Mastered songs for Eis Ten Polin's album 'Wild Flowers of Anatolia’. Recorded at Deneyevi, Istanbul, during August 14th-22nd, 2013 with the vocals completed at KNSM, Amsterdam, over November 25th-December 2nd, 2013. Tracks 1-12 are on the first CD 'Smyrna', tracks 13-22 are on the second CD 'Salonica'. The musicians are Murat Ertel (saz), Nikolai Galen (voice) & Gökçe Gürçay (drums & percussion), with Dolf Planteijdt playing guitar on ‘Silencing the Nightingales’ and ‘Rocks’. Produced by Dolf Planteijdt & Nikolai Galen. Istanbul recordings engineered by Taylan Özdemir & Emre Nişancı. Amsterdam recordings engineered by Dolf Planteijdt. Mixed by Dolf Planteijdt and Nikolai Galen at KNSM with additional mixing by Dolf Planteijdt at The Mesdag Clinic, Amsterdam. Mastering by Zlaya at LOUD!, Amsterdam. Songs written by Murat Ertel & Nikolai Galen except Cockroaches and Rats by Murat Ertel, Nikolai Galen & Gökçe Gürçay. Lyrics by Nikolai Galen. Turkish translations by Nazım Dikbaş. Artwork images by Emir Uras. Artwork design by Gülşah Soyluer. Thanks to Gökçe Gürçay, Dolf Planteijdt, Nazım Dikbaş, Gülşah Soyluer, Emir Uras, Ergin Özler, Zlaya and Turgut Erçetin.

Cockroaches and Rats

Performed by Ensemble X:

Ellen Jewett - Violin
Elizabeth Simkin - Violoncello
Xak Bjerken - Piano

Turkish Premiere - August 2018, Cappadocia.

Art: Max Ernst

Leaked Tape from the Sacred Mysteries (2018) for piano trio

Stockholm Saxophone Quartet:
Mathias Björnstad
Jörgen Pettersson
Anna Magnusson
Linn Persson

Livestream: Johan E.Andersson
The concert was presnted by Estonian Music Days 2020

As I studied the recordings of various wolf howls I quickly learned that sensing each other’s presence through songs or voices, and the power or intimacy such a common experience creates is familiar both to people and the loneliest wolf cub. I viewed the spectral track of two different wolf packs and found fascinating musical references in the howling ensembles of the pack members. For example, in one of my recordings, the alpha established a specific pitch, the next wolf joined by sliding downwards, the third by sliding upwards and together they reached a pulsating unison that resounded throughout the woods. This pitch was also picked up on the other side of the forest and so they kept answering each other in this multi-choral manner for three minutes. While the pulsating unison might amplify the sound and give the impression that the number of wolves is greater, without the purpose of claiming territory the wolves’ bodies release happiness hormones and strengthen the ties within the pack.
In these 3 pieces similarly to wolves, the saxophones interact with each other in a temporally flexible manner, choosing and synchronising entrances and listening to the delicate microtonal shades of the unison.

Us... and Them... (2020) for saxophone quartet and wolves

Nikolai Galen is a performer and writer living in Istanbul

Cockroaches and Rats

Nikolai Galen

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