Three Tracks That Shaped Eli Nissan’s Musical Outlook
Eli Nissan’s route into electronic music has been anything but linear. Born in Netanya and based in Tel Aviv, he began as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, spending his formative years in bands before moving into studio production and, eventually, club music.
That experience remains audible in the emphasis he places on melody, structure and arrangement.
After a period spent working behind the scenes and producing other musicians, Nissan returned to releasing under his own name and gradually built an impressive body of work.
His latest addition is Empty Sky, a two-track EP for Balance Music. The title track revolves around an irresistible melody, warm and weightless enough to evoke a sunlit afternoon. On ‘Euphoria’, he raises the energy with a buoyant groove and an easy rhythmic strut.
We asked Nissan to select three tracks that helped shape his musical outlook. His choices offer a glimpse into the wide-ranging influences behind his distinctly melodic approach.
Even before I knew that music would become my life, certain songs could move me to tears purely through their melodies. Most of the time, I could not even understand the lyrics.
Melody was always the starting point for my own compositions. Over the years, I also became fascinated by groove and the many possibilities of electronic production.
Choosing only three pieces that helped shape my sound is incredibly difficult, but these are the ones I keep returning to.
Ennio Morricone
Love Theme
(1988)
Taken from the movie Cinema Paradiso, this piece always reminds me of music’s power to shape emotion.
I consider Ennio Morricone one of the most important and influential composers in history, alongside the great figures of classical music. ‘Love Theme’ holds nostalgia, love and sadness within an extraordinary melody, supported by sophisticated harmonies and an overwhelming emotional intensity.
It makes the heart beat a little faster every time.
Chicola
Childhood
(2016)
In 2016, I returned to electronic music production after a long break. I was still searching for my direction and found inspiration in the music being made around me in Tel Aviv.
When I first heard ‘Childhood’, I was stunned.
Its melancholy melody carries an incredible sense of passion, matched by a production that still sounds timeless. I continue to play it in my sets, and it moves me just as much now as it did the first time I heard it.I feel fortunate to have such talented friends around me.
Popcorn
(1969)
Taken from the album Music to Moog By, ‘Popcorn’ remains one of electronic music’s great wonders.
Released in 1969 and created entirely with a Moog synthesizer, it arrived decades before electronic music developed into the culture we recognise today. Yet it already contained everything you could want from a great electronic track: an unforgettable melody, melodic pads, dramatic chord changes and an extraordinary drum groove.
Every electronic producer should listen to it and remember what a remarkable piece of music it is.
