Electrowavez: Biography, Discography and More | EDM Encyclopedia
Introduction
Electrowavez is an Arab psychedelic trance group from Israel (IL), formed in 2008. The project consists of two members: the brothers Charlie Shaabi and Richard Savo. Active from 2009 to the present day, the duo has built a distinct presence in the electronic music landscape. Their active catalog spans nine years of studio outputs, beginning with their initial offering in 2009 and culminating with their latest recognized release in 2018.
The Israeli electronic music scene provided the backdrop for the emergence of Electrowavez. As an Arab psytrance act, the Shaabi brothers brought a specific perspective to a genre heavily rooted in the regional underground. Since their formation, the duo transitioned from local production to international digital distribution. Their documented studio releases showcase a dedicated period of musical output. During this timeframe, the pair refined their engineering and compositional skills. The evolution of their sound reflects a hands on approach to sound design, rooted in the technological shifts of electronic music production over the past decade.
Electrowavez operates primarily within the digital and physical distribution networks common to independent psytrance labels. The duo’s commitment to the genre is evident in their steady delivery of new material, which includes a mix of extended projects alongside shorter, more focused collections of tracks. Charlie and Richard have cultivated a specific auditory aesthetic that distinguishes their tracks within DJ sets. By maintaining total control over their artistic direction, the brothers have ensured that their discography remains cohesive. Their work represents a focused exploration of psychedelic trance, free from the constraints of mainstream electronic pop trends, focusing instead on hypnotic rhythms and intricate synth work.
The studio methodology of the duo relies on a mixture of hardware synthesis and software sequencing. This hybrid approach allows them to capture the warmth of analog signals while maintaining the surgical precision required for complex electronic arrangements. The brothers focus on continuous workflow optimization to ensure their rhythmic structures remain tight and impactful. Through this rigorous production process, the act has established a lasting presence in a highly competitive sector of the music industry.
Genre and Style
Electrowavez approaches psychedelic trance through a specific regional lens, integrating Arab musical elements into an intense electronic framework. The duo constructs their tracks around rolling basslines and sharp, percussive drives, creating a foundation built for club sound systems. Instead of relying on standard genre tropes, Charlie and Richard manipulate synthesizer frequencies to create dense, atmospheric layers. This production style results in a sound that feels both mechanical and organic. The intricate rhythmic patterns serve as a canvas for vocal chops and regional instrumental samples, providing a distinct character to their audio output.
The psytrance Sound
The evolution of the group’s style is evident when tracing their output over the years. Their earlier work leans heavily into direct, aggressive synthesizer leads, while their later material introduces more complex sound design and wider stereo imaging. The brothers utilize spatial effects to place the listener in the center of a swirling mix, modulating frequencies to achieve a hypnotic effect. This careful modulation prevents the tracks from becoming sonically stagnant over extended playtimes. They focus on continuous tension and release, utilizing filter sweeps and precise EQ automation to push the energy levels up and down.
A distinct feature of the Electrowavez style is the integration of traditional Eastern melodies with rigid electronic sequencing. The group often uses specific scales and phrasing that point to their Middle Eastern heritage, setting them apart from European psytrance acts. They weave these elements into the music without compromising the drive required for prime time festival sets. By balancing the aggressive low frequency elements with intricate, culturally influenced lead melodies, the duo creates a layered listening experience. This approach ensures their tracks function equally well as home listening experiences and functional tools for DJs working psychedelic dance floors.
Their production methodology highlights a meticulous approach to percussion. Rather than relying solely on standard kick drums, the duo introduces polyrhythmic cymbal patterns and snare placements that add swing to the rigid tempo. This rhythmic complexity demands active engagement from the listener. The synth work often features aggressive, resonant filtering that evolves over long loop cycles, creating a sense of perpetual motion. Through this combination of regional musicality and rigorous sound design, Electrowavez maintains an identifiable sonic footprint within the global trance community.
Key Releases
The studio discography of the duo encompasses four complete albums, two extended plays, and two standalone singles. Each project marks a specific point in the group’s chronological evolution, highlighting their dedication to exploring the depths of electronic music production. The brothers structured their outputs to balance longer, immersive listening experiences with shorter, highly focused dance floor weapons.
- albums:
- Brainstorm
- Za3tar
- Ayahuasca (The Remixes)
- Elemental
Discography Highlights
Albums:
Brainstorm (2010): This debut fl studio record introduces the core sonic aesthetics of the project. The tracks rely on driving rhythms and sharp synth stabs, establishing the structural foundation the duo would build upon in later years.
Za3tar (2013): Expanding on their initial framework, this album deepens the integration of regional scales. The production features thicker basslines and more intricate atmospheric programming, pushing the boundaries of their established style.
Ayahuasca (The Remixes) (2014): Acting as a collaborative effort, this compilation sees the duo’s original stems reinterpreted by peer producers. It offers an alternative perspective on their compositions, highlighting the adaptability of their source material.
Elemental (2018): As the most recent release, this album demonstrates a maturity in engineering. The frequency spectrum across the tracks is highly controlled, resulting in a dynamic collection of modern psychedelic tracks.
Extended Plays:
Dubooster (2012): This release condenses the group’s energy into a shorter format. The tracks are direct and functional, designed specifically for fast tempo DJ sets.
Boomerang (2014): Arriving the same year as their remix album, this EP provides entirely new original material. It serves as a bridge between the sounds explored on their second album and the refined EDM production techniques heard later in their career.
Singles:
Give Me My Freedom (2009): Serving as the official starting point for the act, this track introduced the duo to the global psychedelic community.
Blaze Up Di Fun (2012): Released alongside their extended play that same year, this standalone track emphasizes heavy, groove driven percussion and vocal sampling.
Famous Tracks
Electrowavez built their catalogue steadily from their 2008 formation. The single Give Me My Freedom arrived in 2009, establishing the project’s core direction: psychedelic trance infused with regional character, produced by brothers Charlie Shaabi and Richard Savo.
Their first full-length album, Brainstorm, followed in 2010. The record laid the foundation for the duo’s production approach, layering synth lines over driving rhythms with an emphasis on tension and release across extended track structures. The arrangements favored gradual evolution over quick hooks, rewarding repeated listening.
The 2012 EP Dubooster and the single Blaze Up Di Fun arrived the same year, showcasing a tighter production style with heavier low-end and more intricate percussive elements. These releases demonstrated the duo refining their sound, pushing rhythmic complexity further while maintaining the hypnotic quality central to psychedelic trance.
The 2013 album Za3tar marked a clear shift in direction. Drawing explicitly on Arabic musical elements and textures, the record integrated Middle Eastern scales, instrumentation, and melodic phrasing into psytrance frameworks. The title references a Levantine spice blend, a deliberate signal of intent to merge regional identity with electronic dance music rather than simply adopting genre conventions wholesale.
The 2014 EP Boomerang continued this trajectory with focused, high-energy arrangements. The same year brought Ayahuasca (The Remixes), which handed the duo’s material to other producers in the psychedelic trance circuit, resulting in reinterpretations that expanded the original tracks into different BPM ranges and stylistic corners of the genre.
After a four-year gap, the group returned with Elemental in 2018. The album consolidated their accumulated techniques, balancing organic percussion samples with the aggressive synthetic textures characteristic of modern psytrance. The production quality reflected a decade of experience behind the boards.
Live Performances
As a two-piece act, the duo brings a distinct dynamic to the stage. The fraternal partnership allows for a clear division of labor during live sets: one member handles primary mixing duties while the other manipulates effects, samples, and additional synthesizer layers in real time. This configuration produces a visual and sonic experience that differs meaningfully from the solo DJ format standard at psychedelic trance events.
Notable Shows
Their performances lean into the hypnotic, repetitive structures inherent to psytrance. Rather than relying on abrupt transitions or obvious breakdowns, they build extended mixes that prioritize flow and tension across long arcs. Sets frequently stretch beyond standard club timeframes, accommodating the gradual escalation and extended peak-time sections the genre demands. This approach rewards patience from the audience and creates a communal, immersive atmosphere on the dancefloor.
The brothers’ Arab heritage informs their live selections beyond their own catalogue. Tracks regularly incorporate Middle Eastern tonalities, percussion patterns, and vocal samples, distinguishing their sets from the predominantly European and Israeli psytrance circuit. This regional influence offers audiences a different reference point within the genre’s framework, widening the stylistic range of what psychedelic trance sounds like in a live context.
Operating as a duo also enables spontaneous moments during performances. With two sets of hands on the equipment, Electrowavez can shift direction quickly in response to crowd energy, adding or stripping layers without breaking the mix. This responsiveness gives their sets an improvisational quality that keeps the music feeling alive rather than scripted.
Why They Matter
Electrowavez occupies a specific intersection in electronic music: Arab artists operating within a genre historically dominated by Israeli, European, and Brazilian producers. The project challenges geographic assumptions attached to psychedelic trance, demonstrating that the style has genuine practitioners and audiences across the broader Middle East.
Impact on psytrance
Their output from 2009 onward weaves Arabic musical elements into psytrance with deliberate intent. This is not surface-level decoration. It reflects a broader pattern of regional artists claiming space in global electronic music while maintaining cultural specificity. Album titles and sound design choices foreground Levantine identity within a genre not typically associated with Arab voices, using both as direct statements of presence. The work functions as both dance music and cultural marker.
The sibling partnership has produced distinctively regional psytrance for over a decade. In a genre where acts frequently dissolve within a few years or shift toward more commercially viable sounds, sustained output across four albums, two EPs, and multiple singles marks real staying power. They have not pivoted to easier, more accessible styles. They continue operating within psychedelic trance’s demanding structures while carving space for Middle Eastern musical identity within those boundaries.
Their consistency suggests something concrete: the intersection of Arab musical heritage and psychedelic trance holds lasting creative potential, not just novelty value. Electrowavez proves that regional specificity strengthens electronic music rather than limiting it.
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