Infected Mushroom members Amit “Duvdev” Duvdevani and Erez Eisen are not your typical Top 25 DJs. They’re not European, they’re not pretty boys and you would never mistake their music for house. Yet the Israeli duo has been in the electronic scene longer than most of us have even known such a scene existed.
“In America, Infected Mushroom is a niche kind of thing,” the group’s lead singer Duvdev said.
Although Infected Mushroom may not be a familiar name to newer electronic fans, the group burst onto DJ Mag’s Top 100 list in 2005, eight years after Duvdev and Erez started playing underground trance shows in Haifa, Israel. It was in 1997 that the group formed and created the psychedelic trance genre, something Duvdev describes in this way: “It’s trance, and it’s more hardcore trance, so it’s really fast, 140-145 beats per minute for the dance floor, strong music with some psychedelic sounds.”
Today, Infected Mushroom is the biggest thing to come out of Israel and has played hundreds of shows worldwide, the next of which is right here in Madison. The show may catch those used to the group’s harder metal style of psytrance a bit off guard.
“You don’t know what to expect because we don’t know what to expect,” admitted Duvdev from his home in Los Angeles. The producer and performer took some time out of a short break in his tour to chat with The Badger Herald.
The duo is testing out tracks from their new album, set to come out early next year. The new release will mark a change for the trance group, whose past two albums, The Legend of the Black Shawarma and Vicious Delicious, were decidedly metal-inspired. According to Duvdev, the new album “is completely not influenced by heavy metal.”
“The album is super electronic compared to the two previous ones,” he said. “This album has more electro, more dubstep, more drum and bass, glitch hop.” The group took a cue from the American electronic scene and DJs like Skrillex on the album, but a listen to its first single, “Pink Nightmares,” confirms they likely won’t be on MTV anytime soon.
When asked if he would identify Infected Mushroom’s music as psytrance, Duvdev replied, “Not anymore.”
“I would identify Infected Mushroom as an electronic band because we do everything,” he said.
And do everything they do. Past tracks have included everything from entire choirs to acoustic guitars to rapped lyrics, all framed in the context of trance music. While the group is known for pioneering psytrance and bending the boundaries of the genre, today they are even better known for their live performances.
While the duo largely digitally produces their tracks in the studio, their live performances feature a full band. Instead of conducting the musical chaos from behind a DJ booth, classically trained pianist Erez pounds at the keyboards and Duvdev takes the mic, performing their sets with the support of a guitarist and drummer.
If the spectacle of musicians thrashing at their instruments at 145 beats per minute isn’t enough to satisfy, the group provides intense lights, glowing inflated mushrooms and visuals that can be described in no other way than trippy. Combined, the audio-visual experience leaves audiences in frenzy.
“Performing has the rush from the crowd,” Duvdev said. “The fans give me the power to produce.”
The group’s worldwide fan base may explain their long and successful career. Duvdev and Erez average 120 shows a year and have played everywhere from the island of Ibiza, Miami and Australia to Jerusalem and India, two places that rarely invite live acts.
While the Madison show will likely not make Duvdev’s list of favorites (it’s hard to top playing in a desert near the Dead Sea or on Fuji Mountain), it is sure to be a heart-racing, mind-bending, sweat-dripping crowd pleaser.
Duvdev kept mum on the specifics, but did offer a hint for Madison show goers. “Prepare for a lot of surprises in the show for people who follow Infected Mushroom, and for people who don’t, come check us out.”
Infected Mushroom will perform at the Majestic on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25 general admission or $45 for an opera box.
