Four musicians play to mend broken hearts
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Cetin Cem Yilmaz
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 03, 2008 00:00
ISTANBUL - Orient Expressions, a combination of a DJ, a producer, a saxophonist and a composer, blend Anatolian sounds with electronic rhythms to capture the 'spirit of an old Turkish movie' in their second record, 'Kırık Kalpler Albümü' (The Record of Broken Hearts).
With each member focused on their own careers, super-groups may be excused for being less productive than regular bands, but do not count the Orient Expressions among them.
Despite being a combination of a DJ, an electronic music producer, a jazz and rock saxophonist and a multi-instrumentalist composer heavily influenced by Turkish folk music, the Istanbul-based band manages to avoid feeling like a side-project, or an all-star band straining to obtain cohesiveness. They do not see Orient Expressions as a simple hobby that comes to life in the hours freed from their day jobs. According to Cem Yıldız, who lends his mastery in authentic Turkish instruments and folk music to many projects and TV series’ soundtracks, the band means much more to its members than that.
"Orient Expressions is like a girlfriend to us," Yıldız told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "A man loves his mother, father or brother, that is alright, but he loves his girlfriend in a different way. That is the way Orient is for us. Our solo work is our family, and that comes easily. But Orient needs more care." Happily, Orient Expressions is a loyal lover and the hard work pays off.
"It is like school to us in a way, it has helped us discover new things in music. I have started playing my saz [a traditional Turkish string-instrument] in a different way and Murat (Uncuoğlu) has learned to play traditional music," Yıldız said.
Varied backgrounds
Uncuoğlu, hailed as one of the best electronic music producers in the country, agrees with his band-mate. He teams up with Can Utkan, also known as DJ Yakuza, as the electronic section of the band. The last in the line-up is U.S. instrumentalist Richard Hamer, who has been living in Turkey for decades. Hamer has played in many rock, jazz and fusion bands, such as Bulutsuzluk Özlemi, a pioneer of Turkish rock’n’roll in the 1980s.
As they all have come from different backgrounds, the band said they found more of a cohesiveness in the recording of their second album, "Kırık Kalpler Albümü" (The Record of Broken Hearts). As the foursome kept working on the songs, they felt the songs captured the spirit of old Turkish movies. With heartfelt and occasionally melancholic moments on the album, especially in "Boş Pavyon" and "Su Gibi," this is an apt comparison.
These evocative sounds are more haunting in the band’s live performances, but catching an Orient Expressions concert in Istanbul is not something to be taken for granted as the band’s live schedule is filled with European dates.
"A concertgoer in Istanbul could come to three or four concerts in Istanbul at best, any more would be exhausting for them," said Utkan. "That is why we play in Europe as much as we can. Plus, the interest in world music is really high in Europe. For example, our performance at the World Music Festival in Norway was probably the best show we have ever performed."
Despite being a combination of a DJ, an electronic music producer, a jazz and rock saxophonist and a multi-instrumentalist composer heavily influenced by Turkish folk music, the Istanbul-based band manages to avoid feeling like a side-project, or an all-star band straining to obtain cohesiveness. They do not see Orient Expressions as a simple hobby that comes to life in the hours freed from their day jobs. According to Cem Yıldız, who lends his mastery in authentic Turkish instruments and folk music to many projects and TV series’ soundtracks, the band means much more to its members than that.
"Orient Expressions is like a girlfriend to us," Yıldız told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "A man loves his mother, father or brother, that is alright, but he loves his girlfriend in a different way. That is the way Orient is for us. Our solo work is our family, and that comes easily. But Orient needs more care." Happily, Orient Expressions is a loyal lover and the hard work pays off.
"It is like school to us in a way, it has helped us discover new things in music. I have started playing my saz [a traditional Turkish string-instrument] in a different way and Murat (Uncuoğlu) has learned to play traditional music," Yıldız said.
Varied backgrounds
Uncuoğlu, hailed as one of the best electronic music producers in the country, agrees with his band-mate. He teams up with Can Utkan, also known as DJ Yakuza, as the electronic section of the band. The last in the line-up is U.S. instrumentalist Richard Hamer, who has been living in Turkey for decades. Hamer has played in many rock, jazz and fusion bands, such as Bulutsuzluk Özlemi, a pioneer of Turkish rock’n’roll in the 1980s.
As they all have come from different backgrounds, the band said they found more of a cohesiveness in the recording of their second album, "Kırık Kalpler Albümü" (The Record of Broken Hearts). As the foursome kept working on the songs, they felt the songs captured the spirit of old Turkish movies. With heartfelt and occasionally melancholic moments on the album, especially in "Boş Pavyon" and "Su Gibi," this is an apt comparison.
These evocative sounds are more haunting in the band’s live performances, but catching an Orient Expressions concert in Istanbul is not something to be taken for granted as the band’s live schedule is filled with European dates.
"A concertgoer in Istanbul could come to three or four concerts in Istanbul at best, any more would be exhausting for them," said Utkan. "That is why we play in Europe as much as we can. Plus, the interest in world music is really high in Europe. For example, our performance at the World Music Festival in Norway was probably the best show we have ever performed."