Altin Gun - Ask (Black Vinyl LP)

The first thing that grabs you about Altin Gün’s new album is the energy.

With Aşk, the Amsterdam-based sextet turn away from the electronic, synth-
drenched sound of their 2021 albums, lem and Yol. While those two, created at
home during the pandemic, paid homage to the electronic pop of the 80s and early
90s, Aşk, marks an exuberant return to the 70s Anatolian folk-rock sound that
characterised Altin Gün’s first two albums, On (2018) and Gece (2019).

But there’s development here too. Aşk is the closest the band have come so far to
capturing the infectious energy of their live performances. “It’s definitely connecting
more with a live sound – almost like a live album,” says bassist Jasper Verhulst. “We,
as a band, just going into a rehearsal space together and creating music together
instead of demoing at home.”

“We didn’t record it like we did the last album,” agrees vocalist Merve Daşdemir.
“We basically produced that one at home because of the pandemic. Now we’ve gone
back to recording live on tape.”

“We took a very traditional approach to recording a rock album, like in the 70s,”
Verhulst adds. In this instance, that doesn’t just mean getting six musicians together
in a room with a few microphones. “It’s also about the gear that we are using,” says
Verhulst, “the tape and everything.”

It’s this attention to detail in using vintage equipment and recording techniques that
gives the album such a warm and welcoming sound. But, above all, this is the sound
of friends and collaborators joyfully reconvening to make music together again in real
time and space.

There’s also a deliberate return to the source in the material they’ve chosen for this
album. All ten tracks are new readings of traditional Turkish folk tunes, revealing how
these ancient songs remain eternally resonant and ripe for reinterpretation. “These
songs have been covered so many times, always,” says Daşdemir “But not really in
psychedelic pop versions,” Verhulst adds.

Fresh yet timeless. Rooted in antiquity yet yearning for heavenly futures. Aşk wants
to take you places. All you have to do is strap yourself in.
Tracks:

1. Badi Sabah Olmadan
2. Su Siziyor
3. Leylim Ley
4. Dere Geliyor
5. Çit Çit Çedene
6. Rakiya Su Katamam
7. Canim Oy
8. Kalk Gidelim
9. Güzelligin On Para Etmez
10. Doktor Civanim