Psy-trance pair Infected Mushroom are one of the most rock-inclined dance acts of their era, so it makes sense they landed on former punk Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak with some big tunes in 2016. “We also released some of our own music plug-ins this year, which were very well received,” say Erez Aizen and Amit Duvdevan. “And along with a massive world tour, we feel like this was one of our best years to date.” Once again they traversed the globe, playing everywhere from Asia to the Americas — including at places like Burning Man — and after missing out on the Top 100 in 2015, they are now back with a bang. “It’s nice to feel that big love from the fans. We do what we do because we love making you dance,“ they say before explaining that in 2017 they plan an exciting new stage production, more “slayers from the studio”, some new plug-in projects, another world tour, as well as some solid collaborations. What have been the new frontiers for you this year?“In addition to our memorable stage production called Animatronica which infused a ‘Burning Man’ style with trippy visuals, we are also proud to have celebrated IM's 20-year party in Israel this year.” Is electronic music taken seriously enough as an art-form? “Yes, we feel like the electronic music scene has become more dominant as an art form over the last five-to-ten years. Even the biggest artists such as Gaga and Bieber are using electronic music producers to create the ‘sound’ for their albums.” What’s the best new bit of DJ/production technology, and why? “We think the best piece of technology is our USB key holding all the music needed for a DJ set, instead of all the CDs or computer we used to bring.”If you had to switch your style to another genre, what would it be? “Rock music.” As a fan, what is the top price you would pay to see yourself DJ? “If it were up to us we would pay in food, for some good burgers and beer, but we understand bills need to be paid!” What can be done to prevent drug-related deaths at dance music events? “More education from parents and social media, more substance-testing stations, better searches upon entry.” How can we increase diversity in dance music? “We think that creating an electronic music elective course in high school would allow students to learn about the culture, production, DJing, genres (or the lack thereof) before they even turn 18. This would encourage a variety of youth to enter various sectors of our scene.” WORDS: KRISTAN CARYL
Psy-trance pair Infected Mushroom are one of the most rock-inclined dance acts of their era, so it makes sense they landed on former punk Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak with some big tunes in 2016.
“We also released some of our own music plug-ins this year, which were very well received,” say Erez Aizen and Amit Duvdevan. “And along with a massive world tour, we feel like this was one of our best years to date.”
Once again they traversed the globe, playing everywhere from Asia to the Americas — including at places like Burning Man — and after missing out on the Top 100 in 2015, they are now back with a bang.
“It’s nice to feel that big love from the fans. We do what we do because we love making you dance,“ they say before explaining that in 2017 they plan an exciting new stage production, more “slayers from the studio”, some new plug-in projects, another world tour, as well as some solid collaborations.
What have been the new frontiers for you this year?
“In addition to our memorable stage production called Animatronica which infused a ‘Burning Man’ style with trippy visuals, we are also proud to have celebrated IM's 20-year party in Israel this year.”
Is electronic music taken seriously enough as an art-form?
“Yes, we feel like the electronic music scene has become more dominant as an art form over the last five-to-ten years. Even the biggest artists such as Gaga and Bieber are using electronic music producers to create the ‘sound’ for their albums.”
What’s the best new bit of DJ/production technology, and why?
“We think the best piece of technology is our USB key holding all the music needed for a DJ set, instead of all the CDs or computer we used to bring.”
If you had to switch your style to another genre, what would it be?
“Rock music.”
As a fan, what is the top price you would pay to see yourself DJ?
“If it were up to us we would pay in food, for some good burgers and beer, but we understand bills need to be paid!”
What can be done to prevent drug-related deaths at dance music events?
“More education from parents and social media, more substance-testing stations, better searches upon entry.”
How can we increase diversity in dance music?
“We think that creating an electronic music elective course in high school would allow students to learn about the culture, production, DJing, genres (or the lack thereof) before they even turn 18. This would encourage a variety of youth to enter various sectors of our scene.”
WORDS: KRISTAN CARYL
