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Interview with Shay Moshe. Moshe is the music producer of the Album ‘Hope in my Life’ written by Shay Meshulam.
‘Hope in my Life’ came about after Shay Meshulam received the harsh news of being diagnosed with ALS, an incurable motor neuron disease, losing all motor function in the body. After a bout of despair, Meshulam decided to change his attitude towards the things he was losing control over and focus on making the most of his talent. He set out to fulfill his dream to record an album by reaching out to Shay Moshe via Facebook to collaborate.
The album drew attention to some of the biggest Israeli recording artists. Contributors included artists such as Eviatar Banai, Ariel Zilber, Shuli Rand and many more. The recording method was slightly unorthodox, starting with voice recordings, before the ALS affected Shay’s voice. The rest of the music would come later.
How did you react when Shay wrote you ?
Shay contacted me asking to collaborate, not for money or fame, but for creating memories. He wanted to leave something behind for his family and children. As I was on my way to play at a festival with the band Sawyer, Shay explained to me that his voice was gradually changing and beginning to recede.
His words stopped me in my tracks and shook me up. I felt like I was being self absorbed and that there are more important things going on besides just looking for the next gig. I listened to the song he sent me and I immediately wanted to meet him in person. We hit it off, and I knew he was the guy I wanted to work with, no matter what it took.
What did the work process look like?
The process was very intuitive. I composed one of his lyrics, which reached Tom Cohen from the Andalusian Orchestra. He was so moved by the song that he made an orchestral arrangement. Watching this work be performed by 40 musicians was quite an exhilarating experience.
After that, I told Shay that we must record an album. Through sharing our work on Headstart (a crowdfunding website), things finally began to evolve.
How do you feel about the music business now? Where did you record ?
I’m not completely sure where I stand with my thoughts about the current music business; I’m still figuring it all out, as things aren’t always black and white or glamorous as it likely appears on the outside. With that being said, creating an album is an exciting and extraordinary journey.
We recorded most of the tracks at my home studio and continued working on tracks at Tok Tok Studios using drums and bass.
Do you find it hard to listen to an album after you finished it? How do you feel about this one?
After completing ‘Hope in my Life’ I feel like we climbed the highest mountain. Shay, too, described it that way. We created and executed the album despite all odds we were faced with. In retrospect, just like any work, there are always things that I would change after listening to the tracks over again. But overall, it was a success that wouldn’t have happened at all had I not agreed to partake in this opportunity to learn and grow, not only musically but personally as well. Knowing that we made Shay Meshulam’s dream project come to life was the most liberating and undoubtedly the most fulfilling feeling.
What did you listen to as a kid?
Growing up some of my favorite artists that I listened to were Ziknai Zfat, Wu tang clan and Nirvana.
What did you listen to while recording ? what kind of sound were you going for?
While I’m recording, I like to listen to the classics– Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen. For ‘Hope in my Life’ we wanted the album to be timeless. Something people could listen to twenty years from now and still enjoy every minute of it.
Written by Shahar Sarig
Illustrations by Ekaterina Kolosovskaya
