceptable, and yeah. It's easier, definitely. When you when you perform there to do perform. In, Hebrew, much was it mostly in English all in English. Okay. Was that because you just felt it was more appropriate or that you would get more gigs that way or I didn't, feel the need in the beginning to before, when Hebrew Toland you do want your audience. To a words are very important, to me so, I wanted, my audience to understand. What I was saying okay, have. You ever performed in, Hebrew, to non-hebrew. Audiences, yes. Later on I. Would. Say maybe, two. Thousand, and two. Three. Four five. The. Next. Three are connect reincarnation. Of Pollyanna, Frank as a duo, with, me and Frank Elfman who is another, Israeli. Living. In London. It. Was a award-winning. Film composer wrote in Hollywood a lot, and. We. Met in London in, 99. I think and immediately started working together because we really loved.

What. We. Brought into this. Cooperation. And. We. Performed, as Pollyanna Frank in London in some, very, nice venues and some, of the stuff was in Hebrew and. People. Reacted, beautifully, tell, me about how they reacting to. Songs, spoken. Sung. In Hebrew you know like, how. Does it affect them do they do any of them in other words can, they, didn't know the words but I think the best thing to do actually is to sing a bilingual. Song, where you're singing, the same words in English and then in Hebrew, and they they really get into the Hebrew step to the sound, of this weird old, language. But then, if you sing the, next verse. In English they know what you're talking about as, my, lyrics tend to be. Also. Quite political, a lot of the time, it. Was important, to me that they know what I'm talking about right so, your, music in the beginning was quite political. These days, not as much correct, or is it yeah, it still is very much oh yeah okay. Is, it about the same things is, it about different, things that interests you these days well not much has changed yeah. When. Is it political, I mean many, things so it. Can be the. Relationship. Between Israelis. And Palestinians it. Could also mean. Gender. Politics. Gay. Politics, would be just. You. Know right, so all of those basically. Did you think that. The. Topics of discussion are, more or less the, same thing even though I you. Know some. Of those areas have advanced, oh yeah absolutely there. Is a huge change but, the. Problems are still there I guess all things that interest, me I guess if you, are. You. Should always write about or, create, about the things that really. Move. Your soul and these things are important, to me so I don't write about them because I should, write, I write. About him when, I. Am. Overwhelmed. With what I feel, in my only, way of. Continuing. To live in this world as it were is to. Create. And write about it right that's the way I, go. On right, you know right, balancing. It you. Were I think one of the the first, musicians. At least in Israel, to come out openly, the, first yeah, the first. Was. It planned did it just, happen it. Wasn't planned though but. As. I said. I already. Lived in there in Amsterdam. By, then for about, a year, or more. And I, lived a very open. And free life over there and when I came back here with this cassettes that all of a sudden became a big hit and I, was. Being. Interviewed I guess. For. A whole day I had, a different, interview, every hour and. I was 22 year. Old totally. Inexperienced. Girl. Who, did really, not, know how you behave with the media at all and, I, got asked, somebody. Said. It was one point well, this is, a love song in this, album that, is very clearly addressed, to a woman, so, how. Come and I said well what do you mean and they said why are you a lesbian and I said yeah. Okay, I was you know did lying was. Just. Seems unnatural. It seemed totally. Such. An effort, to, lie about it, it. Seemed ridiculous, to lie about it how was it received here, oh it was it. Was, absolutely, insane, there wasn't saying it you have to remember that we, only had one. Television. Channel at the time and not very many radio, stations and. A, few newspapers, so if you were in those and I was in all of them because you. Know the media is just, they. Tripped, over themselves they. Could not believe that they finally got a victim, to come, out publicly. So. They all wanted, to interview, us and. You. Know write about us and put those. These, ridiculous. Headlines. Like she's. A lesbian, and she likes it, you know like I should be apologizing. For something or, you. Know like telling, them some. Worse, stories or whatever so. It. Became, very big. Very fast right, definitely. We were not ready for that. Did. Other artists, reach out to you to ask you sort of, advice. Or, like, much. Later on yeah, do. They still or. Is it just now it's people don't even think about it no they still do yeah yeah. Sometimes. Yeah okay, so, was the song you were talking about with Ziva right, or was it a different. No. No Ziva is not really, a love song I would say reward kind, of but I have to say I didn't write Ziva, our, guitarist, um eroded, and in high school to, an imaginary, girlfriend. I would say what he did have a few girlfriends back then but this. Is sort of a not, a one. Specific. Real one right um and. It. Was a, song, of my, brother in his band when I was a teenager following, them around and we, when we were recording our second album, we.

Didn't Have many songs because we weren't actually functioning. Band and, we said how about Ziva, why don't we revive. This old song and and. We. Always liked it and then I said what if I sing it because at, the time um he was singing it right and we thought it was hilarious it. Was such a good joke that. I would sing it um and. Then. I did and the record company heard, it and they said oh what, is this song, it's ridiculous, you're not putting that on the album and. We said well actually we are cuz we really liked it and then, he became the big it. The. Song I think that they were referring to back in 89 of, the first album was marble woman okay. You. Also. Started, doing a lot. Of, soundtrack. Soundtracks, which we're gonna show, a short clip soon, is, it, the. Soundtracks came I when, did you start doing soundtracks. It's thank. You I think it came out of working. With Frank, Elfman, who is a, film composer and, a very very accomplished, one and, I. Was. Watching, him in the studio working and. Then. Somebody. Approached, us in, Israel while, we were here for gigs I think around 2001. And, asked. Us to collaborate. On the. On. Soundtrack, of. It. Was actually, a, documentary. About the holic most okay, and you. Wanted us to write it together and so. We did and so through, Frank I learned. The. The you know the the building blocks right and then, just, one my own way and started. Composing a, lot of TV. Series and a lot of the documentaries. Man right it's it's a completely different, genre yes and it's a completely different way of working I guess is. For. For. A movie, how does it work do you you're given the scene and then say put this to music or how, does i'm usually given, the. Point, where you involve the musician, is usually. When. You have a rough cut of the whole movie okay and i watch it and i watch it with the directors, and editors, and. We. Sort of start. Throwing ideas around and, i go home and i will compose a few, bits and then, we can choose, the direction that, we're going from there what. I like to do very much then, is to wait till, there is a more, or less final, cut for the movie and then. Compose. To. Picture, okay, I sit, in my studio I have a separate. Screen. For, the movie and I, play and I record myself playing and, then I start, cutting, it up and sorting.

It Out and then I send, them bits, and they put, them in place and they say it's, too fast it's too slow what. Were you doing there, we. Love it or whatever and then we continue, from there many. Times especially, in, Israel I think I. Can. Understand, that people. Work, a little bit differently and. Usually. You bring in the musician, at the very last moment and, you just say just say. Compose. Us ten different pieces one. Minute each a happy, one on a sad one a blur and. Then they sort of cut them to I you, know I I try, not to do that sometimes, you have to write right, especially, when you do series, and like you, have six. Episodes, and some. Of the music is going to repeat. Along. So they cut it to size. Then, you just have to work with a really good, soundtrack. Editor, right you know. Somebody. That will blend, it in right at the right place and I. Imagine. It must be hard in. The sense that you are writing and, you, have to get approval for everything that. You which is very different, how is how is that different between doing that and all our other music yeah and that took some adjusting. But, I think that's a great lesson, to learn in life and. Not. To always be the boss not to always you, know just the sort of let, your ego. Take. The backseat for a minute here and it's. That's great, thing to learn for, musicians, and performing. Music like. You. Know it's like the difference between. DJ. That. Does. Weddings and and, you. Know amber, mitzvahs and stuff and the DJ, that does, the. Clubs because, when I play a club people come to hear me and what I have, to bring and when. You do a wedding, you. Absolutely, have to play what they want that's the big day so, composing. Is the sort of a mixture between the two and that's a very. Good lesson to learn in life really. To. Sort of listen. To other people, and their. Sort. Of vision and. Many. Times it's projects. That they've been working on for years and, years before you come along and all. You have to do is really push. The scenes highlight. What. They wanted. Sometimes. It's stopping. The music sometimes. It's like, Miles Davis, said it's what you don't play you. Know it's many, times it's just a very, scary scene, and you stop, all, the music and the. Silence, is what really, creeps, you out so, you. Sort of want to understand. What the director, wants to do and you are, their. Servant, and. Being a servant is something. I think, that. Our society today, sort. Of really. Tries, to get away from, everybody. Wants to be boss. And I. Think, that's a very. Humbling. And important, lesson. Was for me. To. Do this do. You think you could have done it as a younger musician, or you think you had to be no mature no, I didn't have the patience, or the scope. Yeah, no. I don't think so, so. We. Have a clip here today of some. This. Is my latest project yeah, actually I think. It's from. One of the I think creepiest, old movies ever made I don't know if anyone has ever seen. Nosferatu it's, I think in 1922, German. Expressionist, movie silent, movie yeah, no dialogue. For. A movie that does not have like boom moments, like, today. Scary, movies all have like someone jumping from a closet this, has none of that it, is strictly visual and it is like super. Basically. What I was asked, to write a new. Soundtrack. For that which. Is again very different from anything I've ever done because it has, no dialogue and, basically. What I do now is I'm just starting, a world tour, where. I am. Touring. With Nosferatu, with the movie actually. Witness, ferati oh yeah. Yes. In my dream job and, I. Performed. The soundtrack, all 90, minutes, of it live. With. In front of a film like at the side of the stage. And. I, created, a, whole new, arsenal. Of equipment, for, this which, is this. Guitar that mean. Perea ta that works with me we rewired, this guitar in a really geeky. Wonderful, way and. A. Couple. Of really old. Ninety. Samplers, that are, I control, with hand movements. And. That's, how I perform, the whole the, whole thing. You. You. Is. That's I, think the, most special thing of ever, done it's it's. One of these projects, then you know that sometimes, you work on something and everything. Is right from the beginning you, know it's organically, everything, just, falls. Into place and. It's. An. Insane. Amount of music.

If. I if you do a music. For a documentary. There, is an hour and a half long you normally, if you do, twenty-five. Music. Minutes. Of music it's a lot yeah and here we have 90, something, minutes. Of continuous. Playing, so. You are playing for 90, minutes. Like. Straight right, for the whole for, all of the conferences are you releasing a version like, you know watch. As well with this watch. Is. There's. A lot of rights issues. Here with the. With. The film but, the soundtrack will be released so the original film I still under copyright and. It. Belongs to the it's a whole. Whose. Idea was it to. Well. There is a yeshiva. Cohen, he's a singer, of, men. Of North Country, she's a Tel Aviv band that, plays a, Northern. Soul they're a wonderful band and, he does a lot of other, cultural. Things as well and, he. Met. Me in the street, one day we started talking guitars, as we do and he. Said why. Don't I hook you up with the Cinematheque in Hills Illya to, do something. I don't know what and, we were sitting, there for a while and it was actually nearly, man from the, Cinematheque in Italy I was very. Passionate about movies, he said why don't we do this Nosferatu, it's time it got a. New. Soundtrack. And, so we did that for pulav, mmm. But they. Had like a, whole. Weekend, of horror, movies right and then we did it for the first time and now it's I'm, starting, to tour with it is. When. You choose movies do you have a particular type of movie genre movie like do you like horror, movies or actually. No I, have. To say and. People. Who know. Me like my, wife and my kids my teenage kids they heard, that I'm going, to score a. Horror. Movie and they, laughed so hard, I'm. Squeamish. I. Will. Hide under the sofa with the dog if anything. Scary, is happening, on. The screen. So. It's very different than anything I've ever done but that's, also, very, freeing. Experience. Because. You. Not only had to watch it you had to write something that enhanced. The, frightening, feeling yeah, the movie is frightening. But also there's a lot of other stuff going on firstly. I would say it, is aesthetically. The most beautiful, film I have ever seen, really, each and, every scene there is. Meticulously. Filmed. And. Shown. And. A, lot of the frames there have become very iconic, and. Get. Referenced. A lot in. Other, films and a lot of TV. Children's, TV shows and like, even a spongebob. Squarepants. And others, they, have DiSpirito, Romanian, at. Various, moments. It's. A truly. Incredible. Aesthetic. Work of art so. It. Gives you a great, freedom, to. Really. Go very far. Also. With the electronic, music and. Highlight. A. Lot, of what they're talking, about is. Hate. And hate crimes and. Discrimination. And, being. Different, and. Sacrifice. And. Being. Brave you, know a lot of there's, a lot of things there right did you design, the. Instruments. You said like the. The. Guitar you said you did and there's, a. Hand motion thing the. Hand motion things it's like their, old. Roland. Samplers, that I've had forever, and. Always. Used. Them live but. All. Of a sudden I realized, that in this project they're going to take, front-seat. They, they were they're. Going to drive this, this, soundtrack. So it was designed as much for the live. Performance, aspect. Of it as well. There. Are just samplers, that people, were able to buy, always. But I, don't, think they've been used much with. The hand movements, also, the hammering has come like built-in yes yes. It's an old technology, that roland bought from somebody. Years ago right and they didn't quite catch. On and right. Yes. Yeah. You could, use the hand movements, to trigger. Actual. Samples, or I can, use them to actually play, a sense the, synth line or, I can. Use them to trigger. Sorry, geek talk here and kick. In there hold. On Who am I saying this to. Yeah. Maybe it's the only place in the world I can I. Can, use it to also. Trigger and, control, effects. So. I can have something, playing, like, in with, my finger push a, sample.

And Then with my hand I can. Move. The pitch or put, delay on it or reverb and actually. With. The movie sort of really. Go. With its movements, and, control. The sound that's coming out. Of the sampler is it tiring. Yeah. By, the end of it I'm I'm my, heart is going like a hundred, and forty beats per minute. And. Afterwards, I have to sort of collapse. It. Sam, you. Have to be, for. An hour and a half have absolute. Concentration. I guess it's like a football match. It's. Different every time, slightly, here. It's. A live show yeah it's a lecture I. Mean. It synced, to the movie, and what. Sequence, is gonna come up is the same but. The layers over. It are different every, time you know, so, you do DJ, work, now how did you get into being, a DJ um. Funny. Story. It. Was the year 2000. We just released a Pollyanna, Frank album, here. With. Me and Frank Hoffman and, we. Finished the tour and, I. Went. To, Greece. To, lesbos. To. Stay for a while to just kind of come down and. Recharge. And, a, friend of mine has a bar uh kind, of on the beach and. There. Was a DJ. Booth. With the sound. System and everything the equipment there and I, asked her if I could just. Goof. Around with the equipment and just talk myself out to kind of use it kind, of use it and, there. Was a party. On. The beach that night and, I asked, the DJ I said if you know if I could if I help you. Carry. All the equipment, all the sound system, to, the sand to, the beach will, you let me play a little bit before everybody, arrives, and, she said yeah of course, and there, was about 10 o'clock and I was just goofing around a little bit we were still with CDs and. She. Set right next to me in the sand and all of a sudden I saw that she's, passed out and. It turned out that she was diabetic but she didn't know at a time and she had some vodka and, she. Passed out we could not revive, her so, I played till, the morning hmm and in. The morning I the Sun came up and I thought I, could do this. That. Feed your live, like. Your need for life yeah yeah that, was yeah and I needed to change as, well after I. Was, already like. 13. Years, or more like many, years in the music business and all, the heartache, that comes with it and I. I needed a bit of a change you know and that was really really good too I immediately, started, DJing in. So. It being, a DJ is very ephemeral, the music isn't. Recorded, is. Is. That sometimes hard for you because like some I imagine when you're composing her you're recording you. Get to hear it afterwards you get to disseminate, it with this it, just goes away well. I, mainly. DJ. Tracks that. Were composed by other people right. So. When I DJ I'm more, of a curator, right, or a selector. I decide. Okay out, of everything, that's out there every, month, what, to buy and what to play and, what would suit my audience and how to build. It up and, many, times I will actually. Record. The set so you can hear it over, over again oh we broadcast, it live, and. So. That's really not a okay and I mean yeah. You can listen to it again we. Have the technology. To, repeat. Parts, of tracks, and loop them, change. The, pitch while we're so all these things that you do live if. You record the senate taste they're still there and was that like something you were already good at that you had to improve like because you I imagine it's reading, an audience it's is.

The Essential. Skill, there is understanding, and reading an audience yeah is. That something you were already really good at I was, alright yeah, I was okay right but I feel the other way around it being, the DJ has improved. My. Crowd. Reading, skills for, being a singer yeah, because. You really have to I mean if you don't really, pay attention to, the audience as, a DJ, you're, just gonna lose, the floor it's gonna empty and you, know you you know you feel it yeah you can really see it. So. It I had to learn wow. Quite quickly, absolutely. So it's but, something that I don't, think you can teach you. Can teach people to pay attention other, DJ's, you can I teach. DJing. Also and there's. Only so much I can teach, a young DJ, to, what. To look out for but, if they don't have. It within themselves. I guess some people are just better at it than others right, when. You came back to Israel after so many years outside of Israel and and be engaged in larger. Music scenes outside to be as well why. Did you find, deep end about the Israeli music scene and what, did you think about it I. Have, to be very honest, here I. Think. The when. I came back around, 2002. Actually. The music scene here I found. Not. So. Interesting. At the time it, was not a very good time and I, think, since. Then things have changed. In a way that I. It's. Very hard to believe that. It's. Less than 20. Years ago. I. Think. That what's, happening now in Israeli, music is. Absolutely. Incredible the. Amount of, talent, is around and I think what happened was people here, and we're. Trying to imitate. Foreign. Music be, it German. Or American or. Whatever. Greek, at some point or. Turkish, and at, the moment a lot of people are doing really original, stuff and. People. Have started to. Dig. Deep and see what. What, they grew up on and what they like now and, sort of amalgamated. And the. Music, scene here is incredible. And actually, a lot of people from outside Israel, think that as, well so at the time it wasn't so interesting. But now it's fantastic. I'm. Also a fan. About. Israeli, music so. I remember one of my favorite, song from the. And if harem, it was scheduled. Will, always pay and. And. I remember at the time that it, wasn't very I mean both. Expected, were. Original. Strange they were not. What. You hear. On the radio. And. But. There was a just, a bit like, political stuff. From. Eli Sean a story. Math. Math. Yes, but. And then after, what many a bit Amin mm-hm. Political. What is it cool yeah, so and. I. So. Do you still do such things or. Yes. I do. I still. Do, also. Yeah political, stuff definitely and also an ID J I like, to cut. Up bits of. Speeches. Or things. That I hear from, poets. And writers that I like and I would DJ, that over tracks while I'm DJing and, it. Could be anything from. From. Michelle. Obama to a, poet. I like like verse and Shia or you, know so, I put still, a lot of contact, like.

There'll, Be a lot in the, music. It. Doesn't necessarily, have to be about the. Occupation, it could be but. Yes. I still do that a lot you need. To be. Away. From the place or actually. Inside. I. Think. Your. Home is, here. In, your heart and, it, doesn't matter where you are it's. You. Know where your heart is its what. Would your attention. Focuses, on and. Big. Part of my attention is always here it doesn't matter where I am. Winsor, and where's your next performance of, misrata. I. Believe. That would be Istanbul. In, September. And then, go, on to, okay. And it will be a tel-aviv one, this. Year sometime I'm not sure oh okay, it's being it's all now being, booked. Great, and any. Other, dates. That you have locally, coming up i DJ, with ophélie sim who is I suppose, the biggest DJ, in Israel. We. Do we, have these four, times a year huge. Parties. Last. Bride party in the summer was 20,000. People man. Palkia. Con so we have another one in Warsaw. China and. There's. Many like smaller. Dates. And, I'm. Lucky, enough to take, part in. Festival. Lame Kadesh yet in Jerusalem. Sacred. Music, festival, just I has. To be one. Of my favorite festivals, ever and luckily, enough this year I'm part of it. There's. A brilliant. Band. Called system. Alley were. Multilingual. Multicultural. Rap. Band and, they're. Taking over. There. Like opening a like. A discotheque, in East, Jerusalem for, a couple of weeks and I'm, gonna do some of the nights there and have, live. Spoken, word. Idk. Sal the poetess will come and talk. Do, spoken word over my beats and. Some. You know satire other other, other women, so we're doing like a female. Sound system, so that's gonna be in September, as well it's going to be lovely I really. Wanted to thank you very much for coming to speak, with us today and thank, you. You.

2019-08-24 23:58

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