How long have you been into music? How did you get into it?
Well... I guess I've been doing music for 10 years. I was interested in every kind of electronic music and also have been a good listener for a long time. Then I felt like "I needed to produce". I had Amiga with Protracker which I used to produce tracks. After a while I bought a PC and continued to produce with Fastracker, Buzz and now finally, I write my songs with Logic. As I work on producing for a longtime, I can say that I have experienced a lot about doing music. Actually it was a fun for me. I was really enjoying it, I was producing for myself.
Your tracks, I mean every single track that you've made got a heartfelt touch and deep melody which gets immediate response from the crowd. How do you produce your tracks? Tell me about the whole process. Are they reflections of some spontaneous feelings?
Absolutely spontaneously! But also as a dj, I listen to a lot of tracks and sometimes they influence me a lot. It is like cause and effect. I remember the days that I couldn't produce anything for 2 months, but there was a time that I wrote 4 tracks in 10 days, so you can see it is quite random. For the other part of your question, yeah I love melodies. But also I love pumpin' beats, groovy bass lines, unexpected harmonies and all the stuff that makes you dance... Somehow, it has to be a good balance between them. I just try to mix this stuff in my mind and write the song (ha, ha).
Your track called "4 Days" was released on Sadie Records and also appeared on Paul Van Dyk's "Politics of Dancing" compilation. But actually many people heard about you for the first time on Nick Warren's Global Underground 24. This one contains your long awaited track titled "Strawberry Fields". How did it effect to your career? Tell me the story!
The appearance of "4 Days" on PVD's compilation was a real surprise for me. I did not expect that before. After the promos were released I heard the track will be included in the compilation, so I was very happy about that. But after its release I haven't produced for a longtime. I was trying to establish my new studio... At the end of that period I've produced "Strawberry Fields". After Warren's gig here, in Istanbul, I gave him the song and 1 month later I received an sms from Nick in which he said he's going to put the track on his GU mix. I didn't believe to it at first. Then he called me and confirmed everything on the phone. It was a real milestone for my career, a real big step ahead for me.
I know you have many more tracks produced. You also did some collaboration with Yunus Guvenen and Muzo B and produced some remixes... How about the other babies?
Yes, Yunus and Muzo are both my close friends. They visit me very often so we have the opportunity to produce together. Our vision about music is very similar. As a result in June we finished 2 new and interesting tracks with Yunus: "Air Fuzz" and "Erotic Sumo". It is the same thing with Muzo - we got 2 new tracks – "Feed the Deer" and "Error". I really enjoy working with them. It is true that I have many more solo tracks and remixes (like my remix of Greg Benz&MD – "Sound84") but I don't really know what will happen to them. We’ll see in near future (ha, ha).
You are a very popular Dj on Turkish club scene, for me the best DJ in Turkey. You also mixed for Proton Radio so your global career as a dj is rising too. Your sets contain many exclusive tracks from worlds' appreciated producers. Do your productions help you to get that those exclusive songs?
I've been dj'ing for 4 years as a professional. As a dj, I play whatever I like. It doesn't matter for me if it's techno, vocal house or other style. For me it is important if the tracks impact on me. It wasn’t difficult for me to meet with the producers who are doing the same style of music as I am, but I agree that I really run after some good tracks (ha, ha).
What do you think about today's situation in music market? Do you believe that people can earn money from producing? Or maybe p2p software, labels financial problems and marketing difficulties lead the sector to "music for music" age?
I think "art for art" age has already started to me. I don’t produce for money. I like to do music but it doesn't mean that I don't want to be paid; of course I'd like to get the equivalent for my work. I believe that mp3s are important for the sector but from now on it is a matter of respect. Honestly I am downloading mp3s too, but if I really like the track, I buy it!
I can't deny the negative effect of mp3 sharing to the sector; at that point people have to support their favorite producers buying their records.
What are your plans for the future? I know that you all at "Together Crew" are working on a brand new radio station here in Turkey. Tell me about the radio and your personal plans.
There are 4 new releases in next 3 months - 2 EPs and upcoming remix project. Some are: "Strawberry Fields" from Release Records with Max Graham mix, "Not Yet" & "Harakiri" from Confidance Records, "Albino" from Nascent Recordings with Blue Room Project, Greg Benz & MD, MFM and original mixes. And my mix of Greg Benz & MD – "Sound84" (ha, ha). For the radio I can say I'm very excited! Our crew which is me, Fuchs, Yunus, Barish Turker, Muzo B, Ozan, Tangun, Agentorange and the others that I forgot to mention, is working very hard on it. The program scale is very wide. The radio will feature all kinds of electronic music. I guess in 1 month we’ll start broadcasting officially. We all have some experience with running a radio so I hope and I do believe it's going to be fine. For more info you can check out www.dinamo.fm.
Thanks for the interview, Goktug. And good luck!
I thank you too.
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