Who me?

this is where you ask and I (try to) answer

Well, we can start with my name being Eliran Ben Ishai, I'm 32 years old and currently live in Tel Aviv, Israel. Is there anything else you'd like to know and share with everyone? For personal requests and inquiries you can email me at dnagroove@gmail.com.

Frans asks - Hi, I really love your music but I can't find the tune of Super DX-Ball anywhere in your musiclist. Am I just missing it or did you hide it somewhere?

Thanks Frans! Well, the truth is that the DX Ball was not converted to MP3, but you can still download it from here - The Grey Area - it's in the 2004 file. Please read the short description first, it will help you make the best of it. :)

Those Wondering asks - Please clarify the license on your music, your footer on your webste says free to distribute and use fo commerical purposes, but the CC widget says non commerical, does this apply to the website only?

The CC notice is a little out of date and does not qualify for the content in the site. As the footer states, all content here can be freely used for any purpose as long as credit is given. Hope it helps and thank you for asking.

Richard asks - Can your software produce sheet music or a score for each of your songs? if so, would there be a chance you would make them available? I love your music and would be interested in learning how to play some on piano or with some of my friends in my high school band. Either way, it's amazing to listen and think about this music. I love it.

Thank you so much Richard, however it is impossible to translate my music to score with the software I'm working with. And since I can't read/write notes myself, the endeavor must be spearheaded by someone else.
I am aware that several people transcribed some of my tracks to be played by live instruments, however that was done on their own account and I don't possess their finished work. Quick googling may fetch some good leads, I hope.

Stefan asks - Why is there this disturbing nag-Box at the top of the page that only appears in Internet Explorer? Do You have missed the last decade and are still thinking about IE6?

I'm glad you noticed it as you are the only person who ever mentioned that. Thank you for your attention. IE9 is still missing some very basic CSS3 support which is used in this almost 3 year old website. IE10 will have additional support but will still be far behind Firefox, Chrome and Safari. The new website I'm working on is going to feature much more advanced features of CSS3 and HTML5 and I can assure you that even though I get all the seals of standards compliance, IE10 will still have problems (if the community preview is any indication). Believe me that there's no one on the planet who wants IE to finally join the rest of the world in compliance to standards, but judging from the last decade, it's just not the IE way.

I'm sorry the nag box bothers you. I agree that it's a little too "in your face" and it will be toned down in the next site version. The site will be supported in IE, of course as it is today, but since IE still lacks the basic features I want my site to offer, the nag box will still be there. I hope you're still able to enjoy the site, and the music in it, which is really the point of it. :)

Nathan asks - Your music is awesome! It makes me feel better when i'm sad and i feel left out :D

Thank you so much Nathan! It makes me feel better that my music does that to you. :)

Bradyn asks - I keep listening to Neon Wars, which has some excellent nuance to it and some very small details that make the song worth listening to over and over, but I keep wondering if there's a translation to the voice over. I love the song without it, and I love the eerie effect it adds. I don't want to hear the song in English, I'm just wondering what he's saying. It'd add a new depth to the song for me.

Thanks!

Thanks Bradyn! Well, the truth is I have no idea what he's saying. :) All I can tell you is that it's French and that it's part of the remix effort done by a good friend of mine, Guy Rotem - an amazingly talented musician regardless. My guess is that it's some kind of pseudo-romantic babble because the guy sounds like he's ready to pop... plus he moans a lot. :)

J.Witness asks - Hi! I love your style and even though I was never a fan of electronic music, yours somehow grew on me very much. I wanted to ask you a question.
You said you are Jewish by tradition, do you draw inspiration from your religion when you compose your music?

Thank you! And I'm truly glad I was able to reach you with my music. Well, as much as it is true to say that I'm Jewish by tradition I'm actually an Atheist. I do celebrate Jewish holidays with my extended family, but Judaism is not "my" religion. :) Therefor it would be hard to say that religion inspires me in some way... I can't say that it doesn't at all, because religion (not faith) touches everyone to some extent. But I digress. :) My every day life inspires me the most, interaction with people, emotions, bliss, hardship. I hope this answers your question. :)

Anonymous asks - I actually have a few questions for you.

FIRST: Ars on Mars stylistically seems to be much different than any of your other songs, leaning more of the standard electronic groove based sound, especially toward the end of the song where you introduce a brand new theme. While this is one of my favorite songs of yours, my question is why is this song so different compared to the others?

SECOND: Hillfort Lullaby has some very incredible melodies in it, enthralling and beautiful; they have a way of relaxing people. What inspired these melodies, and is there any way I can get sheet music of them so that I may play them for my daughter before she goes to bed?

Thank you for being such an incredible musician, I listen to your music more than anything else, and many big decisions were inspired by the raw emotion that your music is able to perfectly portray.

Thank you for your kind words! I'm honored to have made such a personal contribution to you. My answers -
1. Ars on Mars is really a team effort. 2 other friends of mine (Maze and Alo Malo, as mentioned in the track title) joined up with me to create this little gem. We each contributed our share and this is the end result. I'm glad you like it. :)

2. Thank you. Hillfort Lullaby is one of my favorites as well. It was composed during a time when I was hooked on New Age music by artists like Rick Wakeman, Gandalf and Oliver Shanti. Their influence is clearly identified in my attempts to create such music. Greater influences from Indian, native American and Chinese music are usually an integral part of that. If you like that genre then those artists will hopefully satisfy you, and help your daughter get a good night sleep. :)

Thank you again.

Riz asks - Hello Eliran....i like your music which features in the pc game 'pocket tank'....the music which is played during the 'menu and options' before the game starts....may i know the title of the song and where to download it as wel???

Thanks Riz! The title of that track is Pocket Tanks (oddly enough :)) and you can find it in the album Restrained Calculation. You can download it as MP3 from there.

xnadv*save-point.org asks - How come you don't have a wiki page? or I just can't find it... either way that would be kind of nice.
Anyways, I found you through some keygen music pack but I'm also interested in chiptunes. It was a tune called Neon Tanks but it didn't have the vocal part. Glad to have bumped into that and found the artist. ^^

Thanks! I don't have a wiki page because no one has created it, not that I know of, anyway. This is probably something I'll get around to doing pretty soon. I'll post a blog entry soon about where I've been all these months and what have I been doing... and update on that will probably be included. :)

Bradyn asks - I've been a huge fan of yours, and many of your songs give me chills. The first one that I heard that did so was Shoshi, and the amazing middle section it has. What was your inspiration for that one?

Thank you so much Bradyn! Shoshi is actually dedicated to a woman I've loved very much and was inspired by some of our best times together. I'm glad you like it. :)

Lakshay Pixrax asks - Do you create your music using any music production software or live instruments?
Whatever it is, its amazing.
You are the Ultimate Composer I'v liked after Vangelis.
Cheerio!!

Thanks Lakshay! There are no live instruments involved, but I do use Renoise as my main tool to create music. It's the most comfortable music production software for me.

flankattack asks - Your download links aren't working for me. Please get them working sometime soon!

If the download links don't work then you probably have some kind of plug-in that attempts to take control of the MP3 file... Quicktime is a good example. I'd advise to try to disable any plug-in that you think may do that, at least when downloading files from this website. Hope it helps.

Henrik asks - I'm listening to "Lash of Justice" right now and wonder if music disks from MOD Project are still available, ANSI menus and everything.

Not to my knowledge, but you may find some small treasures here http://modarchive.org/. This website is the largest and most comprehensive module depository I know. Good luck.

Caleb asks - Hey DNA-Groove, I really love your stuff. Some of your guitar tracks are very expressive and packed with emotion. I specifically like Eulogy to a King of Fools, but also Fabric of Time. Anyway, I was actually wondering if you could make the project files available or provide some kind of backing tracks, because I'm trying to learn the guitar part to Fabric of Time but don't have the skills you have to create a drum track to jam to. The bass part to that song sounds LOADS of fun to play too. Greetz from America!

Thank you Caleb! You can download both of these tracks' project files from The Grey Area (bottom left of the music page). All of the zip files contain the original IT/S3M files I used to create all of my music, until 2004 anyway.

Suzee Dean asks - What is it like being with the church?, much rhythm, hot bass!

Oh yeah! ... what?

Justine asks - Which of your songs is your personal favourite? (and don't say all xD)

That's a tough one... sentimental reasons will always come into play here, so I'll have to say that White Mother of Universe (1999) is my personal favorite. I've never invested so much time and thought into a track before and never have since. I would love to know what you think of it.

Sasha asks - Dude, where can i find the Dxball deluxe soundtrack?
Ps: You rule

Thanks Sasha :) The entire DX Ball soundtrack is available in the Grey Area. It was done in the year 2004 so you should download that file. I'd suggest reading the text in that area to get a better grasp of what to do with the file you downloaded. Thanks. :)

jovithor asks - ¿Have you been influenced by people like Pet Shop Boys or Joe Satriani?
Fabric of Time transports me to another world....Question of Stars...etc,etc.....thanx Master.

Pet Shop Boys not so much, but Joe Satriani is definitely a big influence... the artists that influenced me the most are Jean Michel Jarre (anything before 2000), Depeche Mod, Aphex Twin, Vangelis and many friends and fellow musicians I've known through the years whose music I loved.

Yossi asks - Which ethnic group do you belong to?

Well, my ethnicity is middle-eastern, since I was born in Israel to Israeli parents. I am, however, Jewish by tradition... which is not the first choice that comes to mind when the middle-east is concerned. :)

Mmaryann asks - Will you answer anything?

Yes.

Kevin asks - Does some of your songs reflect your life? Like if your sad you create a sad song if your happy do you create a happy song and also do you have Yahoo if so i would like to Chat!

It's safe to say that absolutely all of my pieces reflect at least some part of my life. I think that every creative process is directly affected by emotions and thoughts of the creator. I'm not sure it mirrors the artist per se, but the influence on the music is almost inevitable. It's true for all of my music as well.



I don't use Yahoo at all, actually... but am available for chat on Facebook occasionally. :)

Orion asks - Pirates or ninjas? :3

Chuck Norris

Meira asks - You live in Tel Aviv? ^_^ I have so many friends and relatives that live in Israel -- Yerushalayim, Alon Shvut, Efrat, Beit Shemesh, Harnof, Bnei Brak, Chashmona'aim, Arad -- all over. I visit there a lot. =)

What's your favorite place to go and just think, maybe where you write your music?

Yes I live in Tel Aviv (for now) and love it here. :) You seem to have a lot of friends in relatively rural places, which is great in my opinion. I'm hoping to become more 'rural' myself soon. :)

My favorite place in Israel is basically anywhere in the north, where it's green and the mountains loom in the distance. It's the most inspiring setting for me... although not the most common. I usually just write music in my study, where it's quiet. :D

Alexanat asks - Hello, dear Eliran! Please, I'd like You to tell me "The Hillfort Lullaby" (one of my most favorite songs) creating story.

Hillfort Lullaby was conceived as a song of both a farewell and a reminder. I was just discharged from the Israeli military, in addition to breaking up from a girl I used to love very dearly at the time. The close proximity of those unrelated incidents was a lesson for me to let my guard down from time to time, or I'll end up missing much of what is best in life. :) Which is why I chose to name it 'Hillfort Lullaby"... a reminder to let the guard take a nap sometimes. :)

Kris asks - Your music s phenomenal Eliran!.....I m a big fan already!...I ve been trying to contact you for a query via email, but there s some error with it....

Kris

Hey Kris, I'm glad you managed to get through and contact me successfully. If gmail is giving you a hard time again, you can also send email to eliran@mindjob.org. Thank you for the effort. :)

Brett asks - What instrument is your favorite to play? I noticed questions of the stars is one of the first pieces you actually played during the recording process.

My favorite is, of course, the keyboard... Piano and Electric Piano sounds are my passion. :) And yes - Question of the Stars is the first track to feature a live recording of me playing the Piano and some arpeggiated synth sounds.

Scott Mandato asks - Wow, you music is glorious. Have you ever heard of Dream Theater? I have like four of their dvds.

Thank you so much, Scott :) Yes, I have heard of Dream Theater... I used to like them very much when I was younger, but over the years my taste has drifted from progressive rock as a genre. These days signs of age are definitely showing, and I'm liking Frank Sinatra more than I should. ;)

Florian asks - Hi. Do you make music that doesn't get added to the site?

Hey Florian. yes, most of the tracks I start sadly end up in the 'sketch' folder, never to be finished. There are tracks that I do for commercial projects that also don't get published here for free for legal restrictions.

Lasher asks - Hi Eliran; first, I want to say that I absolutely LOVE your music! Second, what would you say is your all-time favorite game that you've played?

Thank you! :) My absolute favorite game of all time would have to be Heroes of Might and Magic 3. It's the only game that I STILL come back to, almost 11 years since it was released. :)

Senji asks - Eliran your music is beautiful and emotional and I want to make music like that how to start??

Thank you Senji. I'm guessing you have no prior musical experience. In that case my advice to you is to just pick a music production program, there are many on the market today (FL Studio, Reason, Renoise, Cubase etc), see which of them feels most comfortable and just start playing around with it. Once you get the hang of it, your own music will soon come along. Good luck. :)

Calm Of space asks - Could you possibly compose a song for my work in progress of an online game?

Yes, of course, although it would be best if every possible detail (including a first hand impression) can be arranged and sent to my personal mailbox. Thank you for the thought. :)

Slobodan asks - Hi Eliran! How often do you get offers to do music for games? :)

Specifically for games? not often enough. ;)

Calm of Space asks - Could you tell me about the album art for Restrained Calculation?

All my album art pictures are photos I've taken in my travels around the world and from Israel. That particular picture was taken in Florence. Two street musicians who captivated a large audience by using the beautiful resonance of the old buildings and closely built streets to play their beautiful music.

P O'B asks - Could you come to my house and play me some songs? :)

Sure, if you live in Madison Square Garden, consider it done. ;)

IRQ asks - Hello Eliran,
wow your compositions are so emotional... It's like a wide open portal to your spirit.
A wonderful kind of 'speaking', you master it perfect.

All my good old C-64 and Amiga times passing by in mind while I listen to your Musik.

Hmm Eliran, what are you doing in your all-day job? Do you have a artistically job?

I wish you all the best!
Kindly regards, Markus (from germany)

Thank you, Markus, it's always wonderful to hear that my music means something to someone.

My day job is being a CTO in a web development company. We build websites and information management systems. It's not 'artistic' per se, and even though it does get demanding at times, I do have creative freedom. ;) And I do love my job.

Jamie Webb asks - I think your music is absolutely awesome and I can't believe it's free. Don't you want to get signed by a fancy label and get rich? (:

Thank you, and no. :) As long as it's not part of a job like a commercial project with a contract and restrictions and lawyers and threats of death, it will remain free. My music is just another extension of what I have to say and share with the world... listening to me speak is free, and so is listening to my music.

Mark asks - Where did you study music? How long? Who is your most memorable teacher?

I'm afraid I never officially studied any music, to this day I still can't read notes. I think that that traditional practice of studying music is slowly shifting away from a lot of musicians' journey into a musical career (hence hip hop ;)). My personal quest was of mainly fumbling around to find a way to pour the melodies and harmonies in my head out to a shareable medium. A lot of trial and error, which I think will never truly end. :)

Anders Steen asks - The tones you select for your compositions, makes me think of music from the Commodore Amiga. Did you get inspiration from it? What equipment are you using now?

My earliest tunes were made with similar equipment you may find on C64 and the Amiga, that's Tracking. I've written somewhat of a condensed review of that time in the Grey Area, in the music Section. :) But yes, since that is where my musical roots come from, I suppose you will always notice some kind of influence from those days. Today the tools I mainly use are an old Roland XP50, a new Axiom 61 Pro controller keyboard and for software just my trusty Renoise and some Abelton lately. :)

Michael asks - How long does it take for you to complete a song, from idea to finish?

Oh, that's a complicated question. :) It really depends on a lot of things. Some ideas are very clear and take a relatively short time to execute (about 2-3 days), others are more vague and can take up to a few months. Now all that is great as long as there are no interruptions or dry periods in the middle. A truck load of ideas end up in the proverbial attic because it just took too long to finish and all connection with the original idea was lost. And there are several other examples like that... I hope it answers your question. :)

Nira asks - What inspires you most - sadness or hapiness? how do you maintain your inspiration in the day-to-day life, where each day is pretty much like the previous day? i envy you. honestly.

Sadness actually leaves me hollow, I rarely get inspired by sadness. Hope inspires me most, looking forward to something, fulfillment is also very inspiring to me. 2009 has been an extremely hollow year, in that respect. Finding inspiration in a daily routine isn't a matter of change I think, we feel different every day, think about different things... 'Every Day is a Winding Road' Sheryl Crow sang, and, drugs aside, she knew what she's talking about. ;)

Dave asks - In "Ghost of My Heart", it seems almost sad...was that on purpose?

Yes, very much so. That track was written out of profound misguidance on my part. It does have a hopeful undertone to it, because that's just the way I am. ;)

Michael asks - What's your worst fear?

Losing the ability to take care of myself with menial daily things. If I need someone to wipe my ass, my life is officially over.

So, what is this?

Emotional Center

     

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