Nalan

Nalan released her second solo album this spring. It emerged from her two lived worlds – Istanbul and Berlin – and especially from the space in between, that ambiguity where places begin to merge and blur into one another. You can hear this throughout »2009«, and it is precisely what makes the music so compelling. Rather than functioning as a chronicle, »2009« evokes a fictional year, drawing on the artist’s digital camera archive while reassembling it into something entirely new. After all, history is always made.

The music accompanying Nalan’s storytelling is richly layered. It is never about settling on a single sound and forcing every idea into it, but about continually searching for and discovering new approaches. Spoken-word passages over beats reminiscent of Sleaford Mods sit alongside dark pop and indie singer-songwriter moments.

Nalan Şeyma Karacagil is also active as a DJ under the alias Slimgirl fat and previously appeared as part of the hip-hop trio Gaddafi Gals. With the latter, she already performed at the Pop-Kultur Festival in 2018. Time for a reunion.