ALTIN GÜN
Turquie / Pays-Bas
Turkey / Netherlands
Glitterbeats records
Altın Gün are:
Merve Dasdemir – vocals, keyboards
Erdinç Ecevit – vocals, saz, keyboards
Jasper Verhulst – bass
Thijs Elzinga – guitar
Daniel Smienk – drums
Chris Bruining – percussion
Jasper Verhulst est le bassiste de Jacco Gardner, quand après un concert à Istanbul, il en revient fasciné par le son de la scène turque des années 1970.
A cette époque des artistes comme Selda Bagčan, Barış Manço et Erkin Koray (voir liens ci-dessous) combinent musique traditionnelle et les influences rock et psychédéliques occidentales.
A la recherche de ce son , Jasper s’adjoint les services de Ben Rider (guitare) et Nic Mauskovic (batterie) et via Facebook recrute deux musiciens turcs Merve Dasdemir (chant) et Erdinc Yildiz Ecevit (voix, saz,) Altın Gün est né.
ils seront alors rejoint par le percussionniste de jungle by night Gino Groeneveld
depuis Altın Gün fait revivre cette scène turque des années 70 en reprenant les titres des artistes sus mentionnés ainsi que ceux de leur contemporains moins connus.
The critically acclaimed Amsterdam-based Anatolian rock and Turkish Psychedelic Folk band, Altın Gün, spend their pandemic period in the studio and released two albums! Yol, was released on Glitterbeat Records (Europe) and ATO Records (America), Âlem, a release for charity is a bandcamp exclusive release. Buy a song, protect at least 1m2 of nature.
Amsterdam’s Altin Gün have built a strong reputation for fusing past and present to make brilliantly catchy, upbeat pop music, as seen with their Grammy-nominated second album, Gece. Yol, their third album in as many years, continues that trend; while unveiling a number of sonic surprises.
It should be no surprise to learn that the band again draws from the rich and incredibly diverse traditions of Anatolian and Turkish folk music. But however familiar the story, Yol as well as Âlem are not just records that reframes traditional sounds for a contemporary audience. The albums which often presents a strongly international, poppy sound, also signals a very different approach in making and recording for the band. Singer Merve Dasdemir takes up the story: “We were basically stuck at home for three months making home demos, with everybody adding their parts. The transnational feeling maybe comes from that process of swapping demos over the internet, some of the music we did in the studio, but lockdown meant we had to follow a different approach.”
Yol and Âlem displays a noticeable dreaminess, maybe born from this enforced time to reflect. And select elements of late 1970s or early 1980s “Euro” synth pop also shine through. This new musical landscape was nurtured by certain instrument choices; namely the Omnichord. Altın Gün sounds like a Turkish kindergarten music teacher from the 1980s using an 808!’
As ever, the tracks are the result of a true group effort, with ideas on the mentioned Omnichord, 808 and other elements - such as field recordings and new age-esque ideas - continually kicked about between the six band members. At a safe distance of course.
The records also owes something to a new approach to recording, with the band working with Asa Moto (the Ghent-based producer-crew, Oliver Geerts and Gilles Noë) who mixed the records. Before this the band always recorded on tape with their own sound engineer.
It would be wrong to say that what made Altın Gün such a loved and successful band has been left to one side. The pressure-cooker workouts, ‘Sevda Olmasaydı’ and ‘Maçka Yolları’ are classic cuts from the band. And on Âlem two originals on their signature employment of a dizzying array of ideas and approaches can be heard with the marked Brazilian feel of ‘Kara Toprak’ and the bands’ original ‘Kısasa kısas’ with a taste of cosmic reggae filters through the grooves of ‘Yüce Dağ Başında’, and there is a steaming version of ‘Hey Nari’ which gives the traditional composition by Ali Ekber Çiçek a kick onto the dancefloor.
Altın Gün have maybe patented their own magical process of reimagining and sonic path-finding, one probably not heard since the late 1960s and early 1970s British folk rock boom. Less of a reworking than a seduction, their recordings transport the listener to a world where the original songs never previously inhabited. Merve Dasdemir again: “After we
worked on them, they got a whole new life of their own. Maybe we went a little bit too far (laughs).”
albums
2021 - Âlem (Bandcamp)
2021 - Yol (Glitterbeat and ATO Records)
2019 - Gece (Glitterbeat and ATO Records)
2018 - On (Bongo Joe Records)
Singles
2021 - Kısasa kısas (Glitterbeat and ATO Records)
2021 - Yüce Dağ Başında (Glitterbeat and ATO Records)
2020 - Ordunun Dereleri (Glitterbeat and ATO Records)
2019 - Gelin Halayi/Div Div (Glitterbeat and ATO Records)
2019 - Süpürgesi Yoncadan/Vay Vay (ATO Records) 2018 - Vay Vay (Bongo Joe Records)
2018 - Hababam (Bongo Joe Recods)
2017 - Tatli Dile Güler Yüze (Bongo Joe Records)
2017 - Goca Dünya/Kırşehirin Gülleri (Bongo Joe Records)