Zift
(Istanbul, Turkey)
Istanbul, home of the Ottoman sultans and cultural jewel of Turkey, sits at the intersection of two very different worlds; to the west of the Bosphorus sits Europe and to the east an ever-modernizing Asia Minor. From its founding by the Romans several millennia ago, Istanbul represents a cultural crossroads and center for artistic exchange. Today, Turkey exemplifies this cultural fusion of eastern tradition and global modernization. The Istanbul band Zift fits this trend. The band is made up of vocalist Cantek Batur, drummer Baris Samir, guitarists Olay Andac and Türker Talayman, bassist İlker Göçmen, and keyboardist Yavuz Yurtgüder. Zift released their debut album Wrong Things in 2010. Their music reflects the modernizing and westernizing efforts of Turkey. Aside from the language and style of the vocals, the majority of their songs could have originated anywhere. This could prove a blessing for Zift, who have very entertaining and catchy songs that could easily work in a bar setting. Their songs “Yok” Barış Sami
“…hold all of the pieces to make them fun pop rock songs with simple chord progressions and catcy hooks.”
Cantek Batur
(meaning “No” in Turkish) and “Cekil Yolumdan” (“Out of the Way”) hold all of the pieces to make them fun pop rock songs with simple chord progressions and catchy hooks. In 2011, Zift released their music video for “Parçalar Bu Rüzgar.” The song’s haunting vocals and reverberating chords make the images on screen a little bit spooky. Without understanding the language, I am still able to understand how the story is of love lost and a longing to be reunited with the young lady interspersed between shots of an empty town and of the lead singer. The narrative becomes more vivid as happy and playful memories of ice cream and toy stores transition to separation and loss. “Üvey Aşklar” continues their style of a pop rock sound behind haunting vocals. This song has a bit more of an edge to it than most of their other tracks, adding a darker and harder dimension to the band.