Psychedelic Turkish folk rock group Altin Gün have planned a U.S. headline tour for this Fall, which will include stops at Desert Daze Festival, The Independent in San Francisco, CA, Neumos in Seattle, WA, a return toBrooklyn, NY at Elsewhere and more. See below for the full list of upcoming tour dates. The band will also reissue their breakthrough album On this year for the first time ever on vinyl in the U.S., to be released this October. Pre-order the reissue HERE.
Altin Gün completed their first-ever U.S. tour earlier this year, which included stops at Pickathon and Outside Lands, a support slot for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes at LA's Greek Theater, sellout performances inBrooklyn, Seattle and Philadelphia, and sessions with KEXP and KCRW.
Their first Stateside performances were overwhelmingly well-received. "Turkish psych-folk troupe Altin Gün dazzled with a harmonious blend of tropical synths, hypnotic polyrhythms and baglama (a Turkish lute) riffs," The Seattle Times raved about their Pickathon performance. "It would be great to see Altın Gün lead a revival of this fantastic sound in the West," The Stranger said, "as it’s one of the richest seams of rock that’s ever rippled an eardrum." PopMatters noted that "Altin Gün's Outside Lands appearance was the last show of their tour, and they used their mid-afternoon slot to bewitch us with dual percussionists and a Turkish string instrument called the saz."
The group recently released their sophomore album Gece via ATO Records, which received praise from NPR,Aquarium Drunkard, MOJO, Uncut, and The Guardian. The Amsterdam-based six-member band are inspired by Turkish folk and psychedelia from the 60s & 70s, re-interpreting Anatolian rock and folk music and opening the doors between traditional Turkish folk songs and psych. The band was discovered and signed to ATO Records after an explosive performance at King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's Gizzfest 2018 in Melbourne, Australia.
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Altin Gün was inspired by founder and bass player Jasper Verhulst's deep passion for Turkish folk and psychedelia. “The songs come out of a long tradition. This is music that tries to be a voice for a lot of other people,” he explains. Following their 2018 debut album On, Altin Gün returned with their sophomore album Gece on April 26 via ATO. The new record firmly establishes the band as masterful interpreters of the Anatolian rock and folk legacy, and as a leading voice in the emergent global psych scene.
While most of the material they present has been a familiar part of Turkish life for many years - some of it associated with the late national icon Neşet Ertaş – it’s never been interpreted like this before. This music is electric Turkish history, shot through with a heady buzz of 21st century intensity, filled with funk-like grooves and explosive psychedelic textures.
“We do have a weak spot for the music of the late ‘60s and ‘70s,” Verhulst admits. “With all the instruments and effects that arrived then, it was an exciting time. Everything was new, and it still feels fresh. We’re not trying to copy it, but these are the sounds we like and we’re trying to make them our own.”
And what they create really is their own. Altin Gün radically reimagine an entire tradition. The electric saz (a three-string Turkish lute) and voice of Erdinç Ecevit is urgent and immediately distinctive, while keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and percussion power the surging rhythms and Merve Daşdemir sings with the mesmerizing power of a young Grace Slick.
Altın Gün (the name translates as “golden day”) formed in the Netherlands and grew from Verhulst’s obsession with Turkish music. He had been aware of it for some time but a trip to Istanbul while playing in another band gave him the chance to discover so much more. But Verhulst wasn’t content to just listen, he had a vision for what the music could be - and Altın Gün was born.
He explains, “None of this music is widely available in the Netherlands. Of course, since our singers are Turkish, they know many of these pieces. All this is part of the country’s musical past, their heritage, like 'House of The Rising Sun' is in America.” As Verhulst has delved into Turkish music, he’s continued to seek new songs that grab his ear. “Most of these songs have had hundreds of different interpretations over the years. I’m listening for something we can change and make into our own. We need something that will make people stop and listen, as if it’s the first time they’ve heard it.
On Gece, Altin Gün bring together music from many different Anatolian sources (the only original is the improvised piece “Şoför Bey”); echoing new textures and radiating a spectrum of vibrant color (ironic, as gece means “night” in Turkish). It’s the sound of a band both committed to its sources and excitedly transforming them. It’s the sound of Altın Gün. Incandescent and sweltering.
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