Like
anyone with aspirations of becoming a DJ, Oren Nizri started
out small in his home country of Israel. His first stints at
the turntable were in a local record shop in Beersheva,
Israel, where he would do sets for customers. From there he
began working private parties. Eventually he secured his own
one-man show on a local radio station. "It was called "In My
House", Nizri says. "The whole time slot was dedicated to
house music".To
learn as much as he could about the business, Nizri
eventually went to Europe and study under other DJs. When he
decided to move to the United States, he had in his mind to
settle in the Big Apple. But fate stepped in and brought him
to Miami instead. "I was about to go to New York, and then a
very good friend of mine living here told me I should come
to Miami instead", he says. "She went on about the nice
weather and great people. So I changed my plans and landed
up here. And I've stayed here. I don't think I am going to
leave anytime soon".
The competition among DJ's
is fierce, Nizri says. It seems to him that these days
almost everyone wants to be a DJ. But the competition is
also good, he says. It pushes him. For example, after only
four months of being in Miami, Nizri secured himself a White
Party gig. And after hearing Nizri spin at the popular South
Beach eatery Cafeteria, Jaie La Plante, Director of the Gay
and Lesbian Film Festival, this year Nizri was invited to
play the festival's opening night gala at the Sky Lobby in
downtown Miami.
If there is one word to
describe Oren Nizri's sounds, it would be uplifting. "I play
different venues," Nizri says. "But mostly I play soulful
vocal house, very danceable. Or I'm going to play circuit
sounds. I'm on the happy side," he says. "I play lots of
vocals and tribal beats. I don't play dark. I want people to
dance and have fun". Nizri has befriended a number of high
profile DJs,and the list of music masters he admires is
endless. Among those whose work he admires are David
Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Chris Cox and Hex Hector.
Soon, Florida audiences
beyond South Beach will be able to hear Nizri's sounds. He
is planning a tour of the state this month, though the exact
dates and venues have not been nailed down yet. When Nizri
is not at gigs he can be found at Base in South Beach. Base
has a music department where Nizri stays up to date on all
the latest sounds and releases. Nizri does not have much
time to go out to clubs, he says, but when he does he
frequents both straight and gay clubs, as long as the music
is to his liking. In terms of the gay scene in Israel, Nizri
says it is comparable to that of South Florida's. "Israel
has a developed gay scene, especially in Tel Aviv," Nizri
says. But in terms of flavor, South Beach is unique, he
feels. "There is something special here that you can't find
anywhere else," he says.
