Next month, Camden comes alive with the highly danceable sounds of Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek: a perfect blend of Anatolian folk, psychedelia, electro funk and progressive rock.
The band return to London for a performance at the Jazz Café on 20 November, serving up fresh-yet-familiar sounds that are inspired by the likes of Selda Bağcan, Bariş Manço, and Özdemir Erdoğan.
Fronted by Berlin-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Derya Yıldırım, this merry transcontinental quartet also features Greta Eacott (drums, percussion), Antonin Voyant (guitar, bass guitar, flute), and Graham Mushnik (organ, synthesizers, clavinet, bass guitar).
The band members first connected through a music project in Hamburg, Germany, in 2014 and decided to collaborate, writing new music and performing together.
Their debut release Kar Yağar [‘It’s Snowing’] followed five years later, a stunning psychedelic take on traditional Anatolian folk songs interspersed with the words of legendary Turkish poet Nâzım Hikmet Ran.
In June of this year, Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek released their second album Dost 1 [‘Friend’), the first of a two part series to be released in 2021. The new six-track EP features original compositions and reworkings of classic songs effortlessly straddles pop, jazz, psychedelia, and Turkish folk.
“We always want to push our sounds further, and constantly evolve,” says Yıldırım, her hypnotic bağlama (Turkish lute) accompanied by noodling bass and atmospheric organ chords. The end result is a timeless global groove.
You can pick up a digital or vinyl copy of Dost 1 on Bandcamp. Tickets are selling fast for their Jazz Café gig too. After London, Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek travel on to Germany for two performances on 26 and 30 November.
Concert Details
Title: Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek
Date: Saturday 20 November
Doors open: 7pm, gig runs to 10.30 pm
Venue: The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden, London NW1 7PG
Admission: Adults £15.00 – ground floor standing, from £39 – restaurant with table seats and balcony view
Tickets available via the venue website, click here.
Main image, top, of Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek, Facebook/Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek, 29 June 2021. Photo © Mehdi Benkler / Analog
