Altin Gun

Altın Gün (Golden Day in Turkish) are a psychedelic rock band belonging to the genre known as Anatolian rock, which was hugely popular especially in the 60s and 70s.

The group hails from Amsterdam and was founded by bassist Jasper Verhulst (Jacco Gardner, Eerie Wanda) in 2016, after he posted an ad on Facebook looking for Turkish musicians to form a partnership that would merge Central European musical culture with that of the Bosphorus nation.

Their style is described as psychedelic, with funk touches, wah-wah guitars and analog keyboards thrown into the mix.

The line-up consists of: Jasper Verhulst (bass), Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız (vocals, bağlama, keyboards), Merve Daşdemir (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Daniel Smienk (drums), Chris Bruining (percussion), Thijs Elzinga (guitar).

The band's singers, Merve Daşdemir and Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız, are of Turkish origin, while the other four members are Dutch.

Their debut album “On” was released in 2018. It was followed in 2019 by the sophomore effort titled “Gece“, which received a nomination at that year's 62nd Grammy Awards, in the Best World Music Album category.

The band's first American tour began in mid-2019.

With their third record, “Yol” (2021), Altın Gün added some intriguing synthwave-flavored electronic interference to their distinctive sound, also partly present on “Âlem”, released digitally only a few months later.

During 2023 the band released “Aşk“, an album that marks a return to the psychedelic sounds of their early days.

With their sixth studio record, “Garip”, the Turkish/Dutch band Altın Gün continue their reclamation of Turkish music, paying tribute to Neşet Ertaş, singer, composer and skilled musician (a true virtuoso of the bağlama, the traditional Turkish instrument), all while retaining the adventurous, innovative spirit that runs through the whole album.