Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek were formed in 2014 and have released two albums and an EP. The band has a reputation of writing music with a unique blend of Anatolian folk music, Turkish 1970s rock, psychedelia, pop and jazz. The debut album “Kar Yağar” came in 2019 and the latest record “Dost 2” came last year.
Alongside German-Turkish bağlama-playing singer Derya Yıldırım, the band consists of British composer and drummer Greta Eacott, French guitarist, bassist and flutist Antonin Voyant and German keyboardist and synth bassist Graham Mushnik.
Yıldırım was born in a multicultural area in Hamburg where she was influenced by the different styles of music and learned to play bağlama piano, saxophone and guitar. Despite her multilingualism, Yıldırım sings exclusively in Turkish: “It’s really important to me because it’s the language I can really express myself in, it’s my emotional language,” she explains.
Led by Derya Yıldırım’s Turkish lute and her vocals, the group draws meaningful lines from the Turkish folk repertoire into their own songwriting, with a strong own sound and a danceable energy.
“A super quartet that enchants and shocks with electrified, magical and powerful music.” Wrote Lira Musikmagasin after the band’s previous visit to Fasching 2019.
