Offer Nissim - Pride All Over 2010

This is a new continuously mixed compilation showcasing some of his recent productions and remixes. It begins with two new Epiphony tracks including "Mr. Charming" and "Boxing Ring." "Mr. Charming" sounds like the darker cousin of their earlier hit "Out Of My Skin" while "Boxing Ring" has some electro influences. Next is Offer's remix of "Why Tell Me, Why" by Anita Meyer which is based on the original. He beautifully turns the light Disco track into a club anthem. Following that is "The One & Only" with Nikka is a pretty, uplifting but dark track. Suzanne Palmer's cover of Melba Moore's "You Stepped Into My Life" is up next. It features additional vocals by Maya Simantov. It's mostly instrumental except for the few vocal samples and occasional breaks with Maya's vocals. The electro-tinged production with buildups and breakdowns is really fun. The next two tracks are in other languages including Greek and Turkish, respectively. Shlomi Saranga's "Essi" is a dark, moody track with some emotion-filled vocals. "Yeni Beni (Out Of My Skin)" is a cover of Epiphony's "Out Of My Skin" sung by a male vocalist. Some Epiphony vocals are used too. Ivri Lider's "F*** Off Berlin" is next. It's rather dark as well. It must be mentioned that it's not a song bashing the city of Berlin. Following that is a twisted techy-tribal update to Flickman's "The Sound Of Bamboo." Two more classic songs in other languages come next. The French "Nuit Magique" by Lara Catherine and the Hebrew "Adaa'in Kan" by Shoshana Damari. Both are really stunning. The latter is really haunting and dramatic. The compilation closes on a positive note with "Freedom To Y'all" by Mickiyagi. The unexpected 'symphony' break in the middle is a lovely touch. Overall, this is a good compilation. The mixing could be thought of as 'segueing' as each track does blend seamlessly into each other, but only for a few seconds at the end. The standouts include the Epiphony, Suzanne Palmer, Shoshana Damari, and Mickiyagi tracks.

Grade: A-

Offer Nissim - Remixed

This is the first of two Offer Nissim releases that are being reviewed this week.

This collection is the latest release from the Israel-based DJ/remixer/producer.

Disc 1 contains remixes of some of Offer Nissim and Maya Simantov's earlier singles by other remixers. None of these mixes have been released previously on singles or other compilations. Some have been availabe at the digital retailers. Overall, a number of the mixes are Electro/House in style. Some of the highlights include Peter Rauhofer's mostly instrumental take on "Happy People", Ana Paula's reworking of "Love Me" with those lush strings and the Zoltan Kontes remix of "Only You."

Disc 2 contains the original versions of the last six Maya songs, including "For Your Love", "Wish You Were Here", "I'm In Love", "Happy People", "Why" and "Love Me", plus the new Epiphony track, "Out Of My Skin", the Symphony Extreme track "Remember My Name", which is based on the classic "Fame", Offer's new instrumental entitled "Bimbo" and Offer's revisit to Dana International's "Petra." Noticeably missing are the new tracks with Maya including "Hook Up" and "You'll Never Know How" and the two new covers of "I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten" and "Believe" with vocals by Hila Davidson (Symphony Extreme) and Meital De Razon (Epiphony), respectively. The new Epiphony track "Out Of My Skin" is one of his stronger works to date without Maya on vocals. Meital's vocal performance is quite good. The Symphony Extreme track "Remember My Name" is mostly instrumental, however the few vocals by Hila are decent. This one may have worked better with more vocals. The other instrumental, "Bimbo" is pretty good too. Really energetic. Some of the instrumental elements call to mind Offer's mix of "Ze She'Shomer Alay" from last year. The updated mix of Dana International's "Petra" is really good. Only some of the vocals from the original are used. The production fits extremely well.

All tracks on both CDs are full length, and totally unmixed. Physical editions of the collection are available at the Star 69 website. Digital downloads of the discs individually are available there too.

This collection is a must-have.

Grade: A