Zazaki artist Ahmet Aslan creates a sound world of timeless beauty in which you can fully immerse yourself. He achieves this in part through his voice, which is robust and warm yet capable of soaring with emotional intensity. Alongside his vocals he excels on his self-invented string instrument the Di-Tar, a hybrid of a classical guitar, a flamenco guitar and a bağlama.
A passionate advocate of the culture of the Zaza people who live on the border between Iran and Turkey, Aslan has earned admiration throughout Turkey, especially after his music was featured in the popular crime series Eşkiya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz. His success also has a European connection: he developed the Di-Tar while studying at the world music programme at Codarts in Rotterdam.
Since his debut he has released a series of albums that map his evolving musical journey. He first appeared in 2004 with Va u Waxt (Wind and Time) a deeply rooted folk-inspired album. In 2007 he followed it with Veyvé Mılaketu (Dance of the Angels) which explores mythic narratives in the Zaza language. With Na-Mükemmel (Imperfect) in 2015 he brought a modern production sensibility to his heritage sound and most recently Budala Aurası (2019) sees him expand his sonic spectrum. His live album Konser Kayıtları (2021) presents his stage presence in full energy and his collaborative album Duo (2017) with Kemal Dinç reveals another facet of his artistry. During a concert by him, you can expect to hear the popular songs from these albums and his numerous singles while, Aslan’s repertoire also includes unique versions of classics such as Gnossiene No.1 and Asturias.
Get ready to witness an Anatolian master who bridges musical traditions from eastern Anatolia with western forms, forging something unique that feels both authentic and contemporary.
