MIHENK ENSEMBLE dilek / wish NEW ALBUM
©infinity-records.com 2020

Vocals: Nilgün Aksoy
Kemane, vocals: Uğur Önür
Doholla, bendir: Simon Leleux
Baglama, cura: Malte Stueck
Baglama, tanbur: Benjamin Stueck

Final mix and mastering: Özgür Yildiz @infinity-records.com
Pre-mix and pre-mastering: Yigit Halil Koca
Recording: Ada Studio, Istanbul
Cover: Laura Poets
English booklet: Ralph Kirshner

"Mihenk taşı" means touchstone, as were used for thousands of years to identify the quality of precious metals. The Mihenk Ensemble set themselves a task similar to that a touchstone, but instead of metals it is the songs and melodies of the Anatolian music treasury which they examine, adapt and polish to shine brightly. The ensemble’s five musicians from Turkey, Germany and Belgium were brought together by their passion for traditional modal music. The repertoire - recorded live in one day at the Ada Müzik Studio in Istanbul - comprises songs and instrumentals from various regions of Anatolia. The for the most part centuries-old lyrics are pervaded by metaphors and deal with deeply human issues like love, separation, desire and exile. Dilek - the wish - is the common motif that connects these different pieces. Musically it was important to the group members to accent the “color” of each particular region. In selecting this repertoire, they also placed great value on a variety of rhythms, tempi and pitch ranges. By creating new arrangements and leaving plenty of space for improvisation, they developed a unique dynamic and thus lively interpretations of these traditional pieces.

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