Start Listening To: Altın Gün
One of the most important bands in the Turkish Folk scene Altın Gün, speak with us about their recent charity album and why they released it digitally.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us a little about who you are, where you’re from, and what kind of music you make?
We’re a Turkish folk pop band from Amsterdam. We play our own interpretations of Turkish standards, traditionals and folk songs. One of our singers (Merve) is from Istanbul originally and the other singer (Erdinç) has Turkish parents but grew up in the Netherlands. The rest of us are Dutch.
Having just released one of your own, what are your thoughts about digital-only albums?
I’m a record collector so I also love physical releases. For our charity album it made a lot of sense to release it digitally only though since it’s much more eco friendly than a vinyl or CD release.
Tell us a little bit about your songwriting process.
We mostly play traditionals and folk songs but on our last album we also have 3 original compositions. Sometimes we start with an idea for a traditional but we also start with a beat/groove sometimes and look for a traditional to fit that. I’m our last two albums we worked a lot from home by sending each other ideas online.
Assuming there is a clear answer — what is the actual translation of your recent single ‘Âlem’?
Âlem is our last album. The single is called Kısasa Kısas.
Âlem (translates as realm, world, booze, kingdom, universe, orgy)
How did you guys handle lockdown life?
Like for all artists it’s not easy since there’s so little work. We still kept our heads up and made 2 albums during lockdown. The pandemic forced us to use a different approach which also made this a very refreshing and great learning experience
What kind of themes are you trying to convey on this album?
Most of the songs are folk songs. There isn’t really a connection between the songs lyrics I think. I don’t speak Turkish so this one is a bit hard to answer for me.
Been listening to any recent releases that we simply must listen to?
I really like Don Melody Club’s debut album Pure Donzin. They’re from Amsterdam and sing in Dutch but I think it’s still interesting music for people that don’t speak the language. I also really enjoy the Dynam'hit Europop compilation. French house pop from the early nineties
On the other side, seeing as there’s some 80s-90s influences woven throughout this project, what are some of your older music recommendations?
For nineties stuff I can recommend a YouTube channel called Maybe Tonight. Two albums in that genre I can recommend are the first album by Deep Forest and Magic Touch by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
For 80s stuff I like to dig (online) for obscure 7inches, 12 inches and b sides. One of my favorites recently is Make My Day Today by Hiro-Ito
What do you love right now?
I love being able to play our music live again for people.
What do you hate right now?
I don’t really hate I think but I’m really worried about the future of this planet. I think we all should be much more aware of the impact our consumption behavior has.
Who are your main musical influences?
When I was a kid I listened a lot the Beatles, Kraftwerk and my dad’s CD box called the History of Jamaican music. I think those 3 really formed my musical taste. I have a very broad musical taste at the moment and I listen to all kinds of music from last 70 years from all over the world basically. I think Selda Bağcan, Zafer Dilek, Neşet Ertaş, Barış Manço, Arif Sağ and Âşık Veysel are our biggest Turkish influences.
What can we expect from you next?
We really hope to be playing full capacity shows again soon. We still really see ourselves as a live band and our next recording will be more band and less electronic oriented.
Before we finish, do you have anything else you want to share with our readers?
Thanks for your interest and we really hope you will check out our new bandcamp only charity album Âlem. Every song purchased will protect at least one square meter of nature.
Catch Altın Gün at one of their UK Tour Dates:
September 2021 dates:
Wednesday, 1 September 2021 - Chalk, Brighton, https://chalkvenue.com/live/Altin-gun
Thursday, 2 September 2021 - End of the Road festival , Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset, https://endoftheroadfestival.com/artist/altin-gun/
Friday, 3 September 2021 - Wide Awake festival, Brockwell Park, London, https://wideawakelondon.co.uk/artist/altin-gun/
February 2022 UK tour dates:
Tuesday, 8 February 2022 - EartH, London
Wednesday, 9 February 2022 - Thekla, Bristol
Friday, 11 February 2022 - Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
Saturday, 12 February 2022 - YES, Manchester
