More about: Altin Gun

Amsterdam based band Altin Gün have to date released two albums of Anatolian and Turkish influenced psychedelic rock. Debut album On (2018) and swift follow up Gece (2019) saw the six-piece blend traditional Turkish funk together with a raw, live edge and catch many a discerning ear. Used to creating these records in person, 2020’s events forced an adjustment when it came to writing this next album - and the effect has been dramatic.

Emerging from isolated home demos, the tracks on Altin Gün’s new album Yol take the band’s sound in a new direction; introducing synthesisers, drum machines, field recordings and sci-fi atmospheres. It may sound like a contrast to the rolling, organic grooves of their previous output but it could well be the album where they find their own space, rather than replicating (although expertly) existing sounds. The electronic switch, aided by the production and mixing expertise of Ghent-based duo Asa Moto, takes Altin Gün to another dimension entirely.

Gorgeous opener ‘Ordunun Dereleri’ is an instant highlight, an alternative Drive OST set in Istanbul, the slow-motion beats, synth bass and atmospheres sit beautifully with a yearning vocal by Erdinç Ecevit. Merve Dasdemir leads the urgent ‘Bulunur Mu’ and 80s Euro-discoteque floor filler ‘Yüce Dağ Başında’. ‘Hey Nari’ and ‘Yekte’ have more in common with their psyche-rock liveness, with leaping guitar runs and stacked percussion, while ‘Maçka Yollari’ balances styles both old and new on a driving disco beat. The unique sound of the cult 80s Omnichord synthesiser asserts an audible influence on ‘Arda Boylari’, ‘Kara Toprak’ and ‘Sevda Olmasaydi’, while closer ‘Esmerim Güzelim’ is accurately described by bass player Jasper Verhulst as a “Turkish kindergarten music teacher from the 1980s using an 808”.

Yol is a brilliant album formed of fresh, psychedelic sounds that transport the listener to other times and places. It pulls off with ease the feeling of simultaneously being ancient, retro and futuristic; oddly familiar and intriguingly new but always fantastic. 

Yol arrives 26 February via Glitterbeat Records.

More about: Altin Gun