Better than lentil soup for the soul
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ceylan Yeğinsu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 24, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL - Soul music has been pumping through the radio waves of İstanbul, İzmir and Ankara through the new radio show Soul Sendikası that is presented by Dirk Vermeiren & Ansel Mullins duo in Açık Radyo, and plays rates American soul music from the 60's and 70’s
The sound of soul has been seeping out on the radio waves of Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir, following the lead of Dirk Vermeiren and Ansel Mullins, the pied pipers of Soul Sendikasi, the new radio show everyone is talking about on Açık Radyo, 94.9.
The aim of the show is to introduce soul music onto the scene in Turkey and build an existing niche audience into something more mainstream. " I was introduced to soul by listening to radio. To me it meant a lot and now I am able to pass that down," said Dirk in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News.
The word "sendika," (union) has political connotations but Soul Sendikası said the name is in no way political, a reference to a group tied together by the love of soul music.
Common interest
Ansel and Dirk met at a Turkish language school in Istanbul six years ago, coming together through their common interest in American soul music from the 1960’s and 70’s. Having spent most of their weekends debating the quality of various soul tracks, they decided to launch a radio show where they would continue their discussions, this time in Turkish. It is certainly rare in Turkish radio stations for foreign DJs to host shows in Turkish, but it definitely adds a comical element to the show and according to Ansel, their "silly sounding broken Turkish banter" allows them to reach a broader audience.
The American and Belgian duo said they chose to launch their show in Istanbul because it was a city with increasingly diverse tastes and interests. "Not everyone wants to eat lentil soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner; if Turkey's pop station Kral Fm is the same old kebab, then Açık Radyo is surely the burrito of the airwaves," said Ansel, adding the show offered a big shock to the musical diet of the city.
Soul Sendikası complained that a lot of Turkish classical music is depressing, artists constantly singing about pain and despair. "Even before I understood Turkish, the songs would make me feel down," Ansel said. The show promotes soul because it is lighthearted, feel-good music, a bit like Turkish "Halk" music, that can make people feel happy even if they do not understand the lyrics.
The show started in Istanbul with a Sunday morning 2:00 a.m. show on Açık Raydo and has since spread its sound to Ankara ODTU Radyo, 103.1, 9 Eylul Radyo in İzmir and it will soon come to Eskişehir. Currently, the main audience and fans of the show are students, and judging by the numerous comments on the show's Facebook page, it is well received. Soul Sendikası is working hard to broaden its audience throughout Turkey and spread the sound of soul from radio into bars and clubs.
The show can be listened to on www.soulsendikasi.com.
The aim of the show is to introduce soul music onto the scene in Turkey and build an existing niche audience into something more mainstream. " I was introduced to soul by listening to radio. To me it meant a lot and now I am able to pass that down," said Dirk in an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News.
The word "sendika," (union) has political connotations but Soul Sendikası said the name is in no way political, a reference to a group tied together by the love of soul music.
Common interest
Ansel and Dirk met at a Turkish language school in Istanbul six years ago, coming together through their common interest in American soul music from the 1960’s and 70’s. Having spent most of their weekends debating the quality of various soul tracks, they decided to launch a radio show where they would continue their discussions, this time in Turkish. It is certainly rare in Turkish radio stations for foreign DJs to host shows in Turkish, but it definitely adds a comical element to the show and according to Ansel, their "silly sounding broken Turkish banter" allows them to reach a broader audience.
The American and Belgian duo said they chose to launch their show in Istanbul because it was a city with increasingly diverse tastes and interests. "Not everyone wants to eat lentil soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner; if Turkey's pop station Kral Fm is the same old kebab, then Açık Radyo is surely the burrito of the airwaves," said Ansel, adding the show offered a big shock to the musical diet of the city.
Soul Sendikası complained that a lot of Turkish classical music is depressing, artists constantly singing about pain and despair. "Even before I understood Turkish, the songs would make me feel down," Ansel said. The show promotes soul because it is lighthearted, feel-good music, a bit like Turkish "Halk" music, that can make people feel happy even if they do not understand the lyrics.
The show started in Istanbul with a Sunday morning 2:00 a.m. show on Açık Raydo and has since spread its sound to Ankara ODTU Radyo, 103.1, 9 Eylul Radyo in İzmir and it will soon come to Eskişehir. Currently, the main audience and fans of the show are students, and judging by the numerous comments on the show's Facebook page, it is well received. Soul Sendikası is working hard to broaden its audience throughout Turkey and spread the sound of soul from radio into bars and clubs.
The show can be listened to on www.soulsendikasi.com.