In this record I play classic guitar. I tried to convey the feeling of the phases of the first weeks of the quarantine days. Respectively, the phases were to rest, to quest, to get lost, to dread, to hope, to feel compressed and returning to the rest for me. When we matched our performances just through a random decision, I was very surprised about the coincidence of the different moods in the music of me and Miray. Our music was changing almost in the same order and complementing each other. The moment that we listen all our unexpected duets during the online meeting was so magical and emotional that I will never forget. We couldn’t touch each other but our music did. 
MIAM Improvisation Ensemble / 2020
Clarinet: Miray Eslek, 
Classic Guitar: Ceyda Atay

Ceyda - Miray / Unexpected Duets

This is my first ever electronic music attempt which I sliced and combined recordings of me while I was improvising with the keyboard. Since the keyboard does not have midi output, you hear my fingers tapping on the keys (I like somehow). While recording the pieces that I combined, I tried tunes of synth pads and readymade stereotype electronic dance music rhythms already loaded in the keyboard. This track is very rough and surprising because the pieces are very different from each other and there are harsh transitions between them. Even if that kind of transition is because of my lack of knowledge about editing skills and computer music, I intentionally brought that pieces together to create a conflicting atmosphere and feeling of losing perception of reality which I think suits both the situation of me and today's world. EDM references are symbolizing not only the escapist but also rebellious approach of the human being. I interpret that piece as a try of unknown and moving on despite whatever you are encountered. Both for me and for my friends who will try to improvise on, it's your choice how to react. 
However, here some ideas;
1.part (00:00 – 01:42); think you are captured in a Massive Attack song
2.part (01:42 – 02:08); use your instrument as a percussion
3.part (02:08 – 02:39); go mad, make noise, scream, get angry or be sarcastic, up to you, ignore my part
4. part (02:39 – 03:27); calm down, think about your sweet dreams, or memories
5. part (03:27 – 04:04); play funky, talk too much
6. part (04:04 – 05:00); insist on something, a pitch, a motive, or a rhythm, and fade out

MIAM Improvisation Ensemble / Spring 2020 
Amy Salsgiver, director, Percussion
Ceyda Atay - Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer 
Gökçe Göknel - Voice and Vocal Processor (VoiceLive Touch) 
Miray Eslek - Clarinet 
Musa Bakır - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, 
Tore Snauwaert - Cello, Bass Guitar  
Rûbar Dindar - Pedals, Mix

Ceyda - Standing In The Era Of Anxiety (MİAM Improvisation Ensemble)

1 min. improvisation trial with a new sound. 2021 
using the phase as rhythm

hear here

efekti sevmek

ALT GEÇİT-DERE 20220228 120641

RELAKS ŞANTİYE! 20220325 163324

While preparing this project, I aimed to make myself and other people remember the experiment of listening to music in a live music venue, Ağaç Ev, before the pandemic. It was interesting that to find materials that were not edited or without background music from the internet was almost impossible. I ask people for the videos they took while they are in the venue through an Instagram story post. I wrote that the video did not have to be performance-oriented, could be from the outside of the venue and atmosphere noise is especially needed. I especially asked for videos instead of recorded sound because I think, while recording video, we are more related to the surrounding area. I used the sound of four different videos; two of them, which were from the outside while the street was full of people, were sent by Burak Ocakçı, the music director of the venue, one of them was from a visitor, which was taken from the inside when they were drinking, shouting, accompanying the song while the old stager band Acil Servis were performing, and the other was took from a Facebook post, which was posted by the drummer of this band in the day I prepared this project. After I chose those videos, I was surprised when I realized that the performance in the video of the visitor was the same performance with the one that the drummer had posted. I felt so happy and emotional. While mixing these videos, I tried to recreate the scene of going out to drink and listen to music in Ağaç Ev, like in the days before the pandemic. I tried to imagine that I was walking in the street getting closer to the venue, started to hear people talking, drinking and having fun together in front of the venue. Then I imagined that I was entering the venue, hearing the performance and people listening and accompanying the song, getting closer to the stage when the electric guitar solo came on. Firstly, I cut of sounds from the videos, then, I used Audacity software for editing and mixing. I used basic editing tools, like fade-in, fade-out, slice, copy, paste. I also arranged the volume balance of the tracks and made panning to localize the sound. I recommend listening to this designed phonography from the stereo systems. I am wondering how people will feel after listening to this imaginary experiment of the times that we can go out to listen to music and socialize. I think, this work is meaningful because it is made of from the memories of various people. I already sent to some people and they thought that it was from a real one video and there was a problem about the display images and some of them get emotional like me, after listening, which means this work answers my purpose of experiencing the nostalgia of being in a live music venue, and Ağaç Ev.

Phonography of AğaçEv Nostalgia - December 2020 (Covid-19 era)

1st EDM try funkyy

Live recording at MIAM Studio, 2015. Recorded/mixed/mastered by Uğur Akagündüz

W.O.M.A.N. (Etta James Cover)

Boo Hoo (KT Tunstall Cover)

Live @ Zeplin Pub

Singer&Song writer, Guitarist&Composer, Listener&Selector

Ceyda Atay

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