Interview: Breaking Music Boundaries with Lingam (IL)

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Yoni Weizenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel the talented music producer and dj known for his Electronic music project – Lingam. Despite losing 80% of his hearing at three, Yoni’s passion for music only grew. From experimenting at 13 to crafting his own unique sound by 27 his journey is inspiring.

Let’s start from the beginning of your musical journey. How did your musical adventure begin, especially considering the loss of (~20%) hearing in both ears at a young age? How has this influenced your perception and creation of sounds?

My adventure began when I was young; I listened to rock and hip-hop, mostly from my dad’s collections. I dreamed of performing as a drummer and felt the groove and rhythms fly inside me. At the age of 12, I started to produce some music using a software called eJay, which was a collection of loops that you can group and create cool beats. All the loops were on the same scale, so making some tracks without fully understanding how they heard together was possible.

Along with that, I started to play drums and jam with friends. Playing drums was easy to learn, as opposed to piano or guitar, because I have no octaves or chords that I can miss, only grooves. This is an essential part of my musical journey as I started to focus on what I could hear – the groove and the lower tones, which led me to concentrate more on the electronic genres, trance, and house. I remember that in the breaks between classes in school, I listened to the music repeatedly, felt the beats, and dreamed of performing as a DJ.

At 14, I had the chance to start playing as a DJ at school parties, bringing electronic music that was unknown to the local crowd but with a strong rhythm and groove. This helps me to understand what is working and what is not on the dance floor. As I chased my dream, I started to play with Cubase around the age of 16, with the help of some friends, but unfortunately, I was always off-key and could not hear or understand why. I understand I could not make it within my limits, so I stopped producing.

When I arrived in Tel Aviv at 21, I started to be involved in the local scene, especially in the underground techno scene. I fell in love with Techno and House and decided to try again to produce music. I tried with Logic Pro X but never finished the tracks. I only created some ideas, mainly after returning from a club night, and I needed help understanding why.

Tell us more about your latest release with Deed Music Berlin. How were the tracks “Becoming You” and “Prequal” created? What is the story and inspiration behind these compositions, particularly in the context of your unique approach to music?

As I started to define my vision of sound, I wanted to go back to my roots, to the trance and the old school music which I fell in love with. In addition, I started to play with sounds, trying to find the sounds that reminded me of that times and felt interested, deep, and strong.
Becoming You and Prequel are tracks that were created to remind me of the sounds that I hear in school; they give the listener a strong rhythm, groove, and solid bass line, which present all the tracks. Because I never used references, this allowed me to extract the feelings and ideas directly from inside, from my memories and soul. I’m lucky to be found by Deed Music, which understood my message and believed in my music and unique approach.

I found it hard to define my musical style precisely; I never wanted to sound like other tracks or to align with genre rules. When trying to fit into rules, we need to give up on some of our creativity and bring something more technical to the process instead of our feelings or soul. I know that there are a few legendary artists who can beautifully get their feelings into their tracks, but I think it’s tough to do it without bringing something original that can identify you among the thousands of producers in the same genre.
I choose to take the risk and bring my sounds that, in most cases, are crafted from zero, according to my feelings in their creation process, without being limited by any style’s boundaries. I want to transfer my energy without any filters.

What have been the pivotal moments in your career so far, and what challenges have you encountered as an artist?

I can identify three pivotal moments in my career so far. The first was when I was 16, making my first steps in the music-producing world. I had many failures at this age and never finished a track, but at the same time, I decided never to give up and try again when it was impossible for me and believe in myself.
The second was three years ago when I played at the legendary Tel Aviv club – The Block. I had the chance to play a few of my first original tracks there, and it was a magical and exciting moment.
The last one was 1.5 years ago when I released my first track in Deed Music Berlin, which chose to believe me and give me a chance to be heard.

What are your goals and plans for the future as Lingam? Could you share something about upcoming projects, performances, or potential innovations in your approach to creating electronic music?

First, I have a lot of fresh and new music that will be released during the year. I already played a few of them, and the responses were amazing, so I can’t wait to release them. In the same breath, I’m also working on my bookings and gigs outside of my country to be exposed to my story and original music worldwide.
I never stop looking for new technologies which could help me to hear and understand music better and enhance my production.