Toprak

Toprak features the talents of Arif Erdem Ocak. He is an astonishing Turkish guitarist and one of the founders of the popular Turkish band, Seksendört. He has been a quintessential member of Budapest’s music scene for years.

This solo album features songs written by Ocak. He combines centuries-old Turkish music with a modern, percussion-style guitar playing. With his storytelling and melodic guitar tunes that lean into folk, he intimately unfolds personal narratives and universal topics such as (after) life, spirituality, virtue and our common humanity.

His songs, melodies, and lyrics cover a gamut of emotions; sometimes a mellow contemplation, sometimes overwhelmingly raw or sometimes melodramatic. Arif creates heartfelt hypnotic songs that get under your skin and takes the audience on a journey of reflection, silence and mind-fullness.

Featured in blog post Notes on Recent Finds, No. 9 – Endless Bounty from NativeDSD by music reviewer Rushton Paul.

Arif Erdem Ocak – Percussion, Guitar & Vocals