Having already earned plays from the likes of Dixon, Ame, Chaim, and Adana Twins with releases on Ya Hala Ya Hala, Blue Shadow, and TAU, Genish finds a natural fit on Multi Culti with his ‘Third Eye’ EP, a kaleidoscopic triptych emerging out of the evolving sound of Tel Aviv.
Composed of myriad globe-spanning influences, his sound is a fresh, house-y hybrid, imbued with the spirit of trance but restrained in both tempo and arrangement and more ambitious in terms of sonic palette. Featuring a wild mix of Qawwali samples, French-Congolese vocals as well as lyrics from a made-up language, Genish has deployed impressively diverse, character-filled vocal performances and paired them with varied, impactful rhythms, and deft melodies, all wrapped up and reinforced around powerful four-to-the-floor bass-lines.
To celebrate the release of Genish’s new ‘Third Eye’ EP, EG caught up with the Israeli artist to learn more about the release, his ambitions, views on the local scene, and more.
EG: Hi Genish, welcome to EG. Where are you right now?
Genish: Hey! Thank you, happy to be here right now. I’m in Tel Aviv.
EG: When did you decide to become a DJ and producer? Who played a role in you taking this music path?
Genish: It wasn’t so much that I made the decision to become a DJ; instead, it was more of an understanding that it was a career path, which was to make people dance, have fun, and be happy. When I moved to New York after the army, it was just this understanding that had a strong impact.
I initially started to make music at a very young. A friend installed Cubase on my computer when I was around 8, and I have had it ever since. I played with it nonstop until I took a break for a few years and then started making the music I truly connected with again.
I don’t think it’s just one person; there are a lot of artists and friends who really inspired me when I first started producing. If we’re talking about producers, some of them really helped me feel like I belonged in the music industry. To name a few, Satori, Chaim, and Red Axes.
EG: Your latest release, ‘Third Eye’, just came out. What was the production process behind it like? What was the inspiration? What did you want to achieve with it?
Genish: This album, in my opinion, best captures my musical identity over the past two years of nonstop studio work. It really touches many shades that I connect to without even thinking about it. The inspiration for this album came from the drums that I heard in the club the morning after Red Axes performed it at Beit Maariv. A friend who was in the studio at the time started humming some words, and that’s how the song ‘Nairobi’ came to be.
Fay came to the studio one day and we recorded ‘Baninga’, and ‘Third Eye’ just came, like some kind of inspiration flowed from the vocals that just turned me on.
What I want to achieve above all from this release are more ears that will listen to what I have to say and convey. I want them to feel me and understand my color of music and with the support of my manager Eiad and Thomas from Multi Culti, this EP came to life.
EG: The first two tracks are 2 collaborations. What can you tell us about them?
Genish: Following on from the previous question, these two excellent collaborations were accompanied by my good friends, Karen Shalit and Fay Jakite. With Karen, it really was an almost cosmic flow and a very, very funny situation in the studio, we just let ourselves fly together in the studio like children without thinking about anything. We wanted it to be sexy but fun and childish and I feel like we’ve really reached that point.
In ‘Baninga’, the process was a little different. I went into the studio with Fay, and we had to figure out how to bring out her colorful personality and give it an expression with a lot of character and meaning, both in words and in sound. Every time I play it images of moments from that special day in the studio pop up in my head.
“This album, in my opinion, best captures my musical identity over the past two years of nonstop studio work. It really touches many shades that I connect to without even thinking about it”
EG: How’s the scene in your hometown right now? What would you like to see more?
Genish: The scene in Tel Aviv today is full of music producers, my age, as well as more young people who find music and invest in production and this is worthy of appreciation in my opinion. Besides the fact that Israel in general is full of very good clubs, venues and parties, I would love to see more artists take their own style, and not follow trends.
EG: Any spots you would recommend if we are to take a trip to visit Tel Aviv?
Genish: So much that it’s hard to say. If it’s food, then Port Said, If it’s a good club, then there is Drama, where I have an all-night-long monthly residency. The truth is that there is no end to the recommendations 🙂
EG: Moving into more philosophical subjects, what is art?
Genish: The greater art, in my opinion, comes from generally loving and accepting what emerges, which I don’t think is an easy step for everyone. For me, art is first and foremost a lot of emotion, a connection to the inner child in you that works without rules, a connection to yourself, courage, exposure, wisdom, and digging inside your own soul.
EG: Why do we need music?
Genish: We need music because, in my opinion, everything has a frequency, a sound, and every sound causes us to experience a variety of emotions, including happiness, sadness, relaxation, and nervousness. Music is a soul-healing tool.
“For me, art is first and foremost a lot of emotion, a connection to the inner child in you that works without rules, a connection to yourself, courage, exposure, wisdom, and digging inside your own soul”
EG: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your ambitions?
Genish: In about ten years, I really want to see myself continuing to create music that I connect with, performing and developing, staying true to who I am, and, most importantly, loving music the way I do now.
EG: What are your plans for the end of the year?
Genish: Mainly work, there are a lot of parties in Israel for the end of the year, but also a lot of work in the studio for next year and for the live show I’m working on.
Genish’s new ‘Third Eye’ EP is out now via Multi Culti. Purchase your copy here.
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