Born and living just outside Tel Aviv, multi-instrumentalist Erez’s grainy textures and potent atmospheres forged with her synths and ingenious beats bravely straddle genres, energized further by the environment in which she’s grown up.
While the music she makes in collaboration with her partner and co-writer, composer and producer Ori Rousso exploits many of the more physical dynamic elements of electronic music, it also embraces a cerebral sensitivity that’s made her one of her home city’s most exciting, idiosyncratic artists to date.
For NOGA EREZ, there was never any doubt that, whatever music she chose to make, and whatever she felt about her homeland, she could never ignore her surroundings. After all, even escapism acknowledges there’s something to escape from, and at times – like many who’ve grown up in Tel Aviv – Erez has wanted to shut herself off from a world rendered beyond comprehension by forces beyond her control. But if there’s one thing Erez isn’t – and sometimes it’s easier to say what artists as complex and fresh as her aren’t than are – it’s naïve. And what this means is simple: her work reflects the manner in which she’s learned to live. As she puts it, “I have this idea of giving people moments of thought and inspiration, and at the same time offering escapism and fun."
It’s not the easiest of goals, but few succeed as well as Erez. While the music she makes in collaboration with her partner and co-writer, composer and producer Ori Rousso, exploits many of the more physical, dynamic elements of electronic music, it also embraces a cerebral sensitivity that’s made her one of her home city’s most exciting, idiosyncratic artists. As inspired by Björk, M.I.A. and fka Twigs as by Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean, the grainy textures and potent atmospheres forged with her synths and ingenious beats bravely straddle genres, energised further by the environment in which she’s grown up.
Consequently, another of Erez’ goals is, as she puts it, “to process the world, and deliver ideas on how to process it. If you're able to create a musical context that captures the state you were in when you were writing it, that can potentially bring someone closer to understanding their own world.” In her case, this means articulating the fierce anger that lies behind the hypnotically percussive “Dance While You Shoot”, about the realisation that “you can’t live without the government that ensures your basic needs, but at the same time takes your money, keeps you in the dark about the real, important matters that affect your life directly, while drowning you in manipulative media, ignorance and bureaucracy.”
Then there’s the edgy “Pity”, provoked by a court case concerning a gang rape filmed on phones and shared across the web. “We took it to a more day to day level of being a woman in a men’s world, the need to use your ‘feminine’ qualities to get around, and the borders that can be crossed while you try to do that.” And that’s not to mention the extraordinary grit of “Off The Radar”, which addresses contemporary fears of being anonymous or forgotten, and “our indecent urge to leave our mark by publicly sharing thoughts and ideas without due consideration, purely for the rush we get from approval and affirmation.”
Erez was born four days before 1990, the year the Gulf War started, and it would be impossible for her now, as an artist, to ignore what’s been going on around her all her life. Nonetheless, she admits that, for a while, she retreated from the highly politicised climate in which she was raised. “As I became more aware of everything going on – the complexity of the situation, and how it affects lives on both sides – my reaction was to separate myself from it. I got rid of my TV and stopped consuming news completely.”
She found sanctuary in music, but withdrawal is rarely permanent, and if there’s tension in Erez’ work – and there’s plenty, as it happens – then it’s an acknowledgement of this simple truth. “Most of the time it's easy just to ignore what’s happening, but every now and then reality makes that impossible.” Erez is, however, thoroughly self-aware, and acknowledges how “we are very lucky not to live near the borders, not to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and to have shelters and technology protecting us. But with this sense of luck comes a sense of guilt for being able to do something like make music while lives are being taken.”
Uncompromising and unpredictable, sophisticated and bold, Noga Erez is clear about her ambitions. “Our way of trying to keep in contact with our feelings and fears, and of avoiding emotional detachment about everything, is music. Human beings can come from completely different places but share a fundamental basis of emotions. In my opinion, music is the form of art or communication that expresses that most accurately.” The conversation starts now.
Off The Radar
Noga Erez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
We make up everything
Unreasonable substitute
For something that never was
Small pieces are captured
Stolen from your DNA
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
We'll take whatever shines
Whatever can blind an open eye
Round the corners, flatten the bumps
And feed you inside the lines
Pieces are captured
Your muscles and your bones
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
In "Off the Radar," Noga Erez explores themes of invisibility and anonymity in a world where our lives are constantly monitored and recorded. The repetition of the line "Hear me, no one sees me, no one" emphasizes this feeling of being overlooked and ignored. Erez suggests that we "make up everything" and "tell it as we want," implying that our perception of reality is based on subjective interpretation rather than objective truth.
The second verse's reference to "small pieces" being "captured" from our DNA suggests that we are constantly being monitored and scrutinized, even on a molecular level. Erez takes on the role of "the carrier," perhaps implying that she is a messenger or prophet warning us of the dangers of such surveillance.
The chorus repeats the assertion that she is "off the radar," suggesting a desire to escape the constant scrutiny of modern life. The bridge mentions taking "whatever shines" and using it to "blind an open eye," perhaps referencing the manipulation and propaganda used to maintain the status quo. Ultimately, the song seems to be a call to break free from the constraints of society and find a way to exist on our own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I am invisible to everyone, no one can perceive me.
I'm off the radar
I am outside the range of detection or notice.
We make up everything
We invent or fabricate everything.
We tell it as we want
We narrate things as per our wish or preference.
Unreasonable substitute
An irrational or illogical replacement
For something that never was
For an imaginary or non-existent thing.
Small pieces are captured
Tiny bits are taken or snatched.
Stolen from your DNA
Taken or robbed from your genetic makeup.
I am the carrier
I am the one who possesses or transports these stolen pieces.
We'll take whatever shines
We'll grab anything that looks attractive or conspicuous.
Whatever can blind an open eye
Anything that has the potential to deceive or mislead someone.
Round the corners, flatten the bumps
We'll smooth out any irregularities or imperfections.
And feed you inside the lines
And constrain you within the boundaries of our narrative.
Pieces are captured
Bits are snatched or taken.
Your muscles and your bones
Your physical body, your flesh and bones.
I'm off the radar
I am outside the range of detection or notice.
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I am invisible to everyone, no one can perceive me.
Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pengsoo
[Chorus 1]
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
[Verse 1]
We make up everything
We tell it as we want
A reasonable substitute
For something that never was
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Small pieces are captured
Stolen from your DNA
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
[Chorus 2]
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
[Verse 2]
We'll take whatever shines
Whatever can blind an open eye
And round the corners, flatten the bumps
And fit you inside the lines
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Pieces are captured
Your muscles and your bones
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
[Chorus 3]
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
[Outro]
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Abiman's Channel
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
We make up everything
We tell it as we want
Unreasonable substitute
For something that never was
Small pieces are captured
Stolen from your DNA
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
We'll take whatever shines
Whatever can blind an open eye
Round the corners, flatten the bumps
And feed you inside the lines
Pieces are captured
Your muscles and your bones
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
dtpw
I love it - finally someone who knows how to put a bass clarinet into pop music .
Kamé Shimayama
I know right? The bass clarinet is as underappreciated as Noga Erez herself! 😁
Marriane Potes
@Veloster 2.0 ppp
דור בוכניק
was looking for this comment! good job
chongyunsimp
YES
Veloster 2.0
dtpw SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT
Subodh Sadrishte
So much quality content and effort....sad that she is so underated
Megles-33
Agreed
Pengsoo
[Chorus 1]
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
[Verse 1]
We make up everything
We tell it as we want
A reasonable substitute
For something that never was
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Small pieces are captured
Stolen from your DNA
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
[Chorus 2]
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
I'm off the radar
[Verse 2]
We'll take whatever shines
Whatever can blind an open eye
And round the corners, flatten the bumps
And fit you inside the lines
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Pieces are captured
Your muscles and your bones
I am the carrier
I am the carrier
[Chorus 3]
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
[Outro]
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
Hear me, no one sees me, no one
I'm off the radar
White And Black - Be Smart
🙏🏼