Avi Nissim and Lior Perlmuter first met at elementary school at the age of nine. Lior started working with synthesizers at the age of eleven and two years later teamed up with Yaniv Haviv under the name Paradox. Even earlier Avi had already started DJing and performing in heavy industrial bands around Israel. In 1989 Lior and Avi first teamed up. Avi was already a well-known DJ (playing Acid, Techno, New Bit etc.). They created their first group and named it SFX (short for sound effects). They started doing gigs in all underground clubs around Israel and made their first breakthrough in 1991 with their single Monster Mania that came out on the Belgian Company Music Man. They started working on an album and later that year while Yaniv was still serving at the Israeli army, they decided to try their luck at the big apple. After a short time Avi went back home to carry on developing his own music, while Lior stayed and worked in a sound studio, In 1992 , they released a single called JBIE under their own label X-Rave Records in the US. In 1993, while Lior was still in the USA, Avi teamed up with Yaniv and Guy Sebbag under the name SFX and they released a single called Another World under Trigger in Germany. At the beginning of 1994 Lior decided to come back home and work on his own material with the rest of SFX under their newly formed label Trust in Trance and they started working on their first CD- Trust in Trance Vol. 1. At the same time they signed up with Phonokol and released the CD with great success. After that, Guy decided to leave the group and work on his own. In 1995 the guys finally opened their own professional sound studio on a more commercial level. They became more exposed to the world market and started playing live shows in events around Europe, while working on their second album Trust in Trance vol. 2. But this time Yaniv, Avi and Lior made the tracks under the name Astral Projection. Trust in Trance vol. 2 entered the Israeli best selling album chart and reached the number 2 position. Both albums became very popular over Europe and in Goa and were played by all the leading DJs. Both CDs were released as a double album by Smart Records in Scandinavia and many of the tracks were released on different singles and compilations world wide by different record companies/labels (among them: Fairway, BMG, Distance, TIP, Blue Room Released, Transient, Rumour, Perfecto Fluoro, Symbiosis, MCA, Euro Media, Vision Sound Carriers). The third Trust in Trance album contained already five tracks under the name Astral Projection (one featuring MFG). Trust in Trance vol. 3 was their major breakthrough into the European market, the album was reviewed by the leading UK music magazines as a masterpiece, and Astral Projection were crowned as the masters of psychedelic trance from Israel. What followed was just a big success: Leading UK and world DJs kept Astral Projection constantly on their play list; A full computerized animation video was made for People Can Fly and was played on MTV Europe, Viva, MLM, Channel+, M6 and other TV stations over Europe; The guys played in over 30 live shows around the world in one year; The CD was released through TIP (as Astral Projection- Trust in Trance), one of the major trance labels. Then followed Astral Files, the first CD to be only under Astral Projection name. The CD contained new Astral Projection tracks (one, a collaboration with Dado (Transwave, Deedrah)) and remixes of 4 big hits. Astral Files was released also by the well-appreciated British label- Transient Records (which since then has been releasing all their albums). Again the album received great reviews and most tracks became huge party hits. Following that, Avex Records (Japan) released a CD called "The Mix", containing a mix by Avi to their best tracks. A lot of singles were included on countless compilations and under many labels in Europe, The US, Japan, Taiwan and others around the world. Astral Projection appeared on countless live shows in a lot of events and festivals all over the globe. In the end 1997 Astral Projection released Dancing Galaxy. As Yaniv changed his direction in music and life he left the band and it was Avi and Lior by themselves again. The album took nine months of work in the studio (Just like a new child, as Avi says). Along with the CD an animated video clip was released for the first track Dancing Galaxy. The album was also released on different labels around the world: Transient, Avex (in Japan- where it was sold with a bonus CD), Blue Moon Production (Taiwan) and others. With the great success of Dancing Galaxy which is probably the most selling artist's trance CD ever, came a lot of shows around the world. Among the special ones were: A performance at the opening night of "The Israeli Season in France", with the participation of the French Culture Minister and VIP's from France and Israel; Performance as guests of the Israeli ambassador to Yugoslavia; Ibiza; Russia; Croatia; USA; and all over Europe. During 1998 they also released SFX- The Unreleased Tracks 89-94 that contains all their early hits from those good old times. In the beginning of 1999 they released few tracks on A new Trust in Trance compilation- The Next Millenium, among them some new tracks and some remixes to old ones. In February 1999 Another World was released. It took more then ten months in the studio and contains a new remix to one of their first singles- Another World, after which it is called. It also contains a mix to the classic Trilithon's Trance Dance. They remixed Faithless's God is a DJ and the 2 mixes were released on Psychedelic Vibes 6 and on Israeli Psychedelic Trance vol. 4, and also on a remixes single to Faithless. In May 2000 they released a double mixed CD- In the Mix- with seven remixes to old tracks, by themselves and others, four new tracks, and the rest is all classics, basically "the best of"- almost 160 minutes of a mixed musical journey with the guys. Transient also released the unreleased tracks unmixed on vinyl. To their new live act they were joined by one of the best Israeli drummers- Dani Makov ("Siam", "Nikmat Hatractor" and more). They are currently finished their next album Amen .



Liese: Name/ real Names & age of artists? Home base, website, Booking contact? Style? Productions?
Avi: Avi Nissim, 34 & Lior Perlmutter, 31, Israel, www.astral-projection.com, booking@astral-projection.com Trust in Trance Vol. 1, 2, 3 - (Number 3 was released as an official Astral Projection album as Astral Projection) "Trust in Trance", Astral Files, Dancing Galaxy, Another World, In the Mix , Amen = 8 albums.

Liese: Real Life Job? Do you have any other job to earn money? What have you done before? Short Biography, how and when did you start you career, how did you get started with electronic music? When did you realize that psy trance is "the one"?
Avi: Astral Projection is our "little empire" our band & we ran our own label Ï Trust in Trance records. It is Full power-endless action! We are 24 hours a day around it. Our activities involved Music creation, D.Jing, Closing deals with our partners around the world, gigs, investing in new Israeli Trance musicians & answering journalists questions like yours (=: On top of all that, we have our families, & I have a daughter 3.5 years old. Having all those, I can't see any chance in the world for us managing to work in another job besides music. That's where we invest all of our energies & our love, & receives feedbacks from everywhere. We are lucky that we are able to make a living only from what we love = Music. We always did. I tried working at 15 years old in the Burger Ranch, but 4 hours later they found me drumming on a barrel behind the restaurant. They have fired me on the spot. & I'd like to thank them Lior & me first got into dance music around 1988 when acid house got started in U.K. We`d already been making music for a few years, but our biggest influence around then was the first acid tracks compilation. Until that, we were both into heavier post-industrial electronic music-anything from Neon judgment to Spk, from Kraftwerk to psychic TV to skinny puppy. When we started making music around 1983 we had a Yamaha dx7 and dx9, a Roland juno 106 , a kawai R 100 drum machine and an old commodore 64 computer running dr t`s kcs software. Somewhere by 1988 we started making dance music together as SFX. In 1994 we became astral Projection. We felt that Trance is "The Thing" was on our second album. When we released "Mahadeva". I received a phone call from France, & they simply yelled our names all the times. There were about 30 people on the other line. It was our first invitation out to the big world. As we started performing out of Israel, everything looked so different than it was until that year. Actually, when we started producing trance, back in '88, we were dealing with electronic music. We basically created a new line that didn't really exist around the world. The name 'trance' arrived after many changes. Names like 'acid house', 'techno', 'new beat', always paralleled our musical creation patterns. In 1993 it was 'trance' and there it stayed. So you can say we understood that we make trance, when this scene was actually born. What got us into producing trance was the unlimited freedom a musician can reach through working in a midi studio with electronic equipment. You program a sound from zero, and the sky is the limit. The possibilities are huge, opposing standard instruments, which basically stay with the same sound character. Another thing was the possibilities in instrumental music, which speaks for itself, without a leading singer.



Liese: What is the special/difference in your Trance-Musik/Culture? And what do you think about the worldwide scene and yours at home?
Avi: The concept of Astral Projection from the beginning, since the days of SFX in 1988, was first of all music, regardless of fashions coming and going. All along the way we're trying to preserve the concept of very high standards of Production, musical ideas, reach imagination, and very pedantic control without compromise. We spend many hours in the studio, about 14 hours a day, and work on an album about 9 months (just like pregnancy.). We don't allow ourselves to release a product that we are no satisfied with. If you browse through our computer, you'll find enough material to more than 200 hundred albums that might have make others content, but were not good enough for us. You can play, for example, a track we made in 1994, and you'll see people are still enjoying themselves and dance to it madly, like it was made today, in the years 2000. And this is actually the main idea, regardless of time and fashion, keeping the quality without compromising. Of course, with the passing of time, experience and knowledge accumulated from album to album, we added more equipment, in order to be able to make without borders and obstacles, whatever is on our minds, no encountering technical limitations. Israeli trance rules! & Big Time! At some point, other styles of Trance became trendy (like the Scandinavian Trance) but nowadays, Israeli Trance is back again & Full Power! We look at the new generation artists like: Alien Project, Astrix, Atomic Pulse, Dynamic, Sesto Sento, they are all braking everywhere & we are very happy to see the scene grows & we are glad to inspire so many talented artists & opened the door for Israeli Trance music to be so recognized & well admired around the world.

The situation in Israel today can't be understood by those who don*t live here. Everyday there is fear of the suicide bombers and it can be anywhere, on buses, kindergartens and these terrorists can harm innocent kids. Imagine yourself sitting in a restaurant, laughing with your wife, your friends and kids and all of a sudden everything is cut off by crazy killer. I feel it strongly when I'm driving with my 3 years old daughter; I look around for suspicious people all the time. With all the terror around we try to maintain our normal life, entering the studio to try and try to run away from the crazy routine. That kind of pressure is just a part of our life Ï whether we want it or not.Ï You can hear this reflected in our musical Ï we call them "The Nerve Parts". We are lucky to have music to help us release this tension. We are very upset when we are invited to perform somewhere overseas and we turn on the radio in the hotel and hear the local news. Mostly the media is Pro-Palestinian, and it doesn*t give the balanced picture. In spite of al this, we love our country, even though we could live anywhere with our profession. But here, there is that magic that connects us. I don't see ourselves leaving soon

The worldwide scene is alive and kicking! I don't believe it will ever disappear. The revolution has just begun. Every time we reach a new places in the world, we appreciate the energy levels that each crowd can produce, and that is what so wonderful about Trance Ï no boundaries, all is one and its doesn't matter where are you or which country we play at. It wasn't any different in the beginning and it's stayed the same until today. Today's crowds are the second generation, but we don't feel any difference. The symbol and the message are identical as well as our crowd. It was the same in the 60's and it will continue into the new millennium, but instead of Rock music, there's Trance! Everyone has one goal Ï Freedom of the spirit! There's no music that makes me feel like trance does. Endless joy and the feeling of power. You can never stop that, ever!



Liese: Your future? Future of your local scene? Future of trance scene?
Avi: We plan a new album release August 2003. all ready in a deep process ! We plan a remix's album of all our classics tracks, performed by top Trance musicians that you all know well. No dates yet, still at work process. Around April we plan a release of a new Israeli Psychedelic Trance Vol. 6 And yes ... DVD including T.V interviews, live shows, studio work, making off, video clips for our classics tracks. I believe Trance will catch big time it already did, isn*t it? There are so many electronic music styles, but Trance is the most carrying away music there is. The possibilities are endless, as oppose to the standard bands Ï drums Ïguitars & flute. I believe that by directing & correct use of the media you can reach every home in the world. It*s takes time, but looking back at Israel 92`, there were 3 or 4 Trance CD*s. We bag the Radio stations to play our music. The shops didn*t know what we talk about. I know it was the same situation everywhere around the world. Look at the situation now, there*s a section of Trance Music everywhere, Internet, Supermarkets, Radio, M.T.V, etc. Thousands of people are listening to Trance, Traveling to parties in Ibiza, Goa, Bally, and Brazil, meeting, and exchanging, recording trance music. If all that happened in 10 years Ï you can*t predict what will happen within the next 20 years. My little daughter (Amit, 3 and half years old) loves Trance, my dad loves Trance and my brother set up his studio in Florida. I believe that in the future the usage of texts will be reduced & people will take after instrumental music only May be ;) I think that the biggest production will be on our new album " AMEN " we all ready sold 50,000 presales.

Liese: How do you go about producing your music? What are your favorite pieces of gear? What annoys you / inspires you at the moment? What is the most important thing of a track? Do you start with a beat or with an idea? Where do you get the inspiration and what_s your way to create a track? Where is the kick for you in producing music? Are you able to define the fever?
Avi: Track is made by hard work. There's no such thing as wham bam thank you mam, and here we have a track. It's a hard work. We are starting with the sound programming, & a lot of time sitting in front of the computer. Starting from a certain base line that's on, adding many layers of different roles that all along the creation keep on changing. Sometimes a certain role that is created inspires the next role and the evolving of the track. First of all we create some raw material that is on the computer way before the editing. Even in the editing stage we keep changing things, adding or changing roles according to changes created while editing, every role waits for the right time and the right entrance, and every role gets the respect it deserves, that's why our tracks are long. When we enter the studio to work on an album, there is no chance we will release something that we don't love or not content with. Every time we enter the studio to work on an album we are very excited and without this excitement there is no point for the whole thing. The mix stage, which is the final and last one, closes the process of making the track. This process usually takes us about a month. But for us a track is perfect only after we checked it in a party and we saw the audience respond, the audience is for us an active partner in all we have released so far. We write, arrange, and do sound programming all together. There's no single formula for the duo to put a track together though. We start a track off with a sampler, a melody line, a groove, a TB 303 sequence. Then we quickly start work on the bass and drums and build it up from there. The sounds and the mixing are worked on as we compose. It can take us from two weeks to a month to finish a track because we have the luxury of owning two professional recording studios.

Inspires: Anything goes ... movies, life, good music, our families ,My little daughter-things that inspired us on each album.We inspire each other ( lior & me ), and always feel that we complete one another like a puzzle, we both have studios at home, and we both have a lot of experience and we've been around for long. We almost always agree on things, and if there is a problem with a certain role, we immediately changes it, and it doesn't matter who made it, we don't have ego problems with everything that has to do with our music making, it is clear to both of us that we share the same goal, making the best music.

favorite pieces of gear Oberheim xpander, access virus c, ems ,Roland system 100



Liese: What was your most memorable gig? Which would you rather forget? Any other stories you would like to share from the "sex, drugs 'n' rock'n roll" department?
Avi: Most memorable gig: It*s a tough question. Each party has its own magic Ï the place, the view, the people, & there were plenty of parties I think Goa 99' was one of the best in our career. We played most of our music from many years for many hours. The crowed knew all the tracks. It was in Anjuna's Flee market. It was a party that was organized in a few hourspeople kept asking us when the party is, & we were there just for a holiday! We didn't plan anything. We realized that something has to be done & we got it together with a place, sound system & Baksheesh. In few hours we were surrounded by 2,000 people who came out of nowhere! I like this kind of parties. I remember another one in Fuji Mt. in Japan, a party under an active volcano. It was a party inside a cloud. Beautiful scenery & great crowd!

Rather forget: it was in Tel Aviv, Israel in the "Impulse" club, 1994. That night I D.J ...party as usual & all of a sudden - police with dogs, megaphones, gunsWAR!!!. They locked me in jail for 10 days in conditions I don't wish to my worst enemy, night investigations. Like in the movies. I was writing love letters to my wife from jail, it was a trail that lasted 4 years (!!!), charging me with hosting drug deals. Unbelievable! In the end the judge had claim me as UN GUILTY & canceled the link between Acid music (that's how they call it back those days) to drugs consumption.

Sex, drugs 'n' rock'n roll": Wow ... don't u think it's too private? ... ;-)
Sex: Do u want us to be dead by our fives after this interview??? ;-)
Drugs: we never even heard that word!!!
Rock`n roll: do you really think that this word exists anymore?
I'm always told that we need to change this message into: sex, drugs, `n ` trance

Liese: What about live-acting? Any plans for the future, where do you go to play? How you define Live? And what is your favorite instrument?
Avi: We are traveling the world with Astral ... almost every weekend ... we have been this year in so many unbelievable Places... There's a plan for a long tour in the U.S.A for the beginning of July 2003 - San Francisco - L.A - NY we plan to perform in Goa this year and a short trip to Brazil. plus the regular places ... Yugoslavia,Japan,Denmark,Greece,Canada,Australia,Croatia,England,Mexico,Finland,Italy,turkey, Russia ... maybe Germany ...;-)

A live show can be set in different ways.
1. Spreading all the channels on the computer.
Some of our sequences are running in audio channels & some in midi in real time. The main part of the live act is based on using filters while processing external effects & internal plug ins. Of course all of our home studio can't be on stage, so we search for substances, but we sure need the base: A serious console, full E.Q, at least 32 channels + quality monitors. We send back line gear requirements. In really big gigs we add a drummer that can give a nerve layer & more energy to the party.

2. There's the possibility of "un real live act". I've noticed that many artists are doing it, the music is played from a mixed CD & the party rocks "Full Power". Everyone dancing & enjoying it, & I do not have a problem with this option..



Liese: What is next in the development of Astral Projection? Do you have any top secret project in development?
Avi: the next in the development of Astral Projection is continue doing what we are doing ... never stop !!! our aim now is to bring our music & thru us all the trance movement into every houses around the world !

about the top secret project question : yes we have, but it`s a top secret ;-)

Liese: Who is the most (other) interesting artist/band in today's dancemusic scene? Any idols or kind of that?
Avi: we like allot of artist this days ... atomic pulse , astrix , cosma , dynamic, space cat , passenger, mwnn , GMS, x dream , electric universe , elements , raja ram, Yahel , Hallucinogen , and sorry if i forgot some one ...

Liese: Any other interests besides making music?
Avi: our interests : movies, photographic, videoediting, computers, animations, panting, sport
.internet .jewelers,

Liese: What type of psytrance do you like?
Avi: We are open to various musical styles, from the most commercial-melodic track right up to the Night Ï Psy Ï irritating track, as long as it's interesting, as long as it's got a point to it, emotions, story and concept. It's got to be rich, varied, with a high production range and vast sounds; it shouldn't be an anemic production. It's not always like this but sometime you can find new interesting talents, even in the most monotonous genres.

Liese: Who is your favorite psy trance artist?
Avi: G M S

Liese: Album?
Avi: mwnn - moment of true

Liese: 12"?
Avi: it`s very old ... 10 years ago ... " i want push " from zyx records or boy records .

Liese: What do you think is the key in making our psy trance scene larger?
Avi: we have to support each other, all the bands ... enough with this ego games ... some more feedback will connect this tribe together ... we have to use the media, the main stream media " mtv "... there is a good platform for all of us ... we need to create more video clips ... and we need to push them into there programs ... same music same spirit as we love to do , into there houses ... more radio shows ... more good music ... more bands ... more parties ... all together will make all of us strong ...and together we will control the universe .

Liese: What gave you inspiration to produce this album?
Avi: We were working on our artist's album AMEN for almost two years and we had plenty of materials. We wanted it to be perfect album from all aspects, as well as maintain our integrity. During these two years, we tested the new tracks at parties for our crowd. The tracks which received positive energies from the crowd, we marked as the tracks which work for us.

Liese: How did you come up with the title?
Avi: AMEN : is the current stage of the world, a state of a war, we are on the verge of a third world war. This is a prayer for universal peace and a wish for Utopia, that we wish was possible. It expresses a wish for a world peace.

Liese: What advice would you give to new artists who are trying to break thru?
Avi: they will need to have imagination, They will need to be resourceful, to know how to direct the emotion into the music creation, to keep updating to what*s going on around him, to be open to variety of different music styles & not to be locked on one, to have an ambition & motivation To practice a lot to create a lot... to listen to high production*s value music & try to reach the highest standards in production, to dance & party in order to understand what turn the audience on. To understand & know how to build a set-up, How to lead the night. To make research explore. You have the 4 on 4 basic beat but you have to know how to groove it & make it interesting First, they need to have analogue & Digital equipment, Synthesizers, modules, Reliable & strong computer with a professional sound card, professional mixer, and acoustic room, There is no short cuts You can make music with simple software but then - its going to sound like You have to compare the sound to the international standard of music, to make the effort & invest money & to give up other things, in order to win this war, & It is a war. A good and interesting album must contain new ideas, new sequences and new sounds. good luck ;-)

Liese: What web site do you frequent the most?
Avi: www.trustintrance.com

www.phonokol.com

www.jellyweb.com

www.transient.com

www.isratrance.com

www.chaishop.com

www.vintagesynth.com

www.synthzone.com

www.harmony-central.com

www.synthmuseum.com

www.mushroom-media.com;-)

www.novatekk.de

www.layla.co.il

www.ivibes.nu

www.walla.co.il

www.sex4free.co.il

www.sleazydream.com

www.al4a.com/links.html

www.ebay.com

www.google.com

www.123dj.com

www.digibid.com


Liese: Do you have your own web site?
Avi: yes : www.astral-projection.com & www.trustintrance.com

Liese: Discography
Avi: trust in trance 1& 2 & 3 ( number 3 came as officle astral projection album as astral projection " trust in trance " , astral files, dancing galaxy, another world, in the mix , amen = 8 albums

Top 10:
Kraftwerk - Radio Activity.
Yazoo - Situation.
Depech Mode - Live In Silence
Meat Beat Manifesto - Mindstream ( Orbital remix )
Spectral - Kundalini.
Overlords - God's Eye On Goa.
L.D.C - Plasma. -
M.W.N.N. - Teleport.
Cabaret Voltaire -sensoria
10.X-Dream - Rain.

Boom !
Avi Nissim
Astral Projection


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