Altin Gün

Altın Gün emerged from Amsterdam in 2016 after bassist Jasper Verhulst posted a Facebook ad seeking Turkish musicians. The Dutch-Turkish group took its name from the Turkish phrase for “Golden Day,” also a reference to Altın Günü, a traditional social gathering. Its music draws on Anatolian rock and Turkish folk material, filtering familiar songs through psychedelic rock, funk rhythms, wah-wah guitar and analogue organ sounds.

Vocalist Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız is of Turkish origin, while the band’s other four members are Dutch. Altın Gün has made psychedelic rock versions of Turkish folk songs central to its repertoire, pairing those sources with arrangements that move between earthy grooves, electric instrumentation and pop-minded production.

The band released its debut album, On, in 2018. A year later, Gece received a nomination in the Best World Music Album category at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, and Altın Gün began its first American tour in mid-2019. In 2021, Yol brought synth-pop elements into the group’s established sound. That year’s Âlem went further into electronic pop and was issued exclusively through Bandcamp, with proceeds benefiting the environmental nonprofit Earth Today.

Aşk followed on 31 March 2023. Altın Gün also appeared on the soundtrack to the 2023 video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, releasing three tracks under the name Altin Lazer Blaster. In June 2023, the band released music for Apple TV’s Büyük Kaçış (“The Great Escape”) advertisement, filmed around Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.

In February 2024, vocalist Merve Daşdemir announced that she had left the band after eight years as one of its two vocalists. The reformed group released Garip in 2026. The album consists entirely of songs associated with Turkish folk musician Neşet Ertaş, recast in arrangements markedly different from their original versions.