HaClique

HaClique
Left to Right: Dani Dothan, Ovad Efrat, Eli Avramov and Jean-Jacques Goldberg.
Background information
Origin	Tel Aviv, Israel
Genres	New wave, rock, post-punk
Years active	1980–1983, 1988, 1989, 1999–2015
Labels	CBS, NMC Music, The Third Ear
Members	Dani Dothan Ovad Efrat
Past members	Eli Avramov Jean-Jacques Goldberg Uzi Binder Rona Vered Jasmin Even
Website	www.4tis.com/clique/

HaClique (Hebrew: הקליק; Eng: The Clique; lit. Haklik; AKA: The Click/HaClick) were an Israeli new wave band, founded in 1980 by Dani Dothan (lyrics and vocals) and Eli Abramov (music, guitar and production), with Jean-Jacques Goldberg (drums) and Oved Efrat (Bass) joining later in the year but forming the essential core.

The band started their activity in Tel Aviv in 1980. They became well known in Israel for songs like "Incubator", "Golem", "Ani Avud", "Al Tadliku Li Ner" and "Kol Haemet". In all, they released three albums, a live album, a mini-album, a box-set, and eight singles.

Dani Dothan and Eli Abramov met at their high school, the Rehavia Gymnasium, during the summer of 1968. Abramov noticed Dothan drumming on a table, and the two instantly bonded over English and American music and their dislike of school. They would meet in their schoolhouse, which is where all the outsiders congregated, playing music together and smoking. The two took regular trips to the Old City of Jerusalem, in particular the Jaffa Gate, and wrote fantastical songs about foreigners coming to the city, singing and playing rock music. In 1969 they formed their first band "פולחן דיוניסוס" (Polhan Dionisos; lit. Cult of Dionysus). A promoter by the name of Lopez Suaso managed their activity, so let the duo use his rehearsal room to play and sing their songs, but also covers of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. He organised performances for Polhan Dionisos and his other bands, who all travelled on a road bus, and though they lacked the necessary experience so didn't garner success, it left its impression on the two.

By 1971, when Dothan and Abramov were 17, they were expelled from high school. A year later they decided to travel to London, England and, under the influence of drugs, wrote more songs, whilst also attending English gigs. Dothan returned to Israel one and a half years later to join the army, which he remained with for five more years. Abramov stayed in England until 1977, and the two reconnected. Now with both living in Tel-Aviv, a more central place in the Israeli music scene, they felt like they had a much better chance of succeeding. In late 1979 they recorded "אחד עם ניסיון" (Ahud Yom Nision; lit. One With Experience) and "צא אל העולם" (Tza Al HaOlam; lit. Step Out to the World), both arranged by Mordi Farber, at Triton with a band made up of session musicians. At the beginning of 1980 these tracks were pressed as radio DJ promo 12" singles and though this was also not a major success, they did receive limited airplay. These would later be released in March 1995 on the compilation "קצת אחר 3".

Undeterred, the pair continued writing songs, and one day after Dothan woke from a nightmare in which he dreamt that he was a skeleton, influenced by a childhood spent around archaeological sites with his parents who were both archaeologists, he began writing the basis for what became "Ima Ani Lo Rotze Lehigamel".^[1] During the day Dothan would write the lyrics, then late at night sing them down the telephone to Avramov, who would write melodies and chord sequences then sing them back the next morning. This took about a week, and "Sheled Umlal" was the first song written specifically for their project. They came up with their new band's name while on a three day acid trip when reading a newspaper article about the humour and social stigmatism within European "cliques", calling themselves HaClique.

Whilst looking for a more permanent band, a drummer by the name of Jean-Jacques Goldberg visited Dotan and Avramov's apartment. He had returned to Israel from Germany after serving a prison sentence, and his honesty regarding this secured him a place in the band. Goldberg did not at that time possess a drum kit, though he displayed his percussive prowess on Avramov's guitar case which also attracted the pair. The three, plus guest musicians Barak Avni on lead guitar and Micha Michaeli on bass guitar, went into Kolinor Studios to record another single, this session paid for by Goldberg's mother. The disc was pressed by CBS and released in August 1980, with handmade covers using inverted commercial stock to which photocopied hand-drawn sheets had been taped on. It attracted the attention of Amos Barzel who released the A-side on "דרכי כוכבים" (Darechi Cocovim; lit. Star Ways), a compilation of independent music, later that month,^[2] and entered the Israeli Hit Parade charts on the 26th of August 1980, at number 34.^[3]

Oved Efrat, who had been discharged from seven years in the Shayetet 13 branch of the IDF, offered his services to the band as lead guitarist, and though he did not pass the audition for that position, he was given role of bass guitarist, an instrument he'd not played before. Efrat, who did not want to be recognised by his army ex-colleagues, wore hats and sunglasses to obscure his appearance; he also went by the moniker of "Obi Pepper" in press and on record. Not soon after Uzi Binder also joined, fulfilling the final missing role of lead guitarist. By November 1980 The Clique had rehearsed their material enough that they debuted at Paris Cinema in Tel Aviv, on Saturday the 22nd of November, at midnight after a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.^[4] This venue would become one of their most reliable early residencies, as did that of "תיאטרון המדרגות" (Tiatron Hamadrigot; lit. Theater of the Stairs).^[5]

Although most of the crowd were students, one attendant, Ofer Navarro, worked within the music business, under promoter Asher Bitansky. Navarro lent the band professional equipment when it wasn't being used by their clientele. Bitansky took notice and attended a gig at Paris Cinema, agreeing to be their agent, and contacting the Israeli branch of CBS Records, who initially weren't interested in signing The Clique but after an industry directive from their World division specifying engagement with more alternative acts, they contracted them for studio recording time. A music video for "Tzaleket Ktana" was produced, with all the members at that time miming their instruments, and shown on public television. For this reason it is a common misconception that Oved Efrat and Uzi Binder played on the first version of the track, though they are not credited anywhere on the record sleeve.

The band, at this point still a 5-piece, entered Triton studio in January 1981, and recorded the first version of "Sheat Hazeevim". This was released on a single-sided 12" record for use by radio stations and their DJs, with professionally produced artwork, and logo by Yael Pardes, Dothan's partner at the time. It entered the charts on the 9th of April at number 26, though was out again the following week. A further one-sided twelve-inch single "Golem" was released in May 1981,^[6] by which time the band had become a 4-piece due to Binder's sacking.

All the songs written for the album had been arranged for two guitars, lead and rhythm, so they had to be quickly reworked by Avramov and Efrat for their current lineup. During June and July 1980 the band recorded the remaining eleven songs at Triton, a process which took one hundred hours of studio time.

In 1981, their first record, Ima Ani Lo Rotze Lehigamel, was released. It included the songs "Yeled Mavchena", "Ima Ani Lo Rotze Lehigamel", "Golem" and "Incubator".^[7] These songs describe the test tube birth of a child up to his death. The record wasn't a great success but with about a thousand copies sold it made the charts in Israel.

The band closed out their first full year of 1981 with "Mastic Plastic" in the charts at number 18.^[8]

In 1982, HaClique joined with Rami Fortis and Ronen Ben Tal of Chromosome and Jean Conflict. The purpose was to play at the connection festival in Eilat. Although this came to nothing, they continued to appear together at club "Linguini" in Tel Aviv for three months.

In 1983, their second album, Olam Tzafuf, was released which included the songs: "Kol Haemet", "Mondina", "Hey Yaldon", "Yalda Mefuneket", "Ani Avud", "Al Tadliku Li Ner" and "Bear Hug".^[9] This record mentioned relations between homosexuals, which had been unseen before in Israeli music. At the same time, a single from the album, "Al Tadliku Li Ner" was released, about the Lebanon War.

That same year, the band played mainly in Tel Aviv at the club, Dan Cinema but also appeared a few times in Jerusalem and Haifa. They found success but some members thought that they would not get the exposure they deserved without compromise. Due to this disagreement, HaClique went into hiatus for a while.^[10]

In 1988 the band reunited and recorded a live album, Live In Tel-Aviv, at 'Real Time', releasing it as a limited edition vinyl record. In 1995, Dani Dothan recorded a solo album All of the Forbidden Loves under the record label "The Third Ear". Ovad Efrat and Eli Avramov played on the record.

In 2002, the band released a box set containing their two previous studio albums Ima Ani Lo Rotze Lehigamel, Olam Tzafuf and a new album, Hakol Mushlam, including the songs: "Eretz Israel 2000" and "Hakol Mushlam".^[11] Three promo CD singles were also released to promote the box-set; "Incubator", "Al Tadliku Li Ner" and "Eretz Israel 2000".

In 2004 the band re-united for concerts at the "Barbie" in Tel Aviv with Jean-Jacques Goldberg and keyboardist Jasmin Even.

On 28 December 2006, band member Jean-Jacques Goldberg died after a two-year struggle with cancer.^[12]

In 2010 the band started to work on a new album and performed live concerts, with Oded Perach on drums. They recorded new songs at Key Club studio in the U.S. and later mixed by Joav Shdema. The creative process was documented in a film, The Last Clique, by dalia Mevorach and Dani Dothan. Their last, critically acclaimed album, Ani lo Bapaskol, on June 18, 2015, by Kamea records. The cover was made by Lahav Halevy.

Eli Abramov died of cancer at 61 on 24 November 2015.^[13] This now leaves only two permanent surviving members of the group.

• Dani Dothan: Lead Vocals, Lyrics – (born 5 May 1954 in Jerusalem)
• Eli Abramov: Guitar, Music – (born 25 July 1954 in Jerusalem – died on November 24, 2015)
• Ovad Efrat/'Obi Pepper': Bass – (born 1 April 1956 in Jaffa, Tel Aviv); father of Daniel Efrat
• Jean-Jacques Goldberg: Drums – (born 22 October 1955 in Belgium – died 28 December 2006 in Marseilles)

Other artists who collaborated with the Clique:

• Uzi Binder: Lead Guitar (1979-1980) – (born 24 July 1957)
• Rona Vered: Keys/Synth (1982-1983)
• Rami Fortis: Guitars (1982-1983)
• Jasmin Even: Keyboards (2004-2006) – (born 12 December 1978)
• Oded Perach, Drums (2011-2015)

Joav Shdema, music engineer

A.^ Though this single was pressed by CBS, it was not produced or released by them and thus they are not credited on the sleeve as record label like with subsequent HaClique 12" releases. It is currently unknown what the "C" prefix of CBS Israel's "CDJ" catalogue number designation means.

• http://mooma.mako.co.il/artist.asp?ArtistId=2775