Although metal music and rock music are understood and even popularized in Turkey today; We must admit that it is not easy to come to these days on the grounds of musical and social understanding. That I mentioned 20 years ago, we can say that when we come to today’s Turkey, the perception has changed a lot. There are dozens of rock and metal musicians, thousands of amateurs and millions of listeners. There are many valuable musicians who carry rock and metal music from yesterday to today, and we talked to some of them for you. They agreed to answer our questions for FabUK readers.
Aykan ilkan, as a successful drummer, is one of the most important witnesses and determinants of this process. We asked questions and got answers, we invite you to this sincere conversation.
Let’s Start
F.M : We know you as the genius of the drum. Can you tell us about your adventure in starting music and your techniques as a drummer? Are there any musicians whose technique or stage you take as an example in world music?
A.Ilkan: I think it was a great contribution to my music life that I started by getting to know the music officially, even though it took a long time to try and make effort due to the absence in the country, maybe because of the absence in the country when I started music. These were Classic, rock, pop bands of that period, jazz, Turkish and all kinds of music that you can think of. Listening to music has greatly contributed to my music recognition. I think listening to music is half of making music. luck (in Taksim, we used to rehearse in the studio during our high school years and play aimlessly for hours, never thought that it would turn into composing after playing aimlessly).
Although I am like a rock drummer, you can see the effects of many genres in my sentences. I can say that I am a hard-touch drummer who likes to follow vocals as a feeling and likes hihat games in the technical sense. Maybe it is Tommy Lee, the drummer of the Motley Crue band who pushed me to the drums with their shows, along with Scott Rockenfield, Queensryche drummer, Neil Peart, Rush drummer, Joe Bonham of Ledd Zeppelin, Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, Dave Weckl, Atma Anur, Dennis Chambers.
F.M: You were the drummer of the Kargo Group, which is one of the most important bands of Turkish rock music, in 93-94. You were the screen face of Kargo before Koray Candemir. If we remember those days, what would you like to share?
A.Ilkan: I met the Cargo group, I can say that it is the end of the 1990s, I am a high school student:} At that time, we had a progressive rock band named Murat İlkan la Sawdust and we were conducting our rehearsals at the studios of Bagdat Street, 18 March, with which Cargo guitarist Selim Öztürk is a partner. He said he wanted me to be in the band, I was so happy that it would be my first experience as an experience of making an album. At the end of the rehearsals, arrangements and hours of rehearsals, I had my first studio experience in the studio where Fuat Günerin from MFÖ was a partner, and it was very excited. For me, I can say that it was my first experience in the world of music with our Kargo group, Sawdust.
F.M: Can you tell us about your career, bands and major solo works, and the important artists you played in your orchestra?
A.Ilkan: My career started with our first band Sawdust (19851992), Kargo (1991-1993), American Blues artist Larry O Neal
(1992-1994), Chreroke (1993-1996), Mr.No (1994-1996) , Mermaid (1996-1998), This is the period when our project with Şebnem started (1996) This is the perfect year for me when I admire her musicianship with Şebnem and my friendship turned into a perfect stage experience, and at the same time, my professional music life really started and this friendship started. The year I wish it to last a lifetime, Sacred Treasure Hunters (1998-2001), Galactica, Black, Rock Star Galactica (2003-2011), Cem Köksal (2005) and still Şebnem Ferah.
F.M: So why the drums? So what is the source of your playing drums without playing cello (maybe you play but not as a profession)?
A.Ilkan: Why drums 🙂 when I first started to watch music for the first time, for some reason, the drummers with their bright cymbals at the back and their huge setup always caught my attention, the drummers who showed their presence in the clips always embellished my dreams. After finding a setting, I met drums, which was my dreams, and the great love started in 1985.
F.M: Can you evaluate recent Turkish rock music, especially in terms of drum performance?
A.Ilkan: In terms of Turkish music rock music albums, I think our Elders came from the 1960s and 1970s, growing from the mid-1990s to the 2010s. I see it as if it started happening again. If we look at the drummers’ point of view, there are very valuable musicians who play their own unique style. We have drummers who can express themselves and find their own unique style. I can say that the most important effect on this is the increased emphasis on playing instruments in our country for the last 10-15 years. But I can say that some spirits are lacking in some drummers besides good instrumentalists. I guess the reason for this is that they have a lot of resources at their disposal. It is because they focus on a person rather than research and are not unique to them.
F.M: What have you been doing lately? What are your plans for the near future?
A.Ilkan: Recently, we are going through a very difficult period with a virus that unfortunately affects many sectors all over the world but unfortunately stops all branches of art. The stage is the places where we can express ourselves best, and we have been far away, a huge deficiency for us.
Apart from them, I record in my own Home Studio at home and continue my work.
I have been teaching private lessons for a long time and I have had hundreds of students. Teaching with them feels like therapy to me and it gives me peace of mind to share my experiences with them. The most important chance that this pandemic brought me was that I was not in Istanbul, but I had the opportunity to reach many music lovers from Turkey and the world who wanted to reach me and take lessons from me.I
continue my private lessons in our private teaching studio called Florya Art Academy, which has been in Florya for 16 years.
Written by: Ebru Cengiz Ergen