Guy Mantzur Goes to Bat for Israel’s Dance Music Scene
The nod-and-a-wink nature of underground dance music means that one city’s thriving scene can largely fly under the radar of the mainstream media narrative. According to Guy Mantzur, Israel’s electronic music ecosystem is an example of such a best-kept secret.
As a successful DJ and producer hailing from Tel Aviv, Guy would certainly know. His residency at The Cat & The Dog earned him the title of “Israel’s Best Underground DJ” in the 2013 XL Awards, and his tour schedule routinely takes him throughout Europe, North and South America. He’s seen enough dance music hotspots in his lifetime to know whether a city qualifies.
The former home of Pacha Tel Aviv
Once upon a time, though, Israel’s scene was his entire world. “Back in the ’90s, the scene in Israel was really big, with two or three open-air parties of 5,000 people every weekend and clubs such as Pacha and Allenby 58,” he told Deep House Amsterdam. I was making more chillout music at that time, but I had lots of local DJ friends, so I had chances to go there and discover this beautiful world of electronic music.”
DGTL Tel Aviv
And while he may have spread his wings to explore the rest of the globe, he argues that Israel hasn’t slowed down one bit. In a 2018 interview with Flow Music, he said, “Israel is a great place for music lovers. We don’t have closing times for clubs or parties and there are underground parties every day.”
“I played last weekend in the desert at a party called Terra and my set time was 9:00 AM to midday,” he continued. “that’s just an example of how long parties can be here.”
Terra Open Air Tel Aviv
Recent headlines about war in and around Israel may have a hand in discouraging techno tourism. Guy Mantzur says that these concerns are understandable, but ultimately misguided. “I can tell you for sure that its nothing like the media shows,” he said. “Tel Aviv and lots of other central cities are peaceful, full of beautiful things and chill vibes.”
There you have it. Add Tel Aviv to your list of clubbing destinations — especially if Guy Mantzur is slated to perform somewhere in the city.
