Altın Gün
An Amsterdam band that reworks 1970s Anatolian folk songs as psychedelic funk and synth-pop, founded by the bassist Jasper Verhulst; their album Gece was nominated for a Grammy.
- Origin
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Years active
- 2016-present
- Genres
- Anatolian rock, Turkish folk, psychedelic rock, synth-pop
- Labels
- Bongo Joe, ATO Records, Glitterbeat
- Also known as
- Altin Gun
Ads in grocery stores
Jasper Verhulst's interest in Turkish folk music grew after a tour in Istanbul. Back in Amsterdam he advertised on Facebook, and in Turkish grocery stores, for Turkish-speaking musicians to cover 1970s Turkish folk songs. Erdinc Ecevit Yildiz and Merve Dasdemir answered; there were no auditions, and it clicked immediately. Verhulst, the guitarist Ben Rider and the then drummer Nic Mauskovic had played together in Jacco Gardner's backing band, and Gino Groeneveld came from the Afrobeat band Jungle By Night. Their first show was in November 2016 at Pacific Parc in Amsterdam.
The first singles, in 2017, were "Goca Dunya" and "Kirsehirin Gulleri". "Goca Dunya" began as Verhulst's cover of an Erkin Koray song and led the band to reinterpret folk traditionals. Wikipedia describes the members as Turkish and Dutch, while PopMatters adds Indonesia.
On, Gece, Yol
Their debut album On came out in 2018, the same year they played King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's Gizzfest, after which they signed to ATO. Gece followed and was nominated for the Grammy for best world music album at the 62nd awards; sources differ on whether Gece appeared in 2018 or 2019. A long US tour began in mid-2019, with Outside Lands in San Francisco on August 10, 2019.
Yol was recorded in spring and early summer 2020, with the members at home during lockdown swapping demos online for about three months, and mixed by the Belgian duo Asa Moto. It was released on February 26, 2021 and followed by Alem, a Bandcamp-only benefit album with proceeds to the non-profit Earth Today. Ask came out on March 31, 2023; the band also made three tracks as Altin Lazer Blaster for the game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. In February 2024 Dasdemir announced she was leaving after almost eight years and kept performing until May 2024. Garip, in 2026, is made up of covers of Neset Ertas songs and is the first album without her.
Members
- Jasper Verhulst bass, founder (2016-present)
- Erdinc Ecevit Yildiz vocals, baglama, keyboards (2016-present)
- Daniel Smienk drums
- Chris Bruining percussion
- Thijs Elzinga guitar
- Merve Dasdemir vocals, keyboards (2016-2024)
- Ben Rider guitar
- Gino Groeneveld percussion
- Nic Mauskovic drums
Records
- Yol 2021
The third album, made at home in lockdown with the synthesizers pushed forward.
Songs
- Yuce Dag Basinda Yol · 2021
A traditional Turkish folk song, track five on Yol and its second single.
Related artists
Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy
Where to go next
Official
- Altin Gun on Bandcamp Yol.
- ATO Records: Altin Gun Label biography.
Reference
- Altin Gun on Wikipedia Line-up and discography.
Writing and criticism
- Bandcamp Daily: Ask review The 2023 album.
Interviews
- Grammy.com: Altin Gun on Yol On making Yol.
Sources
- Altin Gun, Wikipedia
- Altin Gun on Yol, Grammy.com (2021)
- Altin Gun: first US tour, RIFF Magazine (2019)
- Altin Gun: Yol, Rhythm Passport (2021)