Shlomi Aber - "the new" deep house hype is so far from being real, deep house means deep and house, like back in the days, warm and organic, the real deal"

Details Published on Thursday, 17 January 2013 13:41

With over fifteen years of experience as a sought-after producer, Shlomi Aber, hailing from Tel Aviv, has firmly placed himself amongst the lead of techno pioneers who escape pidgeon-holing whilst carving their niche in international dancefloor realms. Releasing on influential labels such als Cocoon, Desolat, Cadenza, Ovum, R&S, and his own imprint Be As One, he manages to resonate the spirit of ancient Detroit techno, jazz, funk, minimal and acid, while interpreting these roots in a timeless and single-minded approach: to move mind, body and soul. His mixes and productions are outstanding testimonies of these principles, and with their slow-winding grooves and lowdown bass unlock the great potential to unite people all over the planet and make them dance. In this fresh interview, Shlomi is sharing some knowledge and personal beliefs with MEOKO, as well as giving an insight about his achievements in 2012 and his expectations for the forthcoming year.

2012 was a huge year for you & your music; you’ve released tracks on some of the most influential labels including Cadenza Lab, and Desolat. How do you feel about this?

No doubt 2012 was more of "an experience" year for me, trying new things, working with new labels and re open my 'be as one' booking agency. I'm never limiting myself in the studio, it always remains Shlomi and will always have my signature on it, it’s granted but yet it can be any type of genre as long as I feel it's part of me. Some of these productions felt like they will be in good hands with Desolat and Cadenza as mentioned and I was right, great labels, professional and fun to work with.

Be As One has had a great year, where do you see your label going in the future? Any new artists you’ve signed or forthcoming releases you can share with us?

Indeed it was a fantastic year for the label, I'm trying to concentrate in doing my own "thing" with the label musically, and keep any of the trends around outside of the equation. I'm happy to see it's getting such great feedback and support from all over, we going into the 7th year and many more to come with great artists lined up like the in house Sable Sheep, Gel Abril and more.

Exclusive Shlomi Aber Mix - MEOKO 56 - Click here to listen

What was your biggest accomplishment & best moment of 2012? & where do you see yourself going this current year, any big plans or you just going with it?



So many great memories from the past year, great shows and moments to cherish, can't point on any specific accomplishment as i don't count results as accomplishments … it's mainly about the road taken , and i couldn't be more satisfied with the choices made, I'm living my musical journey in the most artistic way i can, means not thinking about anything except doing what I like and reflect it back with some love to the scene.

‘We Don’t Fit’ on Luciano’s label Cadenza Lab is a real anthem for us, how did releasing that EP come about?

This track went trough 20 different versions , I'm not even sure anymore that the released one was the best, at some point you just lose it and the lines are blurred. As a pack alongside "Rear Gear" On the b side it was very much "Shlomi Aber" and i felt i wanted to do something new with it , trying a label i never worked before and I'm happy i went with Cadenza for this one , they definitely treat it well , the amount of promotion they are doing it's massive, very different from my 'be as one' where I'm trying to keep things more neutral and underground .





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Its a long journey for you from Israel, how is the underground scene in your hometown?

The scene in Israel keeps getting better these days, it's all about Tel Aviv, it's a great market and I'm enjoying very much playing here, even though I'm not doing it more then 2-3 times a year as in any other city in the world , I'm always looking forward to the local shows.





What do you do to pass time on long flights, any interests apart from music?

Mostly books and TV shows, I’ve just finished the 8th season of "house" and going to watch the last season of boardwalk empire next. I'm a very curios and impatient person, starting to watch a show or reading a book it's a non stop for me until I finish it, I can spend a day or two in bed under a warm blanket till I'll finish a season as i can't stand not knowing what’s next.





For your London show, you will be playing alongside Andrea Oliva, do you know him well? Can we expect any surprises from you two?

Andrea is one of my best friends for many years, if i'll use the word "brother" he will be definitely a great choice for that, we going way back and experienced so much together. He is a very talented person and a pure soul and I couldn't be happier with the hype around him at the moment, it is well deserved. He was the first to book me to play Switzerland 8 years ago and we remain soul friends since then.

What are your thoughts on where the underground scene is heading, do you think it will eventually hit the USA on a larger scale like we are seeing at the moment with the more commercial side of the industry?



It's funny , I can't understand the idea of “to want and be part of the underground, but at the same time wishing for it to become mainstream” I must say that I'm not so convinced with the way it's going musically these days within the underground scene, its getting too "popish" and uninspired to my taste, the new "deep house hype" is so far from being real, deep house means deep and house, like back in the days , warm and organic, the real deal, these days everything between 118-122 bpm called deep house, some of it is even blend with unbearable electroish sounds. The underground scene will always remain, when the current sound will get commercial, the underground will keep and invent itself with new sounds and minds .

What makes playing in London different to other cities in Europe?



London will always remain one of the main "temples" of underground music, the young and open minded community of the city will always be innovative when it comes to music. I remember the late 90's when it was mainly about London, I used to come few times a year just for buying records, it was "the place”, before the hype moved to Berlin years after, and it's still one of the greatest cites in the world.

You’ve had great success with your latest release ‘Foolish Games feat Moggli’, how long does it normally take you to complete a track & what was your inspiration behind this one?

I felt the need to experience a new type of production, I'm not working with full vocals often in my productions, but i would love to produce something more abstract one day, I'm very inspired from bands like Radiohead or singers like Jenis Joplin, foolish games was my way to mixing it into my "scene”, I needed it to be interesting and different enough, but yet not too underground or mental, therefore it was a few months production that went from left to right till I came up with the released version, which I'm very happy about thanks to the unique voice of moggli .

Catch Shlomi Aber next at Purple Inc. London alongside Andrea Oliva - Click Here For More Info

Buy Tickets here for Purple Inc. Event with Shlomi Aber

words by Carlos Hawthorn