A track from the Mark Alban Lotz & Islak Köpek album "Istanbul Improv Sessions May 4th" released on Evil Rabbit Records in September 2011. 
www.evilrabbitrecords.eu

Personnel:
Mark Alban Lotz: Flutes
Şevket Akıncı: Acoustic Guitar
Kevin William Davis: Cello
Korhan Erel: Computer, Controllers
Robert Reigle: Tenor Saxophone
Volkan Terzioğlu: Tenor Saxophone

14 Our (group) (from Istanbul Improv Sessions May 4 with Mark Alban Lotz)

This is the fourth and final track on the debut self-titled Islak Köpek album. The album was recorded live in Spring 2006 at Bilgi University and Galataperform. It was released on A.K. Müzik (www.akmuzik.com.tr) in December 2008 as the first free improvisation album in Turkey (there had been one other album before this one that featured free improvised tracks: Nix by Tolga Tüzün). The album was selected as one of the Top 25 important releases in 2009 by the Turkish periodical Express.

Islak Köpek in 2006 were:

Sevket Akinci: Electric Guitar, Effects
Korhan Erel: Computer, Controllers
Volkan Ergen: Percussion, Computer Processing
Robert Reigle: Tenor Saxophone
Dirk Stromberg: Electric Guitar, Prepared Electric Guitar
Volkan Terzioglu: Tenor Saxophone

April 14, Piece Four (from Islak Köpek)

This is the third track from the second Islak Köpek album title 'One Year Later, Two Years Ago'. It was recorded in MMA Studios in 2007 and released on the Turkish freeimprov net label Re:konstrukt (www.rekonstrukt.com) in Fall 2009. 
Islak Köpek in 2007 were:
Sevket Akinci: Electric Guitar, Effects
Korhan Erel: Computer, Controllers, Melodica, Cracklebox
Robert Reigle: Tenor Saxophone
Dirk Stromberg: Electric Guitar, Prepared Electric Guitar, Blockflute
Volkan Terzioglu: Tenor Saxophone


3rd Piece (from One Year Later, Two Years Ago)

This is the second piece from Islak Köpek's performance with French tuba player Olivier Germain-Noureux in Gitar Cafe, Istanbul on March 6, 2009. 

Islak Köpek and Olivier Germain-Noureux - Tuba Initiation

A short improvisation from Islak Köpek's recording session in 2008 with Richard Nunns, the leading expert on Maori culture and music. 

Studio: MIAM Studios, Istanbul

Richard Nunns on the web:
http://www.richardnunns.net.nz/

Richard Nunns: Maori instruments
Korhan Erel: melodica

Islak Köpek:
Dilek Acay: violin
Şevket Akıncı: guitars
Korhan Erel: computer, controllers, melodica, cracklebox
Robert Reigle: tenor saxophone
Volkan Terzioğlu: tenor saxophone



Richard Nunns & Islak Köpek - 03 Improvisation 2

This is the first piece from Islak Köpek's performance with French tuba player Olivier Germain-Noureux in Gitar Cafe, Istanbul on March 6, 2009.


Islak Köpek and Olivier Germain-Noureux - Two quartets

This is the final piece from Islak Köpek's performance with French tuba player Olivier Germain-Noureux in Gitar Cafe, Istanbul on March 6, 2009.


Islak Köpek and Olivier Germain-Noureux - The Americans are coming

This is a part of the performance by Islak Köpek and Yiorgis Sakellariou (www.mecha-orga.com) at Gitar Cafe on December 18th, 2010.





Islak Köpek & mecha/orga @ Gitar Cafe (excerpt)

ISLAK KÖPEK

Islak Köpek was a free-improvisation ensemble based in Istanbul, Turkey. It was active between 2005 - 2013 and managed to place Free Improvisation on the Turkish experimental music chart. It played in the Akbank Jazz Festival twice (2006 and 2012) and released two physical and one digital album in 2006, 2009 and 2011. The band got together for two concerts in Istanbul and Berlin to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Şevket Akıncı:  electric and acoustic guitars, effects
Korhan Erel:  computer, controllers, electronics
Giray Gürkal:  electric guitar, effects  
Robert Reigle:  tenor saxophone  
Volkan Terzioğlu:  tenor saxophone

Albums (each with an earlier configuration of the group)
Istanbul Improv Sessions-May 4th. 2011. Mark Lotz & Islak Köpek. Amsterdam: Evil Rabbit Records, ERR-016. Liner notes by Kevin Whitehead.  www.evilrabbitrecords.eu 
One Year Later, Two Years Ago. 2009. Istanbul: Re:konstrukt, RE-19-20. www.rekonstrukt.com
Islak Köpek. 2008. Istanbul: A.K. Müzik, AK-802. Liner notes by Halil Turhanlı. www.akmuzik.com.tr

History
Islak Köpek’s original lineup of Korhan Erel, Şevket Akıncı, Volkan Terzioğlu, and Volkan Ergen (percussion) gave their first performance in May 2005.  Following a series of performances at Galataperform (www.galataperform.com) and Jazz Cafe, Dirk Stromberg (electric guitar) and Robert Reigle (tenor saxophone) joined the band in January 2006.  Volkan Ergen left in the summer of 2006 to pursue other musical interests.  The five-piece band played at the Transit Improvisation Days with Le Quan Ninh and dancer Kirstie Simpson in June 2006, followed by a sold-out concert at the Akbank Jazz Festival in September 2006.  Dirk Stromberg left the band in 2007 to teach in Vietnam.  The remaining four members continued playing and recording, sometimes with guest musicians such as Richard Nunns, Christian Asplund, and Olivier Germain-Noureux.  Notable performances include participation in the Body-Process festival A.M.B.E.R. (http://www.a-m-b-e-r.net/) and the second Transit Festival.  Gökcen Dilek Acay (violin) joined the band in 2008 and remained until the end of March 2009.  Cellist and composer Kevin Davis joined Islak Köpek in February 2009 until his return to the US in July 2010.  Cellist Gülşah Erol and guitarist Giray Gürkal joined the band in January 2011.  Cellist Gülşah Erol played in Islak Köpek from the beginning of 2011 until the early months of 2014.

Islak Köpek continues to perform with local and international musicians, dancers, and visual artists in venues such as Gitar Cafe (www.gitarcafe.com), Babylon, and Borusan Music House.  Since May 2006, its members have produced a program about free improvisation and free jazz, called “The Other Jazz,” which is broadcast on Açık Radyo (www.acikradyo.com.tr) every Sunday from 17:00—18:00.  Their guests in the studio have included Christian Asplund, Richard Nunns, Chris Cutler, Jürg Solothurnmann, Senol Küçükyildirim, and Hoca Nasreddin.

The band members participate in many side projects. They have produced solo albums and performed in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Islak Köpek

Popular tracks