The first guest of our LIVE STREAMING are #MAJNOON
MAJNOON. MUSIC RISING FROM THE EAST
“Music rising from the east”. This is the motto and the identity of Majnoon, from Istanbul in Turkey, a group founded by Kayhan Yakarlar aka Dj KhaiKhan, the founder of Radio Istanbul (RIST).
A definition that encompasses in a few words their whole mission: to interpret their values of millennial tradition, with cultural roots that sink in Ancient Greece, Persia and the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and update them in the present, in the meeting with the new generation.
Their model of musical breath, which intends to be strongly contemporary while sinking its identity in a strong and robust past, so as to be an inspiration for the rest of the globe, because universality is achieved through the locality.
Their sound is intoxicating and fascinating, but that’s not all: it also makes use of a strong visual component, thus combining oriental, ethnic and spiritual sounds with visual elements specially created according to their strong creative imprint.
First meeting with music of Dj KhaiKhan was thanks to the family: the mother was a vocal artist, and some kins were famous artists and they’d gathered at home to have a music festival fests.
Therefore they constantly had music in home and music was a constant presence in his family environment. However, he has always loved listening music and tried to hear the secret resonances in this art that dashes sound to silence.
Dj KhaiKhan is not tied to a specific type of music: to involve him, music had to sound well to the ear and soul, without gender preferences.
He loves listening avery type of music hat exist on this earth, with a particular fondness for styles that stimulate deep work in the soul and all the sounds that tell a story. According to him, the best way to achieve universalism according to Majnoon’s motto is to feed on the geography in which he lives, with ample inspiration to tell true stories, intended for anyone who wants to listen to them.
Thanks Turkey, his place of belonging, there are lots of cultures, lots of instruments and real life stories to inspire him. He is always looking for a very personal style, but loves artists like Husnu Senlendirici, Homayoun Shajarian, Istvan Sky, Dhafer Youssef. In addition, he loves the style of Bedouins, Pauli acids, Anatolian Sessions, Hot Oasis, Laroz Camel Rider, Zuma Dionys, Jota Karloza ve Islandman.
Majnoon instruments are: Ney (flute) and Duduk (double-reed aerophone belonging to the wood family), Clarinet, Qanun (78-stringed string instrument), Darbouka (percussion instrument of the group of the membranophones), Percussions, Balaban (cylindrical and double reed aerophone), Saxophone and Baglamàs, and many others.
Two musicians: Mehmet Taylan Unal aka MTU – Baglamàs & Vocal & Kemence, and Onur Nazim – Engin, Clarinet.
Dj KhaiKhan’s instruments are Ney, Clarinet, Zither, Darbouka, Balaban, Cello, Tabla (a type of drum).
The group presents itself under the definition of “Ethnic Universe”: an expression that, by itself, aims to convey the idea of the founding characteristic of universality of their music during performances. Thanks to this concept, they collaborated with the most famous ethnic music shows in the world.
Majnoon loves improvisation on stage, because a more meticulous and set-up work in the studio and office is considered less natural.
Thanks to the freedom in the performance, Dj KhaiKhan intends to preserve the free expression of the musicians, let them to set their souls and emotions on the moment according to how they feel. In this way, it is always different, and they perform a different story in every stage, telling a different story every time.
Labels in the past: Labels Pipe & Pochet, Rist Records, Copycow, Buddha Bar, Bercana, Harabe.
About Villahangar, Dj KhaiKhan says: “Villahangar is a beautiful organization and being in this organization is honoring. It follows a right and stable path.
And regarding the present, he adds: “There is no guarantee in life for future, my future is this moment and I want what I did to subsist in the future. Even though the problems are increasing in the world, my world will stay pure white, As long as I continue to live and breathe I’ll keep creating my music”.
Two philosophers of whom he particularly loves two quotes: İbn-i Sina, “Art is the way in which man rides through nature”, and “Leonardo da Vinci”, “Like The Sun’s coloring of flowers, art gives life color. As long as the world returns, art will continue to present itself to humanity somewhere, isn’t nature already performing art all the time?”
