Turkish experimenter Gaye Su Akyol unveils "Kendimden kaçmaktan"

Following sets at European feativals such as Roskilde and Le Guess Who? in the past year, Akyol is set to expand overseas and out of Istanbul's underground music scenes.

“My style is a bit like old Turkish singing. It is a rich, expressive style…" says Akyol. "My music is something new in Turkey and also in the world because of its mixture of styles.”

Akyol is influenced by Selda Bağcan, Nick Cave, Müzeyyen Senar, Sabahattin Ali, William Blake, Melih Cevdet Anday, Nirvana, Joy Division, Sonic Youth, Einstürzende Neubaten, surf bands, and psychedelia - her music, "Turkish art rock, if you like", is a potent mixture full of disparate threads. Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu (Hologram Empire in English) is her first record to be released outside of Turkey.

“I look for passion in music, lyrics, feelings, people, conversations. There can be no limbo, in between,” says Akyol. “Passion talks with its very self-assured way to change something or convince someone. Ibelieve we live in a hologram and art is my universe, so I organise the galaxies, planets, solar systems. Your art is something you have to find yourself... I’m looking inside my consciousness to myculture. I love rock but there are hidden things in my subconscious."

Hologram Ĭmparatorluğu is due 11 November via Glitterbeat.

Listen to “Kendimden kaçmaktan” below.