Altın Gün

Altın Gün (meaning Golden Day in Turkish^[1] also a pun to Altın Günü (Gold day) a traditional social gathering day) is a Dutch-Turkish psychedelic rock, also known as Anatolian rock, band from Amsterdam. It was founded by bassist Jasper Verhulst in 2016 when he posted an ad on Facebook looking for Turkish musicians.^[1][2][3][4] Their style has been described as "psychedelic" with a "dirty blend of funk rhythms, wah-wah guitars and analogue organs".^[5] Altın Gün also performs psychedelic rock covers of Turkish folk music.^[1] The band's vocalist Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız is of Turkish origin while the other four members are Dutch.^[1]

Altın Gün
Background information
Origin	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genres	Anatolian rock Turkish folk psychedelic rock synth-pop
Years active	2016–present
Labels	Bongo Joe ATO Records Glitterbeat
Members	Jasper Verhulst Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız Daniel Smienk Chris Bruining Thijs Elzinga
Past members	Merve Daşdemir Gino Groeneveld Nic Mauskoviç Ben Rider
Website	https://altingunband.com/

Their debut album was On, released in 2018.^[6] In 2019, they released Gece which was nominated for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards (2019) in the Best World Music Album category.^[7][8] The band's first American tour commenced in mid 2019.^[9] In 2021, they released Yol which introduced synth-pop elements in combination with their traditional sound.^[10][11] The same year, they released Âlem, which continued to "push deeper into electronic pop".^[12] The album was released exclusively on Bandcamp with proceeds benefiting environmental non-profit Earth Today.^[13] Their latest album Aşk released on March 31, 2023.^[14]

The band was also featured in the soundtrack of the video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023). They released three tracks under the name of "Altin Lazer Blaster".^[15]

In June 2023, they released the soundtrack for the Apple TV ad Büyük Kaçış (The Great Escape) filmed around the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.^[16][17][18]

In February 2024, the band announced on their social media pages that the female vocalist Merve Daşdemir has decided to quit the band and start a new musical chapter after her 8 year long career as one of the two vocalists.^[19]

Members

Current members

Vocalists of the band, Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız and Merve Daşdemir.

Jasper Verhulst

Daniel Smienk

Thijs Elzinga

Source:^[20]

• Jasper Verhulst – bass
• Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız – vocals, bağlama, keys
• Daniel Smienk – drums
• Chris Bruining – percussion
• Thijs Elzinga – guitar

Former members

• Merve Daşdemir – vocals, keys, small percussion (2016-2024)^[21]
• Gino Groeneveld – percussion^[22]
• Ben Rider – guitar^[22]
• Nic Mauskoviç – drums^[22]

Discography

Albums

• On (2018)
• Gece (2019)
• Yol (2021)^[23][10]
• Âlem (2021)^[24][12]
• Aşk (2023)^[25][14]

Singles

• "Goca Dünya" / "Kırşehirin Gülleri" (2017)
• "Tatlı Dile Güler Yüze" (2018)
• "Hababam" (2018)
• "Vay Dünya" (2018)
• "Süpürgesi Yoncadan" / "Vay Vay" (2019)
• "Gelin Halayı" / "Dıv Dıv" (2019)
• "Ordunun Dereleri" / "Bir Of Çeksem" (2020)
• "Yüce Dağ Başında" (2021)
• "Kara Toprak" (2021)
• "Kısasa Kısas" / "Erkilet Güzeli" (2021)
• "Badi Sabah Olmadan" / "Cips Kola Kilit" (2022)
• "Leylim Ley" (2022)
• "Rakıya Su Katamam" (2023)
• "Güzelliğin On Para Etmez" (2023)
• "Su Sızıyor" (2023)
• "Doktor Civanım" (2023)
• "Kalk Gidelim (Remix) / Su Sızıyor (Remix)" (2023)
• "Vallahi Yok / Kırık Cam" (2024)