Recently, Yabangee had a delightful conversation with the talented young musician Denizalp Şimşek, composer and singer of alternative rock band “Siyah Tavşan”. Their upcoming event “Radiohead Tribute Night” will be held on Monday, December 3rd at Dorrock XL Kadiköy.
Can you talk about Siyah Tavşan’s genre, style and previous experiences of the band?
The band was formed in the summer of 2015. We played as a cover band for a year. We are inspired by British bands like Muse, Coldplay and especially Radiohead. We are also inspired by post-rock bands in terms of our writing of guitar partitions. In 2016, we released our first EP named “46”. Songs were conceptually independent of each other. However, the song called “Rapor 46” gave its name to the album. 46 is an expression for defining insane people, the song is also about Jokers monologue about gradually getting mad in the comic book called “The Killing Joke”. After that, we released a single named “Yabancı”. Now we changed our name and style, therefore, with this event, we aim both showing respect to Radiohead and recognition for our EP that will be released in January 2019.
You are covering Radiohead, why it is that you chose this band and why it is important for you? What is common between Radiohead and Siyah Tavşan?
As the composer of the band, I try to think about my own problems and see what makes them so damaging. Then I focus on the most painful part and I try to get rid of the problem by creating a song. When the song becomes complete, I feel relieved. Because in a way, I turn my troubles into concrete objects. This means that they are kind of out of my own self. At least for a while.
The reason we chose Radiohead is that we see the same attitude. Both the material and the form inspired us. Both conceptual and musical sides are very strong in their work, therefore, we wanted to pay our respects and move on with our own music. I try to get rid of the unbearable existence of the feelings inside me by transferring them to songs.
How and when did Siyah Tavşan form as a group? Who are the other members?
We were formed aiming to make music with our own language and with the musical tones we admire. First, there was a heavy metal band that our lead guitarist Timuçin Çiçek, our bass player Hakan Necmettin Azman and I were in. Then we wanted to change our style and formed another alternative rock band. We met our keyboard player Burak Emir Kamacı via our new band’s drummer Sarper Tekin. Then we decided to make our own music and we started composing. Since our first drummer started working he couldn’t continue with the band and we moved on with our current drummer Berk Uğuroğlu.
You are both the composer of the group, songwriter and the singer. How does the creative process of a new song go?
As I mentioned I mostly feed on my own crises. I try to get rid of the unbearable existence of the feelings inside me by transferring them to songs. I should admit that I try to change it because at some point it prevents creativity and exploring new ways to produce music.
You are currently studying Philosophy and Psychology, does this aspect of yours interact with your creative process?
Yes, the areas that I study usually provides me with a lot of material to think about and create. They both inspire us with the concepts and subjects that they investigate.
Other than Radiohead, which musicians/artists inspire you?
As a band, we like progressive/alternative rock. But personally, I listen to a wide range of artists. Besides the bands that I mentioned, I like post-rock bands like God Is An Astronaut, We Lost The Sea, alternative pop artists like Björk or PJ Harvey and of course, I like rap artists like 2pac, Eminem, Mobb Deep, Kendrick Lamar. I find them very direct and strong.
What do you think about post/alternative/indie rock scene in İstanbul as a member of a rising rock band? Is the milieu of alternative music life accessible and alternative really, or otherwise?
I think most bands in Turkey are just a copy of each other. Personally, I appreciate Büyük Ev Ablukada, Adamlar and the last album of Yüzyüzeyken Konuşuruz. These bands are like game changers and the rest just seems to be complying to them. Unfortunately, being alternative has become a trend, therefore, as for all popular genres, it started to get degenerated and less fruitful. I hope alternative rock will evolve and gain its dynamism again.
Can you give details about your upcoming Radiohead tribute concert?
We are playing a total of 23 songs. 3 of them are our songs and 20 of them are Radiohead songs. We tried to choose the songs that we like but we also tried to cover songs from all albums.
Any words on Siyah Tavşan’s released singles and future projects?
We released an EP and a single as mentioned. We plan to release a new EP in January 2019. We hope that people who like alternative and progressive rock will listen and support us.
For tickets of Radiohead Tribute Night, visit Biletix. To keep up to date with the band Siyah Tavşan, be sure to follow the official Facebook event page and Instagram account.
