Nitzhonot
Psy · 1997 · 145 to 155 BPM · also known as Nitzhogoa
Israel's heresy against Goa, 1997 to 2000: nitzhonot means victories in Hebrew, and the sound goes for it, near-hardtrance kicks, grand oriental melodies played without irony, euphoric builds made for Tel Aviv beaches rather than Himalayan plateaus. The international psy scene despised it at the time, precisely because it was popular, local and sentimental. It burned fast, left a handful of anthems, and its direct descendant is the Israeli uplifting sound that fed commercial full-on, a genre now extinct but rehabilitated by nostalgia.
6 reference tracks
- Power Source: Goaway (1997)
- Sandman: Witchcraft (1997)
- Oforia: Delirious (1998)
- Eyal Barkan: Good Morning Israel (1998)
- Eyal Barkan: Voyage (1999)
- Shiva Shidapu: Power of Celtic (1997)
At a glance
- Tempo: 145 to 155 BPM
- First appeared: around 1997
- Machines: Roland JP-8000, Clavia Nord Lead, Akai S3000, Steinberg Cubase
- The sound: Kicks hardtrance durs, Leads orientaux en gammes phrygiennes, Arpégiateurs euphoriques, Cordes synthétiques grandioses, Production directe sans détour
- Labels: Trust In Trance Records, Phonokol
- Key artists: Eyal Barkan, Power Source, Shiva Shidapu, Sandman, Goldenfinger, Indoor
Producing Nitzhonot
Push a bit harder than the Goa it comes from, 145 to 155 bpm, with a square, near-hardtrance feel: tight 8-bar phrases, one main rhythm, one heavy kick, one melody taking up all the space, with short breaks returning every 32 or 48 bars. Build the kick as a fast pitch-dropping laser kick, sine from 200Hz to 50Hz, then hard saturation on every beat, paired with a loud open hat on the off eighths and a clap doubled with a 909 on 2 and 4. For bass, choose an off-eighth line, sawtooth filtered near 250Hz, or the Goa-style sixteenth motif, following the melody's chord changes. The lead is a supersaw played on phrygian or harmonic minor scales with long singing melodies, stacked with grand strings and a discreet acid line underneath.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Nitzhonot?
Israel's heresy against Goa, 1997 to 2000: nitzhonot means victories in Hebrew, and the sound goes for it, near-hardtrance kicks, grand oriental melodies played without irony, euphoric builds made for Tel Aviv beaches rather than Himalayan plateaus. The international psy scene despised it at the…
What tempo is Nitzhonot played at?
Between 145 and 155 BPM.
Who are the key Nitzhonot artists?
Eyal Barkan, Power Source, Shiva Shidapu, Sandman, Goldenfinger, Indoor.
