In a Trance

In the late 1990s in Haifa,Israel,two youngsters — Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani,commonly known as Duvdev — started the band with a “stolen name”. “Infected Mushroom was the name of an old Israeli punk band that broke up a long time ago. So we stole the name,” says Duvdevani. Their aim was to do “interesting” music. “What started off as a DJ act slowly became a live act. With time,we got Israeli guitarist Erez Netz and then Brazilian drummer,Rogerio Jardim,to join our group. Now that we live in Los Angeles we have an American guitarist called Tommy Cunningham,” says Duvdevani,whose name often makes one mistake this bald Israeli to be of Indian origin.

Infected Mushroom’s sound is a series of electronic rhythms,that range from “swingy,danceable” numbers to “smooth,swaying” scores to dark progressive trance with heavy,complex layers of hypnotic music. “Psychedelic trance is not as popular as hip hop,house or rock. It is probably more taboo,even more taboo than mainstream electronica. But this is what makes it popular among its own demographic. Not to forget,it makes the girls go bananas,” says Duvdevani.

As their seven albums became instant hits in the 2000s,the band was criticised for commercialising what was,until then,a dark,underground genre that was rarely played in clubs and was restricted to private raves. “Unlike most psychedelic trance bands,Infected Mushroom don’t just DJ. They have live acts with a drummer and guitarist and this sets them apart,” says Jehan Johar,programming head of Blue Frog in Mumbai who has organised the tour. In India,we can expect some of the band’s hit numbers like Deeply Disturbed,Psycho and Becoming Insane.

This is their second trip to India,after a single gig in Mumbai a few years ago. “We are looking for another long party,” he says.