The showstopper band from Turkey called “Soaked” will end the train of performances, that included Prism Band, Ashesh & The Nekhvam, and most recently Abhaya & The Steam Injuns.[break]
The Istanbul-based band formed in 2003, Soaked is known for its poetic lyrics, romantic, electronic-based melodies and striking visuals, and will be setting the stage on blaze at 1905, Kantipath on Friday, June 24.
The Soaked story
Soaked is an Istanbul-based Synth-Pop band, initially formed in 2003 as a project by composer, founder and vocalist Balamir Nazlıca.
The band took its current shape in 2009. Since then, the group has been performing Balamir Nazlıca’s songs live.
They produced their first EP “Into the Light” in April 2010. Director Emre Akay shot two videos off of their EP and they have participated in festivals, opening acts, international video contests, and national TV channels.
After two years and more than 30 concerts in major halls and festivals in Istanbul and Ankara, in June 2011 Soaked will be performing at the international concert in Kathmandu. Also in late summer 2011, Soaked will have completed recording their debut album, planned for release in September 2011.
Could you take us through some highlights about the songs you compose and your albums?
Balamir: So far, we released an EP with four tracks and two remixes. The “Into the Light” EP was basically our starting point. It was a lot of hard work, yet it was innocent, and the final outcome worked out far better than what we expected.
“Gemlike” is an intense love song. I see it as a beautiful song, and we plan to re-record it with different materials.
The album that will be released will be a different story. We’ve worked on it for over a year. We’ve recorded with live instruments and pushed ourselves to the limits.
A fantastic feeling. This is our belief. We hope people will feel the same cataclysmic energy when it comes out! We like to surprise people.
Inspiration behind your creation
Balamir: Art for me is a manifestation of beauty. It provides reason. Any explanation is better than none (as quoted by Nietzsche), which is what I believe in.
Therefore, it seems that all songs are composed while trying to make sense of our daily lives and our relationships. My inspiration is my wife.
These songs are nothing more than the manifestations of a world which exists but only in my mind.
I don’t write about anything else since there’s already enough material for mundane matters.
The stress on visual elements – would you care to shed some light?
Hatice: Soaked is not only a music band but also an art project, of which the foundations were laid years ago. In our daily lives, we try to be open to different disciplines of art –photography, video art and graphics.
By working on these, in time we would like to see ourselves not only as musicians but also as artists. A sort of a “Kantian cosmopolite” approach!
Who are your musical influences?
Balamir: Nick Cave, Royskopp. and Michael Jackson.
Yiğit: Air, Daft Punk , Black Eyed Peas , Groove Armada.
Emrah: Pink Floyd, Queen, Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai.
Hatice: Pink Floyd, the Cure, Bauhaus, YMO, New Order, a-ha.
The best and worst things about performing for an International crowd?
Hatice: There’s nothing like “worst” thing about performing, whether at home or internationally. Most important is the connection with the crowd. In fact, the beauty is that music has no barrier.
Music is what brings everyone together. It’s the only communication in which you don’t need to know each other, or be alike. Ultimately, the best thing about a performance is the crowd enjoying your music and performance.
What are your expectations from the Nepali crowd and the country itself?
Hatice: First about the country. We’ve heard so many amazing things about Nepal. We believe that we’re coming to a spiritually rich place, and the cultural heritage is probably beyond our imagination. We believe that every place has its own calling, and we’re glad that Nepal happened for us.
We’ve also heard that the people of Nepal know their music extremely well. We’re looking forward to performing in Kathmandu.
In our act, we hope to bring some summer breeze from the Bosporus to the Himalaya and also we hope the crowd will enjoy the evening as much as we will.
We would definitely love to see people dancing and enjoying. After all, it’s an evening of energy, entertainment and fun!
The music fanatics in Nepal are already excited about SOAKED. What should the crowd expect from the show?
Yiğit: It’ll be an upbeat, non-stop energetic performance, and we plan to perform like there’s no tomorrow.
The music will be different, that we guarantee. We’ll use an amalgamation of instruments which will make it highly entertaining. And most importantly, it’ll be fun. Expect the unexpected – that’s our motto!
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