How Embedded Music is in Your Life?

MusicApril 18, 2018
How Embedded Music is in Your Life?

Mu Tunç in conversation with Orkun Tunç

Though we’ve talked about the movie ARADA many times, we haven’t met Orkun Tunç, the name behind the movie’s inspiration and soundtrack. We know that you’re as excited as we are when it comes to meeting someone who brings his own rhythm into life and leave you along with the two brothers’ stories from the ‘90s music to this movie.

ORKUN: With the popularity of cassettes in the 1990s, Unkapanı and all recording companies started to look for the next big thing. Among the pop songs of ‘90s house music and Spanish guitar-influences Turkish pop songs, heavy metal bands and underground music started to come out with sub-genres such as grind core, hardcore, punk and death metal.

MU: I think the sub-cultures in Turkey began to flourish in the ‘90s, which was your earlier years. Moribund Youth, Death Room, Violent Pop, Turmoil, Radical Noise, Tampon and Rashit… The list goes on and on. I’m very impressed by those early years, especially the transition period between 1898 and 1992.

ORKUN: Exactly. These bands attracted a serious audience despite making underground music. And this brought along stadium and open-air metal/rock concerts in Turkey. Meanwhile, shopping malls such as Galleria started to have host the first serious concerts by both international pop groups such as Snap, Technotronic and Culture Beat and bands like Pentagram.

MU: Yes. I remember I couldn’t believe that I was watching Pentagram live at Galleria. It felt like I was in Santa Monica.

ORKUN: Of course, Turkish music shows serious improvement in parallel with technological advancements. From multitrack recording to hard discs, PC desktops to Macbook Pros… But the most important thing that triggered production was the presence of the sub-culture. People were publishing fanzines while bands would tour around the country with their demos. The first music programs on TV also influenced this. Though we are much more informed today thanks to the Internet, influencers cannot go beyond the titles of vloggers, bloggers and celebrities. What I mean is no one would form a rock band just because a celebrity is playing guitar.

MU: Actually, the biggest problem is you realize that the number of followers you have is not the same as the influence you have on people. But I think that’s changing. Now, even brands do not work with people with lots of followers because they started to see that it means nothing. That’s why I’m foreseeing a trend of individuality in music. Many of my friends are releasing their own albums and founding their own music companies. Even in Istanbul, I have friends who founded music companies in three or four genres.

ORKUN: I think in the 2020s, music will turn into a type of individual consumption based on playlists. Even mp3s are obsolete now. We grew up in the ‘90s with acid house, trance, techno and UK garage; collected 12-inches; and listened to compilations. I even continue to buy singles and albums of that era at record markets. The club culture accepted everyone back then, it wasn’t concerned about limiting music in a certain way. Rave music is an expression like punk. Doing this with electronic devices…

MU: I know exactly what you mean. Even more so, Rave culture is under attack by fashion brands right now. That’s what irritates me the most. You’re not owning the Rave culture when you don’t partake in its culture and just by wearing the ugly sneakers and a hoodie. All of this is part of an attitude but now we see culture becoming a commodity around the world. You can buy and commodify any type of culture. And we see brands popping up that wish to benefit from this trend. On the other hand, I saw this in Los Angeles and some parts of Istanbul that there are some secret communities that organize their own parties. It’s not public and the aim is not to post something on Instagram. It’s even forbidden. I’m very impressed by this attitude and community mindset.

ORKUN: It used to be like this in Beyoğlu but with the reconstruction process, it lost its influence and this culture moved to Kadıköy. Today, people are more interested in our Arab friends who wait in long lines in front of dessert shops. No one understood the young in the ‘90s either. It’s even a miracle for our country that rock music spread to bards and concert venues. Beyoğlu or Kadıköy, it doesn’t make a different. By the way, unfortunately, the Anatolian part of Istanbul is still underdeveloped, especially the venues. While the whole world is moving forward, venues here keep doing the same thing and complain about the lack of audience. The live scene is still dominant in the European side. The DJ scene is all over the city, which is good. There’s a rising hip-hop scene in terms of domestic and international music.

MU: I disagree with you on this. There’s a very cool community emerging in Beyoğlu right now. In the past, people from all backgrounds would come but it’s not true anymore and I like it. Of course, it’s not like anybody planned this. The Anatolian side resembles Amsterdam because people also invest in it. I see that everyone cares about the design and style of their shops. But it also has this sense of bafflement that comes along with fast development. For instance, when a shop has a cool logo and you use wood in décor, this doesn’t mean that you offer great service. But the people on the Anatolian side of town are more entertained when it comes to street fun and I hope this doesn’t change because I love seeing Istanbul in this direction. It’s a whole attitude. That’s why I wanted to make a soundtrack that embraces music and touches a number of these sub-cultures.

ORKUN: We worked a lot for ARADA and kept telling each other that the soundtrack has to be the movie’s signature. We also wanted it to be innovative and different from all the soundtracks in Turkish movie industry.

MU: One thing was very important for me. Being innovative meant making people understand that this culture still has a value and that it’s all about how you present it.

ORKUN: I did a ‘90s house-influenced remix of Gülden Karaböcek’s “Şaka Yaptım” and we began by integrating this into the film. This starting point helped us figure out how to compose the rest of the soundtrack.

MU: People who watch the movie send us dozens of messages every day, asking when the soundtrack will be released. I wanted this to be a music film and we worked a lot to achieve it.

ORKUN: We also have some material stemming from a lot of jamming. Similarly, we worked a lot with Mu in front of the Oberheim synthesizer at home. (laughs) ARADA’s original soundtrack will be released on all digital music platforms on April 1 by GRGDN Müzik.

MU: Yes. I hope everyone likes the spirit of the soundtrack.

 

Author: Based Istanbul

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