DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK

Derya Yıldırım and her band Grup Şimşek make music that transcends borders. They use the term „outernational“ to describe their sound, which is deeply rooted in the traditional music of Anatolia and the Turkish psychedelia of the late 1960s to early 1970s, but is constantly expanding due to the different cultural influences of the international ensemble. For example, singer and multi-instrumentalist Derya Yıldırım was born in Germany to Turkish parents, guitarist Antonin Voyant and keyboardist Graham Mushnik come from France, and drummer Helen Wells is from South Africa.

The band's new album, „Yarın Yoksa“, delves deep into personal suffering and collective resistance, tells stories of uprooting and loss - and yet is full of joie de vivre and vitality. In addition to her own compositions, „Yarın Yoksa“, which means „When there is no tomorrow“, also contains three traditional Anatolian folk songs, some of which Derya remembers from her grandmother. But despite all the references to traditional songs, Derya's basic idea always remains the same: if you play an old folk song, you have to add something of your own to it - „otherwise you might as well put on the old record“. In the case of „Yarın Yoksa“, the multinational ensemble's diverse cultural influences add a completely unique and fresh sound to Anatolian music that simultaneously pushes the genre forward and honours its rich tradition.the band's songs are carried by an irresistible groove, while the musical style changes from track to track - each track stands on its own, but at the same time fits seamlessly into the overall picture of the album.