“We’re an electronic band,” affirms Amit “Duvdev” Duvedevani, singer and co-founder of the Israel-bred, Los Angeles-based psy-trance duo Infected Mushroom, “but when we became a full live band onstage, the reaction was so powerful that we knew we were inventing something new.”
The dynamic, shaven-headed Duvdev and his flowing-haired partner, Erez Eisen, have been playing to increasingly massive, frenzied crowds all over the globe, thanks to an explosive live show that is a far cry from the staid stereotype of dance acts hunched over their computers.
With Duvdev bouncing all over the stage and exhorting the crowd to belt out the lyrics, Erez virtually dancing with his keyboards, tour guitarist Tommy Cunningham (or, on selected dates, Israeli axemaster Erez Netz) firing off metallic riffs and Brazilian drummer Rogerio Jardim boosting the Mushroom’s programmed beats with propulsive polyrhythms, the band has whipped audiences worldwide to a fine froth.
Of course, Infected Mushroom weren’t always playing to gigantic, writhing throngs. Indeed, it took the two classically trained natives of Haifa a while to become, in the words of DJ magazine, “The psy-trance scene’s only true megastars.”
“We met in 1996 through a DJ friend,” recalls Erez. “Duvdev was in Goa at the time, and I was working on another project with a German guy. We met and figured we’d try to do one track together; we’ve been collaborating ever since.”
Erez was just 16 when they began making music together; Duvdev had completed the military service that is an Israeli obligation and was working in his family’s steel factory. The restless pair began mixing tracks in a tiny bedroom studio; though they won some accolades from fans almost immediately, they were unsatisfied with their first recordings and vowed to change direction.
They took the name Infected Mushroom (which they lifted from a defunct local punk band), purchased new gear and embarked on their musical odyssey. Finding little to excite them in Israel’s music scene, they instead drew inspiration from artists like Metallica and The Prodigy. Their early productions led to club dates and gigs at local parties; before long, the twosome developed a loyal following. While local headlines were filled with violence and bloodshed, Infected Mushroom’s fans found a musical respite from the tumultuous political climate.
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