Oriental Grooves on the River Main
It's exactly ten years since Stefan Müller co-founded the club "Indian Vibes" in Frankfurt, thus becoming a pioneer of the global dance scene. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had just died and the so-called "Asian underground", with its innovative fusion of traditional Indian music and drum'n bass, was in full swing.
As a DJ, radio presenter and journalist Müller always had his finger on the pulse, and had built up a wide network of contacts in the course of his work, from London to Vienna, Budapest and Istanbul.
But his most important collaborator lived in the immediate vicinity; seven years ago he joined forces with the musician Cem Buldak from Wiesbaden to conquer dance-floors using clever combinations of Turkish hip hop and pop, Moroccan Gnawa rhythms, Bollywood glamour and Roma traditions, based in the middle of Germany.
A Turkish flavour to the music
"You encounter loads of different cultures here in the Rhine/Main conurbation," Müller says. "Many of the musicians we invite to play for the live performances of our pieces come from round here." They managed to secure Turkish rap star Sultan Tunc for instance, and the up-and-coming Egyptian singer Shady Sheha.
In stark contrast to the ubiquitous sample-collages of the global dance scene, Eastenders' tracks, although tailored towards the club, are played on live instruments, only a few laptop loops find their way in, such as oriental strings from Cem Buldak's digital archive. It's also thanks to him that many of the tracks are suffused with a Turkish flavour.
"I came to Germany from Ankara at the age of four and I have always carried a longing for the sounds of Anatolia with me," he reflects. "In the new homeland I was often on demonstrations and integration festivals with my father, and when it came to traditional dancing, my family was always at the forefront."
It is no surprise that Buldak is still excited about traditional music from his land of birth, or nostalgic pop music by the likes of Melih Kibar; the Eastenders reworked a tune by the legendary film musician for their single "Vino Vino".
"Then the German in me wins over"
Cem Buldak's name as an artist is "Afrit", a word he saw on during motorway journeys through Holland; there it means "exit". He liked its amusing sound, and when he later found out that in Arabic it refers to the ghosts of murdered people, he was determined to stick with the pseudonym. He sees himself as more German than Turkish:
"I have a compartment in me which I can make good use of, when it comes to Turkish music and culture. But when it comes to discipline and bringing projects to fruition, the German in me wins over."
However, as a producer he still regularly jets between Frankfurt and Istanbul, to record strings for instance, or to promote his protégé Sultan Tunc in the Bosporus. There he is able to build on a fanbase shared with his colleague Stefan Müller, who has won the respect of the club community in the bustling district of Beyoğlu.
For their new work, Beyond the Path, the Eastenders rely mainly on remixes by colleagues: "We decided not to give the job to any old DJs, but to work with people we have known for a while, where we know what makes them tick."
Remixing and Gypsy culture
Buldak then explains why there are parallels between remixing and Gypsy culture: "Both are based on the principle that influences are picked up from the side of the road as well as left behind on it."
Buldak expands: "When you follow a road you come to forks along the way and with an arrangement you have to decided which one to take. Some you leave unused. In Beyond the Path, we take a different turning at some of the old forks."
With the help of the former lead singer from the band "Dissidenten", Bajka, an oriental piece takes a sexy soul direction; the Balkan beat master Deladap! from Vienna turns his attention to "Vino Vino", and Vono Box from Budapest develop a fleeting, imaginary Arabia.
Remix culture and Roma roots: not a contradiction for the busy Frankfurt duo: "This year we were at the Sziget festival in Hungary; along with the many rock and pop stages there was also a Roma stage. The young people there danced to the traditional stuff just as much as to the Balkan DJs. Trying to separate original material and remix culture is just out-of-date," Müller maintains. "This kind of coming together; that's the future music of Europe!"
Stefan Franzen
© Qantara.de 2007
Translated from the German by Steph Morris
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