Gültekin Kaan

Gültekin Kaan — Biography

Gültekin Kaan is a German-born singer, composer and songwriter who sets Turkish-language rock against Anatolian melodies, Eastern instruments and the imagery of an Ottoman court. A citizen of both Germany and Turkey, he takes the stage dressed as a sultan, surrounded by viziers, pashas, emirs and belly dancers. He has written more than 2,000 compositions, published three books of poetry and won a number of literary and music awards.

Raised in Remscheid, Kaan (born with the surname Kaynak) wrote his first Turkish-language song in 1993, after the attack on Turks in Solingen. Following the albums Kısmet (1995) and Nisfet (1997), he made an English-language rock record in 1996 with his former producer Rüdiger Braune. His stage version of Barış Manço's Gül Pembe became a favourite with audiences, and he then decided to play only Turkish-language rock. In 1998 he founded the band DİVAN with Ali Aslanbay; it toured Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Luxembourg and played concerts alongside Erkin Koray, Cahit Berkay and Cem Karaca.

After Aslanbay's death in 2010, Kaan dropped the group name and carried on under his own. 1001 Divan, with words and music by him, came out in Turkey on We Play/Sony in May 2011; it was recorded in Germany and Turkey, with the bağlama, kanun, cümbüş and darbuka sitting alongside rock instruments. The internationally distributed Sofra followed on Blue Flame/Rough Trade in July 2012.