Been a long time waiting for "First Time" from Offer Nissim and his vocal accomplice, Maya. Ages ago, Peter Rauhofer was buzzing about Nissim and slowly word that this great talent hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel spread via internet forums and charts. So, although this is his debut artist CD, plenty of fans have been following his every move for some time now. And now is the time for them to pick up this gem of a CD which proves what a great house magician Nissim is and firmly establishes Maya as one of the most stellar of house vocalists. It's slam full with soon to be classic songs, and one oldie with ABBA's "Summer Night City" cover. Nissim's sound is rooted in the NYC house tradition, although he brings extra musical stylings with his impeccable synth work and tasteful vocal manipulation. Where much of current New York House is minimal, dark and hard, Nissim sounds big and arenalike, with his strong forward moving beats and soaring arrangements. We can thank Peter Rauhofer and Star 69 records for bringing this project to fruition. It's a highly anticipated CD that's worth the wait.
After the beatless, string-laden intro the CD launches into big beats with "Searching". Maya, the vocalist on all tracks, is not to be confused with Maya from the Tamperer. This is a new Maya, and her voice is soulful and lush. One of the best out there, and a little similar to Suzanne Palmer. My favorite track on this CD is "First Time." Everything comes together on this one- Nissim's synths are soaring, the beat is driving and Maya's vocals appear after the music is smoldering. What a great groove, what a great vocal. Vocal house perfection. Maya delivers an inspired middle-eastern vocal on "Anything" as Nissim complements her performance well with some of his signature vocal reworkings. Modern dance fans who also happen to be fans of ABBA will thrill to "Summer Night City." "That's The Way I Like It" is the final tune here. It's got a tranquil intro before the kick arrives. Nissim's gorgeous string arrangements give the feeling he's got a substantial amount of musical knowledge. Maybe a little too often, dance tracks have no chordal progression and just stay in one place from start to finish. Never the case with Offer Nissim. The vocal riff reference to KC and the Sunshine Band is done very tastefully.
You might imagine this is dangerously cheesy territory, but here it's pulled off with great style. Offer Nissim and Maya are a fabulous pair, and from the sound of this CD they can do no wrong.
As a end note, Offer Nissim is also an excellent remixer in his own right. For proof just check his remixes of Kristine W "Wonder of It All" and Suzanne Palmer "Home".
