Roni Carmel

I live in Haifa

That is the first thing worth knowing, because it changes scheduling rather than style.

Most of the catalogue sets out from Gush Dan, so an evening in the north is planned well ahead. I am already here: Haifa, the Carmel, Tiberias and the Galilee are my ordinary distance rather than a special trip. The exact terms for your address come over messages as usual, but my diary in the north is far more open.

And I come south exactly like everyone else — Tel Aviv, the Sharon and the centre are a large part of my work.

Deck work: the space I am most in

Marinas are what I grew up beside, and a set on deck is the format I know best.

Its rules are not mine but the water’s: the number happens at anchor with the engine off, danced barefoot, and the sound has to be close because wind scatters it. I settle that with the skipper before I agree to an hour.

What is particular about the north: Haifa bay is calmer than the open coast in the south, and on the Kinneret the water is almost always still. So with me the chance of a set being called off because of swell is considerably lower than at the central marinas.

Latino: the part where the room joins in

Latino is my second style, and it has a moment nothing else has: I bring somebody out of the group for a few bars.

I lead, I choose who, and it lasts under a minute. Anyone who does not want it signals and I move on — no pressure and no performance about it. And I only do it once the room is warm rather than in the first minute.

What it needs is floor. Latino lives on weight transfer and turns, so a metre and a half in front of a chair will not do — it needs three metres by three, ideally without a rug.

Go-go for terraces and gardens

The third style, and in summer it is half my work in the north: terraces on the Carmel, gardens in the Galilee, pool parties.

Go-go with me is not one number but several short appearances with breaks, without stopping the party. It works particularly well across a long evening, and northern evenings tend to be long.

What to know about a Carmel terrace

It is the room I am asked for most, and also the one that most often needs adjusting.

Terraces on the mountain are overlooked from the slope above. What hides you from the street does not hide you from the building higher up, and that is worth checking beforehand rather than halfway through.

The wind at that height is strong in the evening, even in summer, and it affects fabric and hair more than movement. And the floor on older terraces is smooth tile that turns slippery in the sea humidity.

My usual answer: start indoors and go out for one short part. That way you get both the view and a set that is not fighting the wind.

What being northern actually means

Three things, all practical.

The diary. An evening in Haifa or Tiberias does not cost me a whole day, so I have far more dates open there. At weekends that is the difference between “nobody is free” and a yes.

Local knowledge. I know the marinas, the roads between the Galilee villages, and the difference between the Carmel and Hadar. An address that reads vaguely in a message does not cost three rounds of questions with me.

The water. I know when Haifa bay will allow a set on deck and when it will not, and I say so before we confirm rather than on the day.

What it does not mean: the terms for your address are settled over messages as usual, and the figure comes in the first reply.

A marina is not an address

A small detail that costs a quarter of an hour of searching every single time.

Every marina has gates and numbered pontoons, and sometimes an entry card. What I ask for: the marina name, the pontoon number and the boat number, and one person who comes out to the gate.

And if the boat leaves at a fixed time, give me that hour rather than the one that suits you. You cannot be late for a boat, and it is the only booking of mine where fifteen minutes is not flexible.

A short list by venue

• At home: three metres by three of clear hard floor, light from the side
• On deck: a dry corner, a speaker close by, a cabin or wheelhouse to change in
• On a terrace: check who can see from above, and that the floor is not slippery
• A mid-sized speaker; in go-go continuity matters more than bass

From the north down to the centre

The north is home: Haifa, the Carmel, Tiberias, the lower Galilee and the cabins around it. And from the centre — Netanya, Herzliya, Tel Aviv and all of Gush Dan.

The price is the same as everyone in the catalogue, and the terms for your address come in the first reply. Cash at the end.