Photo: Liat Cohen (Deep’a & Biri)
For around a decade now, Deep’a & Biri have been ambassadors for the striving Tel Aviv club scene. With releases on Derrick May’s legendary Transmat label and DJ Hell’s International Deejay Gigolo, the duo quickly made a name for themselves. These days, Yaron Amor and Itai Biri mostly release their music through their own Black Crow imprint, with their new Roots EP out today. Their contribution to our Groove podcast aims straight for the dancefloor, with plenty of breaks thrown in for good measure.
After ever handing Derrick May a CD with your tracks on it and subsequently signing to Transmat, you have had a strong connection with him and his label. Which relationship did you have with his work and especially his label before getting to know him personally?
Derrick May and the records he put out on his label Transmat has always been big of our inspiration. By watching many of the documentary movies about him and Detroit, we also strongly connected with his approach for art and music.
The Israeli club scene from which you both emerged has drawn a lot of attention to it in recent years, with some producers and DJs gaining international recognition. Which impact did that have on the local scene?
Things in Tel Aviv are really booming at the moment, it’s the best time for house and techno ever when a lot of festivals popping up which is something we didn’t have before. It’s great to see that local producers and dj’s are taking part in the main stages. We also think the local audience is proud to see some of the locals putting out music on top labels and playing big festivals outside Israel.
Your new Roots EP on your own Black Crow showcases the Detroit-inspired side of your sound on the A-side while the title track on the flip is built around a breakbeat. Speaking as both producers and label owners, what does a release – especially one made by you – have to offer so that you feel that it is worth putting out?
We personally have to take a lot of time after we created the track and think about it for a couple of months until we are 100% sure about it. If it stands the test of time for both us, we are more confident of putting it out. Also, we are testing it on different club sound systems to hear if it sounds right and making the effect on the dance floor that we wanted to create.
Black Crow releases as well as other records by you are highly recognisable due to their artworks by the Jewish orthodox artist Avraham Guy Barchil. How did the collaboration with him come about and which connection exists between your music and his paintings?
It started when Yaron (Deep’a) randomly saw one of Avraham draw books in a waiting room for a meeting, the artworks on the book was so powerful – it felt like someone is just drawing our music, we had to dig a little and find him which was not that easy. after the first meeting we decided to give him full freedom to set the label artistic look and language.he keep surprising us every time with the deepness of his works.
As producers, your respective roles in the studio are perhaps more defined than when you are in the booth. How do you prepare for your occasional DJ sets and how do you generally approach playing as a duo?
Before every gig we are talking about the main concept and atmosphere we want to create in our DJ set. Of course, we are trying to stay dynamic and be ready for every situation and mood that will be in the room.
What was the idea behind your contribution to the Groove podcast?
Usually, our approach to podcasts is to create more hypnotic and deep music that fits more to home or headphones listening situation. This time we try to show a different side, more fast, complex rhythm-based and breaks music which we both really love as well.
Last but not least: Where can we see you behind the decks in the near future and what are your plans as producers and label owners?
Mainly in Tel Aviv and Berlin, we also start running our Black Crow label night in clubs around europe, so hopefully we will post some new dates soon. As for the label & studio, we keep searching hard for special artists that has a lot of soul in their music.As producers, we will keep digging harder to create sounds that will be different from the stuff we already put out, that’s our main goal.
Stream: Deep’a & Biri – Groove Podcast 219
01. Bas Amro – Passing
02. Paleman – Titan Vulture
03. Forest Drive West – Phosphenes
04. Fadi Mohem – Horus
05. Bambounou – Temple
06. Aphtc – Rewind The Subject
07. Stenny – Corrupt 506
08. Museum – Silo
08. Tadeo – Night Spectrum
09. Charles Green – Reference Intake
10. Wice – Just Kiddin’ (Deep’a & Biri Remix)
11. Vincent Vidal – I-ZER 3000
12. Deep’a & Biri – Roots
13. Deep’a & Biri – Quantum Eraser
14. Fixon, DJ Saint Pierre – Scorpion Pepper
