Recorded in Berlin, the Turkish drummer shares footage of extracts from hours of improvised davul playing
Following years of performing with experimental Istanbul-based band Nekropsi, the musician and sound installation artist Cevdet Erek has completed his first solo album. Davul, released on Subtext, takes its name from the instrument, a large drum, which Erek plays throughout the LP. This video, like the album, is compiled of outtakes from continuous improvisation with the davul in a studio in Germany.
About the release, Erek says, “It was a dream to create a solo improvised drum album, this has now been fulfilled with the release of Davul. Now that I've listened to the album hundreds of times, the tracks – the selected parts from the improvisation – have kind of become tunes, compositions. Improvising upon these is great – using album tracks as themes during a gig”.
Erek is currently representing Turkey at the Venice Biennale 2017 with his piece ÇIN. This exhibition will be accompanied by a forthcoming book published by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts as well as a 10" record featuring a new studio mix of the work.
The video was filmed and edited by Theresa Baumgartner
