Making ornate music out of simple tools. That’s pretty much the tagline for what Mehmet Gencler does on his latest album, istanbul kaos 2019. Just one guitar and a loop pedal are all he has used here, but he has done so in such a way that he can manipulate that seemingly simple setup to produce some rather unexpected results.
The most apparent thing that greets you is the raw production of the album, the more usual contemporary polish and preproduction planning replaced by a sound that thrives on an improvisational approach and an “as-live” delivery, connecting you with its edgier, unadorned, and sonically chaotic heart. The opener, “istanbul kaos”, sets the scene with a clash of violent noise, dark and drone-like yet with an unexpected melody woven through, but as soon as you get to the next song, “nan na”, an opposite sound emerges, one that is bluesy, upbeat, joyous and infectious whilst also being relentless and hypnotically repetitive – and I mean that in the very best of ways.
From there, the songs lean one way or the other, “son” straightforward and running along on its own inbuilt groove, “onbir” erring on the side of the dark and atmospheric, and finally “iki karanlik yildiz” balancing the two ends of the spectrum into the album’s swansong.
Put together in a home studio, using nothing more than a smartphone, the record proves that great art doesn’t need gloss or big budgets. What it offers instead is honesty, and it is immediate, unfiltered, and defiantly authentic. It’s the sort of release that doesn’t just add to the musical landscape; it reminds us why creative revolutions are need in the first place.
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