Altin Gün – Howard Theatre, Washington

ALTIN GÜNDutch psychedelic quintet Altın Gn return with their fifth album, Garip - their most accomplished and eclectic release to date, and a heartfelt tribute to legendary Turkish folk-bard, Neset Ertas. Since bursting onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album, On, Amsterdam-based Altın Gn have been at the vanguard of the 21st century revival of Turkish-influenced psychedelic grooves. Coming straight out of the gate with a wah-wah and organ heavy sound that effortlessly captured the spirit of Anatolian 70s psych-funk masters like Baris Manco and Erkin Koray, they deepened and expanded their palette with 2021s Yol, which brought synths and drum machines into the mix for a more 80s-influenced dream-pop vibe.But no matter how far out they have gone, they have always maintained a strong link to the same Anatolian folk traditions that inspired those early pioneers. Founder and bassist, Jasper Verhuist says: We are doing the same thing a lot of those artists were doing, which is playing Turkish traditionals and songs written by folk artists. Now, with their fifth album, Garip, they have brought that connection to the folk source front and centre, showcasing a collection of songs all originally written by Turkish folk legend Neset Ertas.Ertas (1938-2012) was a revered and much-loved Turkish singer, lyricist and baglama player, and a modern-day embodiment of the ancient ashik tradition of the folk-bard-troubadour. Throughout his long career, he recorded more than 30 albums and wrote hundreds of songs - some of which were famously recorded by the likes of Baris Manco and Selda Bagcan. For Altın Gns vocalist, keyboardist and baglama player, Erdinc Ecevit, interpreting a suite of Ertass tunes is a chance to get back to his roots.Both of my parents are from Turkey, from the same area he is from, he says. Its the music that I grew up with. When I was five, six years old, my grandfather always had cassettes by Neset Ertas and I used to listen to it all day long. Then I was too young to really understand the lyrics and the meaning, but I really liked the melodies. Now, years later, Ecevit has fully immersed himself in Ertass lyrics - messages from the heart that are, he says, stories about what he is facing in life. The Turkish traditional music is the blues of the Turkish people.