A Unique night of Psychedelic Turkish Funk with UNIFIED GECKO and MONDO LOCO

26 MAY 2012 @ REVOLT

12 Elizabeth Street, Kensington (www.revoltproductions.com)

Doors Open: 8:30pm

Tickets: $10+bf presale $15 at the door

BARO BANDA (Istanbul)

DJ CLICK (Paris)

CROOKED FIDDLE BAND (Sydney)

THE BAND WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, SYSTA BB, VARDOS, KARAVANA FLAMENCO and BYZANTINE BLUES (Melbourne)

Tickets: www.cornerhotel.com   phone: 03 9427 9198

Pre Sale: $40 + $3 booking fee

Door : $50 or $45 Conc. (if available)

BOOK NOW!

Turkish fusion music set to trance Australia

Creating a fusion of modern electronica and trance melodies combined with traditional Turkish sounds, Mercan Dede, with his new project Istanbul Quartet, will perform at  Sydney Opera House’s Studio (19 November), the Arts Centre’s Playhouse  (20 November as part of AWME) and Brisbane Powerhouse (23 November).

Nominated by the BBC as the best world music artist of the year for the past four years, Mercan Dede is a

Turkish-born, Montreal-based musician / producer / DJ. This performance will be the second time he has visited Melbourne, having played a sold-out gig at the Forum in 2008.

A Whirling Dervish dancer, a signature of Mercan Dede’s performances, will also feature as part of the Melbourne performance, along with free pre-show entertainment.

The performance by Mercan Dede’s newly created group Istanbul Quartet will feature Turkish musicians playing a variety of instruments including the ney (reed flute), Bendir, percussion, electric Baglama (an ancient instrument from central Asia) and Kemane (Turkish violin).

Mercan Dede creates a fusion of modern electronica and trance melodies combined with traditional Turkish sounds and the contrast between electronic and classical or folkloric arts cuts to the core of the Sufi philosophy that guides this one-of-a-kind artist. “Those things are not really separate,” explains Dede. “The essence of Sufism is counterpoint. Everything exists with its opposite. On one side, I am doing electronic music. The other side of that is this really acoustic, traditional music.”

Recording music under nine different names, including DJ Arkin Allen, Blueman and Poundmaker, Mercan Dede still keeps five other names secret even from his own management and family, believing that nothing should stand between sound and the ear, including the artist himself.

As Mercan Dede and his alter-ego DJ Arkin Allen, he has released more than 100 singles worldwide and has performed at events as diverse as the Montreal Jazz Festival, World Roots Festival (Netherlands), Arezzo Wave (Italy) and the Moers Festival (Germany).

Mercan Dede also provided music for Pina Bausch’s recent work ‘Istanbul, Nefes’. In 2007, as a dedication to Sufi master Rumi, he recorded and released his album “800” as a celebration of his masters 800^th birthday, which went to number 1 on the European world music charts.

Raised in a Turkish village in the 1970s, Dede studied multimedia in Saskatoon, Canada and worked in a bar to earn rent money. One day the bar’s DJ couldn’t make it and he stepped in. By the mid-80s, he was travelling to do ‘technotribalhouse’ DJ gigs under the name Arkin Allen. He debuted as Mercan Dede, the name of a character from a Turkish novel, in 1995 when he released his first album, Sufi Dreams, recorded for Golden Horn Records in San Francisco. The album was a minimalist techno ambient project featuring the ney flute for which he received rave reviews.

Dede is also a visual artist and photographer, and features unique multimedia creations in his performances to create a mystical audiovisual experience.

For tickets and information click on the images below

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE – 19 NOV 2011

BRISBANE POWERHOUSE – 23 NOV 2011

THE ARTS CENTRE  MELBOURNE – 20 NOV 2011

ARKIN ALLEN – TRIBAL DUO

Performing for the first time in Australia

CIVIC UNDERGROUND – Sydney Friday 18 November

The HI-FI – Brisbane Thursday 24 November

REVOLT – Melbourne Saturday 26 November

Turkish fusion music set to trance Australia

Creating a fusion of modern electronica and trance melodies combined with traditional Turkish sounds, Mercan Dede, with his new project Istanbul Quartet, will perform at  Sydney Opera House’s Studio (19 November), the Arts Centre’s Playhouse  (20 November as part of AWME) and Brisbane Powerhouse (23 November).

Nominated by the BBC as the best world music artist of the year for the past four years, Mercan Dede is a

Turkish-born, Montreal-based musician / producer / DJ. This performance will be the second time he has visited Melbourne, having played a sold-out gig at the Forum in 2008.

A Whirling Dervish dancer, a signature of Mercan Dede’s performances, will also feature as part of the Melbourne performance, along with free pre-show entertainment.

The performance by Mercan Dede’s newly created group Istanbul Quartet will feature Turkish musicians playing a variety of instruments including the ney (reed flute), Bendir, percussion, electric Baglama (an ancient instrument from central Asia) and Kemane (Turkish violin).

Mercan Dede creates a fusion of modern electronica and trance melodies combined with traditional Turkish sounds and the contrast between electronic and classical or folkloric arts cuts to the core of the Sufi philosophy that guides this one-of-a-kind artist. “Those things are not really separate,” explains Dede. “The essence of Sufism is counterpoint. Everything exists with its opposite. On one side, I am doing electronic music. The other side of that is this really acoustic, traditional music.”

Recording music under nine different names, including DJ Arkin Allen, Blueman and Poundmaker, Mercan Dede still keeps five other names secret even from his own management and family, believing that nothing should stand between sound and the ear, including the artist himself.

As Mercan Dede and his alter-ego DJ Arkin Allen, he has released more than 100 singles worldwide and has performed at events as diverse as the Montreal Jazz Festival, World Roots Festival (Netherlands), Arezzo Wave (Italy) and the Moers Festival (Germany).

Mercan Dede also provided music for Pina Bausch’s recent work ‘Istanbul, Nefes’. In 2007, as a dedication to Sufi master Rumi, he recorded and released his album “800” as a celebration of his masters 800^th birthday, which went to number 1 on the European world music charts.

Raised in a Turkish village in the 1970s, Dede studied multimedia in Saskatoon, Canada and worked in a bar to earn rent money. One day the bar’s DJ couldn’t make it and he stepped in. By the mid-80s, he was travelling to do ‘technotribalhouse’ DJ gigs under the name Arkin Allen. He debuted as Mercan Dede, the name of a character from a Turkish novel, in 1995 when he released his first album, Sufi Dreams, recorded for Golden Horn Records in San Francisco. The album was a minimalist techno ambient project featuring the ney flute for which he received rave reviews.

Dede is also a visual artist and photographer, and features unique multimedia creations in his performances to create a mystical audiovisual experience.

For tickets and information click on the images below

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE – 19 NOV 2011

BRISBANE POWERHOUSE – 23 NOV 2011

THE ARTS CENTRE  MELBOURNE – 20 NOV 2011

Musiktrafik presents the biggest gypsy party this side of the Balkans…

KARAVAN! INTERNATIONAL GYPSY MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011

The second Karavan! is on the way, bringing with it some of the greatest gypsy music from Australia and the world.  Now in its second year in Melbourne, Karavan! will also be hitting the road to Sydney and Brisbane in 2011.

Karavan! VOL II will be headlined by two outstanding international acts – GIPSY.CZ (Prague) and HAREM’de (Istanbul). GIPSY.CZ is what happens when you put famous Czech gypsy violinist and singer Vojta Lavicksa together with effervescent singer, rapper, composer and  all round entertainer Radoslav ‘Gipsy’ Banga and some young traditionally schooled gypsy musicians. The result is the freshest sound of gypsy music today, which has been taking the world by storm from Glastonbury to Ulsan in Korea.

Led by Yasar Akpence, HAREM’de are the leading gypsy percussion ensemble in Turkey. Yasar Akpence is renowned for his work with many of the biggest artists in Turkey, and was a founding member of the internationally renowned group HAREM which broke all the genre barriers to become a successful crossover group, selling millions of copies of their album throughout the world and touring in fifty five countries over six years. HAREM’de is Akpence’s most recent project, a return to the roots of the gypsy music style.  Their performances are charged with electricity, bringing with them the past and the future of this music.

Supported by some of Australia’s finest exponents of the gypsy music genre…

KARAVAN! Melbourne

Vulgargrad, Lolo Lovina, Arte Kanela, Babaganoush, DJ Delay, DJ Systa BB

KARAVAN! Sydney

Lolo Lovina, Bandaluzia Flamenco, DJ Delay

KARAVAN! Brisbane

Lolo Lovina, Khamoro, DJ Delay

CLICK POSTER FOR SYDNEY DETAILS AND TICKET INFORMATION

CLICK POSTER FOR MELBOURNE DETAILS AND TICKET INFORMATION

CLICK POSTER FOR BRISBANE DETAILS AND TICKET INFORMATION

UNIFIED GECKO ALBUM LAUNCH     15 MAY  THE Hi-Fi

Hotted up Turkish tunes collide with reggae vibes and gypsy rhythms in an exhilarating east meets west fusion of music. Unified Gecko features musicians from Melbourne’s best jazz, reggae and hip hop scenes together with traditional Turkish musicians.

For close to seven years now Melbourne band Unified Gecko has been bringing their unique brand of Turkish fuelled reggae funk mayhem to audiences all over Australia and the world. They have become a mainstay of the global music scene in Australia and gained recognition abroad in Turkey as some of the great innovators of contemporary Turkish music. They have performed from Istanbul to Byron Bay including WOMADelaide, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Adelaide Arts Festival and the National Folk Festival to name just a few.

They have travelled extensively and learned a thing or two from some of the gypsy musicians of Turkey, as well from the great cultural melting pot that is their home – Melbourne.  Fresh back from some electrifying performances at this years’ WOMADelaide they are set to release their third album – ‘9 is the new 4’.

On Saturday the 15^th May The Hi-Fi will be transformed into an underground Istanbul nightclub, complete with dazzling performances from the sublime Underbelly bellydancers. Underbelly Dance have been dishing up a bellylicious mix of Middle Eastern and fusion dance for almost a decade, from traditional folk styles to cutting-edge choreographies to the latest world beats. Underbelly Dance have performed and delivered workshops in every major city across the country including both Sydney and Melbourne International Arts Festivals. They’ve collaborated and supported countless music acts including Uber Lingua, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Solace (USA), Skoll, Zarafa, Fingers of Fury, Reefers, Curse ov Dialect and of course, Unified Gecko.

The night will also feature Mondo Loco, a DJ/visuals team specialising in psych funk sounds from Turkey and beyond.  Serhan’s vinyl sets stretch from Turkish Psychedelic Rock to Mid East Jazz. Expect a journey of heavy Anatolian psych funk, jazz and the rare sounds of Turkish and Mid East garage. Tolga’s visuals include images from the contemporary Turkish art scene as well as unusual video footage of dance, films and landscapes from the region and beyond.

So, for a night of dancing like you’ve never danced before, there is one place and one time before the Geckos head off to Europe in search of the sun – May 15^th at The Hi-Fi  – 125 Swanston Street Melbourne. Tickets – $10 presale/$20 with album, $15 at the doors/$25 with album – available from the venue,  www.thehifi.com.au, or call 1300 843 443. Also available from Greville Records, 152 Greville St Prahran, 9510 3012, and Polyester Records, 387 Brunswick Fitzroy, 9419 5137 and 288 Flinders Lane, 9663 8696. www.unifiedgecko.com

“Think you know Gypsy music? If you have Balkan beats on the brain, think again, because Australian/Turkish band Unified Gecko have a darker shade of Gypsy music in mind for audiences worldwide. Specialising in Turkish Romany Gypsy, a darker version of gypsy, Unified Gecko are shedding light on this mysterious, and highly addictive musical tradition.” Alchemy Music

Check out the photos, more are on the way, and stay tuned for more information…

Karavan! will come again…