Cem Güney is the first to admit that Turkey still has a long way to go in terms of radically progressive music and Sound Art. Admittedly, there are hotspots, clearly confined oases of demanding sonic experimentation. But overall, the main focus still seems to be firmly placed on maximising profits and importing ideas instead of exporting the country’s own, undeniable creativity. Güney, then, is a leader in his field. Treading the fine line between Musique Concrete and Contemporary Microtonality, his style has grown from a past in Jazz, DJing and playing the Trumpet into a subtle, psychaoctive amalgam of different influences. His language is prismatically broken along various lines – typical perhaps for an artist who is only starting out career-wise, but also refreshingly diverse and decidedly exciting. Even though obvious oriental or exotic references are all but absent, there is a discreet mysticism emanating from tracks like “Somewhere between the Middle”, which marks Güney as a voice to follow. Considering he has already established contact with labels from all over Europe, it may soon come to be heard far outside of Turkey as one of the country’s first experimental exports.
read the full interview at tokafi.com