Over the last decade or so, Anatolian psychedelic rock has been enjoying a phenomenal revival both in Turkey with artists like Gaye Su Akyol and further afield. Spurred by members of the Turkish diaspora, London-based fusion duo Kit Sebastian, Satellites from Israel or the formidable Amsterdam-based powerhouse Altın Gün among others have showcased with great passion the contemporary sound of Anadolu.
Originally formed in 2014 in Germany, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek is another fascinating band whose repertoire blends Turkish folk songs and 1970s Anatolian rock with vintage psychedelia, contemporary pop music and a hint of jazz.
Following on from a debut EP and LP in 2017 and 2019 respectively (Nem Kaldi and Kar Yağar), an enchanting diptych of short LPs cemented the band’s magnetism of the European music scene. Co-distributed by Swiss-based Bongo Joe Records and French independent label Catapulte Records, Dost 1 was released on 25 June 2021 followed by Dost 2 on 11 November 2022 last. Both LPs were then re-released as a double LP on 21 June 2024 last.
Born in Hamburg and now based in Berlin, Derya Yıldırım is a second-generation Turkish singer songwriter and classically-trained multi-instrumentalist who grew up on a diet of traditional folk songs from her homeland. An accomplished piano, guitar and saxophone player, the musician anchors the band’s sound around the Bağlama (or saz), the 7-stringed lute traditionally used in Turkish and many Middle-Eastern and Balkan traditions.
It was while rehearsing for a folk festival in Hamburg that the singer met with Antonin Voyant (guitar & bass), Graham Mushnik (keyboards), two French men based in London and Greta Eacott, a British percussionist based in Denmark. Since 2022, Berlin-based South African drummer Helen Wells has joined the band on their live sets.
In the first section of Dost, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are almost reverse-engineering the nuts and bolts of classic songs from 1960s and 1970s West-Coast US psychedelic rock bands or prog-rock British groups to rewrite a contemporary psychedelic East-meets-West playbook. Wah wah and saturated guitars, winding keyboards and synthesisers, funky basslines all feature heavily in the mix of covers and new compositions. Two songs also feature solos on the flute (Antonin Voyant), another staple instrument heard in classic psychedelic prog rock.
When intertwining with the reverberating keyboards, Derya Yıldırım’s mellifluous vocal style takes on a hypnotic turn at times. Singing exclusively in Turkish, her music is strongly anchored in a folk tradition that she inherited from her parents who emigrated from Turkey in the 1950s as “Gastarbeiters” or from her aunt, also a singer, whose voice can be heard on “!Ayşe Halam Arıyor” closing Dost 2. As for the anthemic and synth-heavy “Haydar Haydar”, the song was adapted from a 17th century poem.
The Bağlama remains the driving force throughout Dost, either used as a melodic or a harmonic instrument. “Mola” for instance on Dost 2 is a solo improvised instrumental on the Bağlama in the great tradition of the Arabic maqam.
Following “Mola” is the stunning “Bal”, a true electro-pop banger whose killer bassline accentuates the fact that Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are first and foremost a Dance Music outfit. The contrasting transition is striking. Yet, it highlights with great accuracy the band’s cultural stance on the German and wider European music scene.
It is a question that every musician should ask themselves: ‘Who are you in this whole system and where do you want to go? What are you believing in? If you believe in playing the makam as it is and imitate what the others did before, it’s your decision. But you can also be aware of its limitations, and jump out of the border and come back. And if you are influenced by so many other things in life—living in diaspora, growing up in a country that you’ve never been welcomed in—it should also affect your music. And why not be free in music when you can’t be free in life?
Derya Yıldırım – Bandcamp
With the band now signed to Brooklyn-based Big Crown Records, expect new music soon from Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek.
