Altn Gn Garip

Description

Since bursting onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album, On, Amsterdam-based Altn Gn have been at the vanguard of the 21st century revival of Turkish-influenced psychedelic grooves.

Coming straight out of the gate with a wah-wah and organ heavy sound that effortlessly captured the spirit of Anatolian 70s psych-funk masters like Bari Mano and Erkin Koray, they deepened and expanded their palette with 2021s Yol, which brought synths and drum machines into the mix for a more 80s-influenced dream-pop vibe.

But no matter how far out theyve gone, theyve always maintained a strong link to the same Anatolian folk traditions that inspired those early pioneers. Founder and bassist, Jasper Verhulst says: Were doing the same thing a lot of those artists were doing, which is playing Turkish traditionals and songs written by folk artists.

Now, with their sixth album, Garip, theyve brought that connection to the folk source front and centre, showcasing a collection of songs all originally written by Turkish folk legend Neet Erta.

Erta (1938-2012) was a revered and much-loved Turkish singer, lyricist and balama player, and a modern-day embodiment of the ancient ashik tradition of the folk-bard-troubadour. Throughout his long career, he recorded more than 30 albums and wrote hundreds of songs some of which were famously recorded by the likes of Bari Mano and Selda Bacan.

For Altn Gn’s vocalist, keyboardist and balama player, Erdin Eevit, interpreting a suite of Ertas tunes is a chance to get back to his roots. Both of my parents are from Turkey, from the same area he is from, he says. It’s the music that I grew up with. When I was five, six years old, my grandfather always had cassettes by Neet Erta and I used to listen to it all day long. Then I was too young to really understand the lyrics and the meaning, but I really liked the melodies. Now, years later, Eevit has fully immersed himself in Ertas lyrics messages from the heart that are, he says, stories about what hes facing in life. The Turkish traditional music is the blues of the Turkish people.

Nowhere is this better exemplified than on Gnul Dai, one of Ertas most famous compositions, here brought to life by Eevits yearning, sensitive vocals. Gnul Dai is about the pain of love, the storms of the heart and the loneliness of longing, says Eevit. Hes expressing what rural Anatolia has always felt that love is both sacred and sorrowful, a force of nature. In Altn Gn’s hands, the tune becomes a languid funk-rock crawl with watery guitar, a loping bassline and a palpable hint of mystery deepened by luxuriant string arrangements provided by the Stockholm Studio Orchestra.

The strings feature on several tracks, touching on influences including Egyptian popular music, Bollywood soundtracks and Turkish Arabesque. But, as Verhulst explains, theres another touchstone underpinning the sound. Theres definitely a French Italian influence in those arrangements, he says. It’s a prime example of Altn Gn’s urge to cast their net wide and incorporate a far-reaching set of magpie musical directions.

Album opener, Neredesin Sen, is a throbbing, bass led vamp with a strong early-80s Indie flavour that showcases the fluid chemistry between drummer Daniel Smienk and percussionist Chris Bruining. The closing track, Bir Nazar Eyeldim, is a breathtaking ballad with Eevits pleading vocals playing out over lush synth arpeggios and a sparse electronic rhythm. Along the way, the band also touches on proggy vibes, with Eevit getting down and dirty on the synths pitch-bend, and a laid-back west coast ambiance. Check out Thijs Elzingas gorgeous slide guitar on the smouldering Gel Kama Gel to dig just how relaxed they can sound.

Garip is the sound of a band thats constantly evolving. A mature musical unit with nothing to prove. A band thats having a whole lot of fun. (via Label)

Garip is a homage to the Anatolian musician Neet Erta and a bold undertaking. All the pieces on Altn Gns sixth album are based on his compositions, consistently channelled here through the bands own filter: folkloric sources become psychedelic grooves. The melodies remain recognisable, yet are rhythmically displaced, harmonically opened and placed within a newly calibrated tension.

The opener ‘Neredesin Sen’ makes this immediately clear. A striking, almost cool Post-Punk bassline in an 80s vein meets saz melodies, forceful percussion and Turkish vocals. With the entry of saz and voice, the song tilts from brittle restraint into something ritualistic and emotive a genre symbiosis that productively interlocks tradition and modernity.

A different accent is set by the closing track ‘Bir Nazar Eyledim’. At over six minutes, it is the longest and at the same time the quietest moment on the album. Less psychedelic-rock in character than the rest, it drifts through near-ambient passages and insistent vocals. A restrained conclusion that shows Garip not only rethinks its material but also leaves space for memory, melody and resonance. (via HHV Mag)

Vinyl Tracklist
A1 Neredesin Sen
A2 Gnl Dai
A3 ldrme Beni
A4 Nide Balari
A5 Benim Yarim
B1 Suum Nedir
B2 Gel Yanma Gel
B3 Zlf Dklm
B4 Gel Kama Gel
B5 Bir Nazar Eyledim

Label: Glitterbeat / Indigo
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Bioplastic
Released: 2026
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Anatolian Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock

File under: Global Sounds