It’s More Than Just Music: Salon İKSV In April
An indispensable venue offering new discoveries for those seeking alternative sounds in Istanbul since 2010, Salon İKSV is as vibrant as ever in April. The artists to take the stage at Salon include Altın Gün, Alice Phoebe Lou, The Limiñanas, Jakuzi, Marissa Nadler and Seafret.
Garanti Jazz Green: Alice Phoebe Lou / Friday-Saturday, 5 April- 6 April, 22.00-22.30
South African born, Berlin resident singer-songwriter who nurtures her soul on indie folk, jazz and blues, Alice Phoebe Lou lived a childhood full of art due to the influence of her documentary filmmaker parents. She was taking piano lessons and learned to play the guitar herself. Lou performed fire-dancing on the streets of Paris. After the period she travelled back and forth between Paris and Amsterdam, she moved to Berlin, the city where numerous musicians and artists have reinvented themselves throughout history. She started singing in the streets with her guitar and her small amplifier. In 2014 she released her debut EP Momentum inspired by music of all styles, mainly folk, blues jazz and electronic music. After her TEDx performance, she started to get offers from major record companies, yet she went her way firmly believing in the independence of music. With the revenue she made from the sales of her live album Live at Grüner Salon, she recorded her first studio album Orbit released in 2016. With the Matteo Pavesi and Jian Kellet-Liew co-produced Orbit, she was nominated for the German Critics Choice Award for Best Female Artist in 2016. She went on tour with the artist Rodriguez whose story we watched in “Searching for Sugar Man” which received the 2013 Academy Award for the Best Documentary Feature along with numerous others and became a favoured documentary for music and cinema lovers alike. The song She from her 2017 EP Sola brought the documentary ‘Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story’ the nomination for the Best Original Music Score at the Academy Awards. We shall have the privilege to listen to this beautiful voice for the first time in Istanbul at Salon İKSV stage on 5 and 6 April as a part of her tour for ‘Paper Castles’ due to be released on 8 March, 2019.
The Limiñanas / Saturday, 13 April, 22:30
A 21st Century reflection of Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, French rock ’n’ roll couple Marie & Lionel Limiñana The Limiñanas decided to carry their mutual life over to rock ’n’ roll. They virtually revered the rock ’n’ roll attitudes of The Velvet Underground, Suicide, The Stooges, Nick Cave and Serge Gainsbourg. They adapted the musical revolutions of the 60s and 70s to modern times with a Francophone spirit. They drew inspiration from psychedelic rock, garage rock, blues, 60s French pop and music from the golden age of Italian “Giallo” movies. In 2010 they released their debut album named after themselves. Crystal Anis in 2012 and Costa Blanca in 2013 followed. In 2015 they released Traité de guitarres triolectiques with French guitarist Pascal Comelade with whom they were to cross paths frequently. The moment they moved their fame beyond the borders of France, is when they released Malamore in 2016. Former Joy Divison and New Order bassist, the living legend Peter Hook was featured in the album. Hook accompanied the couple on their song titled Garden of Love with his trademark bass performance. They greeted Istanbul for the first time in 2017 with their EP titled Istanbul is Sleepy realised in collaboration with Anton Newcombe, the iconic member of famed The Brian Jonestown Massacre. We witnessed the height of their vintage sound in their 2018 album Shadow People produced by Anton Newcombe, where they reunited with Peter Hook and featured the famous actress Emmanuelle Seigner. The Limiñanas, who lives and keeps rock ’n’ roll alive, will be at Salon İKSV on 13 April for their first concert in Istanbul.
Jakuzi “Margin of Error” First Concert / Tuesday-Wednesday, 16 April-17 April, 21:30-21:30
The dark-wave, synth-pop band Jakuzi was founded by Kutay Soyocak and Taner Yücel in 2016. We fell in love with Kutay Soyocak’s one of a kind vocals and his memorable synthesisers at first sight. Following the release of aptly-named Fantezi Müzik on cassette tape, it was re-released with additional songs from the Berlin-based City Slang Records in the beginning of 2017. Jakuzi has become one of the favourites of the local scene and was mentioned in prestigious media outlets including The Quietus and The Guardian. Jakuzi performed on stage at numerous major cities such as Barcelona, Paris, London, Berlin, and Primavera Club, Donaufest, Synästhesie, Pop Kultur festivals. Leaving his role as a band and stage member, Taner Yücel works as a producer and composer of Jakuzi. Now, their journey continues with Hata Payı due to be released on 5 April. The album, while bearing traces of the Jakuzi we have come to know and adore, will be taking a darker path and blending new wave, post-punk, dark-wave, Krautrock and lo-fi sounds. The first single Şüphe released simultaneously with its video clip has already worked up the fans’ appetite. Jakuzi, having had all previous concerts at the Salon sold-out, will be at Salon İKSV once again to add more to its songs we know by heart on 16 and 17 April with its brand new album Hata Payı.
Marissa Nadler / Before: Hilary Woods / Thursday-Friday, 18 April-19 April, 21:30-21:30
Singer, songwriter from the USA Marissa Nadler is a professional painter and musician who brought the ‘dream folk’ genre to life. Her mezzo-soprano voice is ‘textured and angelic, with just a hint of pain captured within her iridescent falsetto’, according to Pitchfork. As a self-thought guitar player and songwriter since a very young age with an education in painting and illustration, she is definitely multi-talented. Released her debut Ballads of Living and Dying in 2004, followed by The Saga of Mayflower May in 2005, and Songs III: Bird on the Water in 2007. She was named ‘Outstanding Singer-Songwriter of the Year’ at the 2008 Boston Music Awards. Her fourth album, Little Hells, was praised by many critics and met 4-star reviews from magazines such as Mojo, Rolling Stone, Uncut, and Q, and was rated 8.3 by Pitchfork. In 2010, Nadler contributed to the black metal project Xasthur at their Portal of Sorrow album with her vocals. In 2012, she collaborated with Angel Olsen, another sweetheart of the Salon audience, on two cover songs. Her universally acclaimed 2014 album July was released by Sacred Bones, with which she shook hands in 2013. With 2014 came a collaboration with Father John Misty, where they covered each others’ songs. In September 2018, her 8th studio album For My Crimes came out, featuring guest vocals by Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, and Kristin Kontrol. Her Leonard Cohen cover Famous Blue Raincoat brought her fans from all ages and types of listeners. She will be at Salon İKSV stage on 18 April and 19 April to follow up with the Istanbul audience after her debut concert in 2013.
Hilary Woods, an interdisciplinary Irish singer-songwriter who has embraced dark indie-pop will be on stage before Marissa Nadler. The four-song EP Night she released by her own means in the spirit of independent music in 2014, has just the right title to define Wood’s take on music. She rapidly made a name for herself with her songs from the dark banks of the singer-songwriter tradition. Some of the descriptions of her songs by the music press include: deep, bewitching, hypnotising, like a dawn dream, layered, ambient and highly intense.
Seafret / Saturday, 20 April, 22:30
British indie-pop duo consisting of singer Jack Sedman and guitarist Harry Draper, Seafret makes hazy yet uplifting music that befits their namesake; the mist that rolls in off the North Sea during the summer. They released their first EP Give me Something in 2014 and the second EP Oceans in 2015. Seafret made a big breakthrough in 2015 with the video clip for their single Oceans starring Maisie Williams, Arya from Game of Thrones. The clip was viewed more than 66 million times on YouTube, and the single was played over 74 million times on Spotify. Their debut studio album Tell Me It’s Real is full with the air of the northern shores of England where they were born and raised, and peaked at no. 59 on UK Albums Chart, expanding their fan base significantly. They received a loving welcome for their indie-pop with heart-wrenching vocals. In September 2018 they renewed their musical identities with a grander structure in their new EP Monsters. Their new single Loving You heralds a new period and a brand new album from Seafret, as well as a song that will take the headlines on playlists for listeners. After their first sold-out concert in 2017, that placed them among the favourites of Peçeteye İstek (Song Request on Napkin), Seafret will be at Salon İKSV for a second time on 20 April to reunite with their Istanbul audience.
Afife / Monday, 22 April, 20:30
A play written and directed by Cem Kenar and performed by Aslı İktu Afife is a grand name inscribed in letters of gold in Turkish art history; harsh years when art, creativity and love have great obstacles. The story of her graceful love, pride and sacrifices in her life full of heartache… Afife will be at Salon İKSV on 22 April.
Birlikte Güzel: Altın Gün / Friday-Saturday-Sunday, 26 April-27 April-28 April, 22:00-22:30-20:00
Psychedelic rock band of Dutch descent in Turkish language, Altın Gün began to take shape when bassist Jasper Verhulst discovered the 70’s Anatolian rock while he was in Istanbul for his Salon İKSV concert in December 2015. Captivated by the psychedelic sounds of Selda Bağcan, Barış Manço and Erkin Koray, Verhulst took guitarist Ben Rider and drummer Nic Mauskovic next to him. In search of Turkish musicians who can breathe new life into this music on Facebook, they met Erdinç Yıldız Ecevit who would be responsible for saz, vocals and keyboard, and Merve Daşdemir who would join the band with her vocals. The band took its final shape with the inclusion of percussionist Gino Droeneveld. Following the intense love they naturally encountered when they first came to Istanbul last October, they spent the year 2018 moving from city to city, and from festival to festival. Their first album On released in 2018 was met with great admiration and interest. Their cover of the song Halkalı Şeker accompanying a video of Alicia Keys swimming during her vacation put a huge smile on our faces. After appearing at festivals such as Le Guess Who, Beaches Brew, Lowlands, Best Kept Secret, Montreal Jazz Festival, Paléo and at various big venues including Paradiso and Gretchen, Altın Gün received a nod for their live performance by the jury of KEXP. The band took stage at the famous Gizzfest festival curated by another favourite band of the Salon audience; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Last November, we couldn’t get enough of Altın Gün at the three unforgettable Salon concerts where the tickets sold faster than the speed of light. The band is currently preparing to release their second album Gece on 26 April. We will be reunited with Altın Gün at Salon İKSV on 26 April, 27 April and 28 April to listen to the songs on their latest album live before anyone else does and have three extremely enjoyable consecutive nights of music.
Tickets for Salon İKSV can be purchased from Biletix sales channels and the box office at İKSV (without service charge, every day, except for Sundays, between 10.00-18.00).
Members of Vodafone FreeZone gets one free ticket with each ticket purchased.
Garanti Jazz Green concerts, sponsored by Garanti Bank, meet the audience once again at the new season of Salon İKSV.
MasterCard supports Salon İKSV in the scope of its Priceless İstanbul programme.
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