Moscoman, as head of the Disco Halal label, has almost single-handedly brought middle eastern sounds onto the dancefloor since their first release in 2015. Prior to this, the only sonic signifiers from the area were reflected and refracted through a western gaze – that of Manchester legend Muslimgauze, for example. Though the pioneering producer’s work has been a fascinating interpretation of and commentary on Islamic conflict, the western world is often denied access to middle eastern cultural production which, of course, portrays the region in a new light.
Based in Berlin, but with an ear firmly rooted in his home of Tel Aviv, Moscoman is doing just that. From the early Disco Halal edits by Acid Arab to more recent fleshed-out EPs and albums by Autarkic and Red Axes, Moscoman conveys the diversified worldview of a community of artists who are looking back towards their Israeli upbringings through a western gauze – and, as the label’s name suggests, with a certain sense of irony. What emerges is a sound that is neither strictly Israeli not Eurpoean, but most definitely their own: clean, chugging and effortlessly melodic techno.
Moscoman plays at Wire for Limit on 7th March, but before that, we had a quick chat to him about his musical influences. Interestingly, as he turns our heads east, it seems that much of his early life was spent looking to the west…
Your earliest musical memory
“In Israel there was only one tv channel, this was the opening music of some show about science and health, everything connected when I bought the record of Asao Tomita 20 years later.”
The first record/cd you bought
“Everybody bought it.”
A record given to you by your parents
“No idea what’s their connection to it, but thats what I got.”
A record that made you pick up an instrument or play music
“The bass part was a key role in my bass playing life.”
A tune from your school days
“Knew all the lyrics, we sang it every break. I brought the tape to school.”
A record that altered your music taste forever
“My taste have altered many times over the year – this is the latest.”
A record from your first clubbing experiences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1-jlBC2up8
“Club trance and progressive was the shit.”
A record that affected your political views
“No comment.”
An unlikely influence
“Sends me to a different location, when needed.”
A current influence
A record you want played at your funeral
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbpMpRq6DV4
“Hopefully not soon.”