About
Since bursting onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album, On, Amsterdam-based Altin Gun have been at the vanguard of the 21st century revival of Turkish-influenced psychedelic grooves. Now Dutch psychedelic quintet Altin Gun return with their fifth album, Garip – their most accomplished and eclectic release to date, and a heartfelt tribute to legendary Turkish folk-bard, Neşet Ertaş.
Coming straight out of the gate with a wah-wah and organ heavy sound that effortlessly captured the spirit of Anatolian 70s psych-funk masters like Bariş Manço and Erkin Koray, they deepened and expanded their palette with 2021’s Yol, which brought synths and drum machines into the mix for a more 80s-influenced dream-pop vibe.
But no matter how far out they’ve gone, they’ve always maintained a strong link to the same Anatolian folk traditions that inspired those early pioneers. Founder and bassist, Jasper Verhuist says: “We’re doing the same thing a lot of those artists were doing, which is playing Turkish traditionals and songs written by folk artists.”
Now, with their fifth album, Garip, coming up they’ve brought that connection to the folk source front and centre, showcasing a collection of songs all originally written by Turkish folk legend Neşet Ertaş.
Ertaş (1938-2012) was a revered and much-loved Turkish singer, lyricist and bağlama player, and a modern-day embodiment of the ancient ashik tradition of the folk-bard-troubadour. Throughout his long career, he recorded more than 30 albums and wrote hundreds of songs – some of which were famously recorded by the likes of Bariş Manço and Selda Bağcan.
First single , ‘Neredesin Sen,’ is a throbbing, bass-led vamp with a strong early-80s Indie flavour. Closing track, ‘Bir Nazar Eyeldim,’ is a breathtaking ballad with Eçevit’s pleading vocals playing out over lush synth arpeggios and a sparse electronic rhythm. Along the way, the band also touches on Proggy vibes, with Eçevit getting down and dirty on the synth’s pitch-bend, and a laid-back Californian hippie-rock vibe. Check out Thijs Elzinga’s gorgeous slide guitar on the smouldering ‘Gel Kaçma Gel’ to dig just how relaxed they can sound.
Fans of Altun Gun’s past work will find much to love too.
“It’s our most eclectic album,” says Verhuist. “There’s a little bit of everything. The songs are harder to label. We wanted to do something different than what we’ve done before. Less in your face, less poppy, less obviously psych-rock. More just vibing.”
Garip is the sound of a band that’s constantly evolving A mature musical unit with nothing to prove. And band that’s having a whole lot of fun.
Altın Gün is: Erdinç Ecevit (saz), Jasper Verhulst (bass), Thijs Elzinga (guitar), Chris Bruining (percussion), Daniel Smienk (drums).