We are all having magic Moments in Tel Aviv. Massive new album alert
Interview : Dan Prince
Guy welcome to DMWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
“Thanks for having me! Right now I’m at home in Tel Aviv.”
How was your night with Philip M.A.N.D.Y. at the weekend at your residency at Cat & Dog – you two always seem to have so much fun together!
“Yes, it’s true, this was the fourth time we played together and Philip has an amazing vibe and his music is superb, so I really love to play with this guy. When you are inspired by someone’s creativity it’s always fun to work with that person.”
An amazing few weeks for you with the launch of your debut long player ‘Moments’ released on Hernan Cattaneo’s Sudbeat label. In actual fact, their first ever artist album! 12 tracks featuring some very creative collaborations with close friends, please give us a few words describing each track…
“Moments Becoming Endless Time – the name says it all! This is the way I see life, if you look at your past you can remember it only as short moments that you experienced over time. I will do my best to describe something about the album tracks…
All Over Music – was made this year in an amazing countryside place, no sleep for 24 hours, only music and nature.
Blackout Station – this is a 6am moment.
Moon Launch – it all started with the melody on the break, it appears for only 30 seconds in the whole track but it was the basis for all of the 11 minutes.
All In – I have so much fun making music with Guy J, he always takes it to another level. This collaboration was an amazing experience.
How Long Is Now – in this one I just let my feelings flow without thinking if it was too emotional or too sad, so pure feelings straight from the heart.
Cumple Sueños – a combination of modern techno with the synths from 2000, I love this one.
Necessity – chucky, dirty, but still keeps it emotional in its own way.
This Is Mayhem – the name says it all really.
We Are What We Are – this was the last track I made for the album, I had a feeling that I need one more peak time track, so I made it this way.
Instagram – this was my first track for the album and it really changed a lot since the original version, to be honest, I didn’t think it would make it onto the album, but after a while I fell in love with it.”
Outro – If I wasn’t a DJ then I would have made all the album sound like this one.”
How long did the album take to create and did you discard many possible tracks?
“From the artistic side I can say that it took a lifetime, because you put everything you know into it – your feelings and experiences through life. But from the producer side, I made 25 tracks and another 30 ideas, more or less, and made the final selection of eleven tracks together with Hernan Cattaneo. The process took almost a year and we both tested all of them in the clubs a lot before picking the tracks that we thought are best for this album.”
Tell us about your studio set up?
“I’m not the kind of producer who is crazy about new programs, VST instruments or plug-ins, I’m working in a very simple way. I have some analogue & digital synths such as the Virus TI, Dave Smith (Polly Evolver), Maschine, Slim Fatty – Moog and I’m using the same instruments & EFX or presets that I have created, for most of my productions, just in a different way from track to track.”
We’re loving the contrast on the album, you bring us a deep yet uplifting masterpiece such as ‘Moments Becoming Endless Time’ and then make us charge to the dancefloor for ‘All Over Music’ – what is the tune that you have enjoyed road-testing the most so far? What has done the most damage?!?!
“This Is Mayhem is working really good for me at peak times, the crowd reactions are amazing!”
You hail from Tel Aviv, a city that keeps on bringing us amazing producers. Let’s rewind for a moment though and check out a young Guy Mantzur – what are your early memories of discovering dance music?
“The young Guy Mantzur was a chill out, trip hop producer who made lots of this kind of music, but always when he was at the middle of a great party his heart was telling him that he should make house music, so that’s how my journey to this album began.”
For our readers around the world who haven’t yet enjoyed the delights of your home city, can you tell us about some of the cool clubs, DJs and producers they should look at for when they visit your wonderful home?
“These days Tel Aviv is simply amazing, the best club for me is The Cat & The Dog by far. The scene became really big in the last few years and there are some more places, such as The Block, Bootleg and some very nice open-air parties from time to time. You can see at these clubs and parties some great Israeli DJs and producers such – Sahar Z, Lonya, Khen, Stephan Bazbaz, Asi Kojak & more. They are all play here on a weekly basis so Tel Aviv is full of good music.”
What do you think are the biggest developments in the Tel Aviv scene over the last 12 months?
“It’s coming from two sides: 1 – the amount of guest DJs that are coming to play in Israel from other countries, and 2 – the amount of great music that the Israeli producers are delivering. Both have got really much bigger in the last twelve months.”
ADE must seem like a lifetime ago by now, but hey you had a ball in Amsterdam! We saw you rocking it with Guy J and Sahar Z – what were your highlights of the week?
“Actually we were there for only two days but we had an amazing two days! Every year it’s getting better there, the Lost & Found party was the highlight for me, we had such an amazing time there and the party had its own special magic, it always feels so nice to play at a party with your closest friends, so being there with Guy and Sahar was the perfect recipe for a great party.”
Who is normally the biggest party animal from the Tel Aviv crew?
“There are some various answers to that question, but I think it’s better if they stay in the shadows!”
Where were your standout summer gigs this year?
“Every gig has its own magic, but still I can tell you that I had some really amazing gigs this summer – the Kazantip Festival, all my Argentina gigs, Cosa Nostra in Malta and all my London gigs were some of the highlights.”
Anthem of the summer?
“Joris Voorn – Ringo – even though I didn’t play it a lot, it still had everything in it that you could want from a track.”
What is the current Top 10 you are spinning?
01. Guy Mantzur – Cumple Sueños
02. Hernan Cattaneo & Soundexile – Altir (Guy J Mix)
03. Guy Gerber – Wisdom Of The Glove
04. Chaim – Blue Shadows
05. Dimitri Kneppers & Reinoud – Oceance To Oceance (Guy Mantzur & Sahar Z Remix)
06. Guy J – Dizzy Moments
07. Navar – The Liquid Escape
08. Guy Manztur – Blackout Station
09. Chicolla – Cowboys & Angels
10. Hernan Cattaneo & Guy Manztur – the new track that we have just made together that doesn’t have a name yet, so any ideas will be great? J
Who are some of the new, up and coming producers we should be looking out for in 2014?
“There are a lot of great new names to discover and watch out for, but I can give you some ideas – Navar, Khen, Stas Drive, Mike Grigo, Simon Vuarambon – for starters. I don’t want to say too much as I might forget someone.”
Not many people know this, but Guy Mantzur is really good at…
“Swimming.”
It is your birthday – who are the 3 DJs you invite to spin at the party…and which singer dead or alive to you ask to sing you Happy Birthday?
“It would have to be Guy J, Hernan Cattaneo and Sahar Z for the DJs. For the singing, I would like a duet from Neil Young and John Lennon.”
Good answer! What is the 1 song from the last 20 years you wish you could have made?
“Can I make it more then 20 years? If yes, it would be “Imagine” by John Lennon, if not, then it would be Portishead “Roads”.”
And finally, what is coming next from the Guy Mantzur studio?
“I have just finished a new track with Hernan Cattaneo and I’m now working on a new version of my old track “Patterns”. I’ve also just made a remix for Dimitri Kneppers from Holland that will be released on Carl Craig’s label – Planet E Communications.”
Guy Mantzur – Moments (Sudbeat) SBCD001 is released 2nd December 2013 http://www.beatport.com/label/sudbeat-music/12968
“Cumple Suenos”
https://soundcloud.com/guy-mantzur/guy-mantzur-cumple-sue-os
“Moments Becoming Endless Time”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK1UnISlBn0
“The Cat and Dog” nightclub Tel Aviv
http://www.thecatandthedog.com
Further Information: https://www.facebook.com/GuyMantzur.official