#60JahreMusik Case File Today

Our project, #60JahreMusik, comes to a close with the “Today” case file that we are publishing in two parts. We asked similiar questions to musicians who, in part one, have families that had settled in Germany and in part two, who themselves recently moved there.

We had determined a word limit for the replies, but decided to share the replies that went over the limit just as they are. Though we reached out to a similar number of musicians for both groups, it has been a little easier to get responses from the musicians from the new wave of immigration to Germany.

In hopes that it opens a window onto the diverseness of migration stories and identity issues as well as what it means to be a musician in Germany today, we share the replies to our question in the words of the musicians.

Examining the sixty years of music history shaped between Turkey and Germany was a formidable endeavor. We are aware that there are musicians we have not been able to reach and issues we have not been able to address. All the same, we hope that the thirty-odd pieces of content we prepared for #60JahreMusik come together like pieces of a puzzle to reveal a comprehensive and lasting picture.

With thanks to all participants and everyone with whom our paths crossed during the project…

Koordination: Sedef İlgiç, Görkem Gölbaşı, Nazlı Atasayan

Contributions by (in surname order): Tice, Taner Akyol, Esra Dalfidan, Elektro Hafız, Deniz Mahir Kartal, Nil Kocamangil, Tuğçe Kurtiş, Eda Tanses

Text by Sedef İlgiç

Edited by Nükhet Polat

Translated to English by Zeynep Beler

Part I

Tice, Düsseldorf

Her grandfather came to Germany as a guest worker in 1969 and brought her father along in 1980. At the time, her father had been married to her mother for a year. Her brother was born in 1983, and Tice in 1985, in Ankara. They migrated to Germany when she was a year old after their father got a residency permit, where they have lived ever since. You can listen to Tice’s German rap tracks here .

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician “of Turkish descent”? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?? 

Generally speaking, musicians preside over international circles. I make music in German and as the question of where I’m from is always extant, I allow my roots to flow in in the socially critical sense.

The question, “Where are you from?” is in itself not a negative proposition or assessment, it is just as often asked in curiosity. It depends in what context and tone one wishes to address it. I don’t think the question belongs in contexts such as job or housing applications.

Does the fact that your family is Turkish have a direct impact on your music, your audience or your place in the music industry? Do you think that the city where you live in Germany and its culture have influenced your music?

I can’t openly answer the question. At least I don’t think it matters to my fans. The city I live in, just like other cities and people, is a source of inspiration in different ways.

How would you define the bridge between the contemporary migration dynamics coming through in music and “Gastarbeiter Groove”? Do you see your own music as part of these dynamics?

My track “Ich bin so” tells my story and builds a bridge between the West and guest worker grooves. I unite the sentiments of both sides.

Esra Dalfidan, Amsterdam

Esra Dalfidan, whose work juxtaposes jazz and Turkish music, was born in Germany in 1975. The paths of his father, who traveled at 25 from Isparta to Solingen to work in an iron mine and his mother, who traveled at 29 from Istanbul to Ulmen to work as a seamstress in a fur shop, crossed in a language course. She adds: “I’m proud of my parents because I know their stories; I know about the hardships they suffered, how they made themselves from scratch, their devotion, humbleness and generosity. They taught us how to share and make do.”

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician “of Turkish descent”? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

Growing up between two cultures has vastly enriched my experience and that unavoidably comes across in my music. I’m so grateful that an audience (German and Turkish) exists who cares for these stories and enrichments. I see the question “where are you from?” as an extension of that curiosity. Of course, there are still situations in which my roots become the main focus.

Does the fact that your family is Turkish have a direct impact on your music, your audience or your place in the music industry? Do you think that the city where you live in Germany and its culture have influenced your music?

Just as my Turkish origins made me who I am, so has the place and environment I live in. It was never my intention to purposefully project my ethnicity onto my art. I see my music as an art that incorporates and expresses my personality; only then do I feel honest and authentic, and that personality includes both cultures.

How would you define the bridge between the contemporary migration dynamics coming through in music and “Gastarbeiter Groove”? Do you see your own music as part of these dynamics?

Perhaps the bridge in question is the evolution through time. The “Gastarbeiter Groove” of the ‘60s and ‘70s was the “contemporary migration dynamics coming through in music” of the times. I do see myself as part of this music. Migrant Turks are different from the second generation, the second generation is likewise different from the third; those differences also influence the music.  

Eda Tanses, Mainz

1980’li yıllarda Türkiye’deki politik baskı yüzünden ve müzisyen kimliğinden ötürü Almanya’ya göç etmek zorunda kalan bir baba ve 60’lı yıllarda “Gastarbeiter” olarak Almanya’ya göç ederek maden işçiliği yapan bir aileden gelen bir annenin ilk çocukları. 1989’da Duisburg’da doğan Eda Tanses şu an Mainz’ta yaşıyor. From here you could watch a small interview on her music, and here listen to her own compositions as well as her folk music interpretations where she sings and plays the guitar or ukulele.

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician “of Turkish descent”? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

Before assessing the habitat, the genre within which the musician designates herself should also be considered. Generally speaking, if one wants to make music in one’s native language and appeal to the general audience in Europe in particular requires consciously taking that road, and organizing concerts and programs in two languages. To take to the next level the preexisting crowd with an interest in other cultures, to universalize one’s music is a path that must be chosen consciously. Otherwise you end up presenting your music on stages limited to associations, bars and entertainment culture, where it sadly ends up a little corrupted, superficial and fodder for popular culture.

I feel like the question of where one’s from is related to the persons asking it and their intention in doing so. Inasmuch that we automatically search for ulterior motives and racism, Turkey is a multilingual, richly populated, colorful country; the question - rare as it may be - could be indicating an interest in the real story behind the identity of Turkish roots. Of course, often, the reply is used to place us into some fundamental moulds. In that sense, I feel glad to see people reacting and fighting against that unfairness more frequently. Being accepted and having the right to exist in a society should never have to mean rejecting one’s own identity.

Does the fact that your family is Turkish have a direct impact on your music, your audience or your place in the music industry? Do you think that the city where you live in Germany and its culture have influenced your music?

Beyond coming from a family of musicians, that they are also a family deeply devoted to their culture and language has contributed to and influenced me a great deal. I was introduced to Turkish folk music at a very young age and raised listening to and appreciating this legacy in my native language. It’s reflected in both my compositions and the way I express myself in my mother tongue. Naturally, the Western culture one grows up in seriously influences one’s music, language, culture and personality. I feel that the solution to personal identity struggles goes through synthesizing these things into something of value. As such, the reflections of both cultures occupy a large space in my art. A friend of mine used the phrase, “modern folk bard” which I thought was great. Maybe that’s the story in brief. 

How would you define the bridge between the contemporary migration dynamics coming through in music and “Gastarbeiter Groove”? Do you see your own music as part of these dynamics?

When one grows up between two cultures, one naturally experiences its richness and variety as well as a sense of being stuck and identity conflict. Subsequently, when rehashing a centuries-old culture, one inadvertently juxtaposes it with the melodies of the modern-day city.

My generation and the one before put in enormous effort to build intercultural bridges, have both sides of their identities accepted and understanding and expressing themselves, and still do.

The day will come that the generation to follow will merge the intercultural bridges so that in time bridges and borders will dissolve; a new integrated culture will be born, I think. In my schooldays, there was mention of “Gastarbeiter” matters neither in school nor in social life. It was as if we were the wayward children of a generation who had materialized in Germany and ignored any attempt at integration. More often than not, we didn’t even know the full scope of our families’ histories of migration. Not being fluent in the language, most families were unable to defend their own or their children’s rights or make any sort of change. More has been done to address those issues in recent years, though in my opinion still not nearly enough; there are more documentaries and interviews, and the issues have drawn more attention in the media and gained visibility within society. Though it did not have a direct bearing on my music, it must certainly have had an influence. Conversely, my father has a composition titled “Why did we come to Germany” that he recorded in the 1980’s, the lyrics go:

“From the snow-capped peaks, the pastures and valleys,
We took our leave, and migrated to Germany, to Gerrmany
To Germany, why did we come to Germany” 

The generation that immigrated here at that time and went through those challenges still feel that sore spot, that source of chagrin.

KISIM II

Taner Akyol, Berlin

The composer and bağlama player Taner Akyol was born in Bursa and first encountered his lute in his elementary school years. He moved to Berlin in 1996 to continue his musical education there. He also gave his first solo concert in the same year. The artist, who took composing classes at TA Musikatelier, and Universität der Künste Berlin as well as performing both as part of Taner Akyol Trio projects.

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician that has just immigrated from Turkey to Germany? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

In general in Germany and specifically in Berlin, a multicultural life is prevalent. That naturally has quite an effect on the life of the musician. The musician is able to encounter many different music cultures at once and is enriched through the mutual interaction.

I feel like questions such as “where are you from” need to go in history’s wastebasket along with borders. One becomes rather more a part of where one lives and takes root than in the geography they are born in. So itineraries become rather irrelevant.

What effect does the art and culture scene of your city in Germany have on your music or your approach to music? When you compare making music or being an artist in Germany vs. Turkey, what are the differences?

The music you make, of course, can be directly correlated with your roots. The true determining factor, however, is the audience and in a lot of ways, what kind of music you are making. When I identify as a classical music composer, I connect with those who listen to that kind of music. So no matter what language you make music in, you cannot get through to someone who doesn’t listen to hiphop. Of course, if you play bağlama and sing traditional folk songs you’ll get through to people of Turkish origin no matter what. 

The multifaceted quality of culture and therefore of music in Berlin naturally has an impact on every artist. All the differences feed off on each other, and my work also gets is share of being impacted by this multicultural life.

Do you sense a link between your music and the contributions of musicians who immigrated to Germany before you for various reasons or belong to the third and fourth generations to be raised there? Do you see your own music as part of the contemporary dynamics of immigration that are reflected in music?

Unfortunately, the culture of immigrants does not seem impacted and impactful enough. The introverted lifestyles and issues such as cultural defensiveness present obstacles in the way of cultural interaction in a new environment. After so many years, “immigrant culture” should have been much more enmeshed with its new environment. I feel like it should have impacted as much as it was impacted. 

In my own music, I don’t think the interaction is very migration-oriented. I feel that the true defining factor in my music is that I come from bağlama and Anatolian folk music and was never trained classically. 

Elektro Hafız, Köln

Elektro Hafız, who was born and raised in Istanbul, tells us that he struggled to make art and music in Turkey for years. Failing to make progress, he immigrated to Germany ten years ago. Listen to the songs of the artist, whose music combines Anatolian music, psychedelic and punk melodies, opening up new soundscapes among familiar melodies and contrasts, here..

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician that has just immigrated from Turkey to Germany? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

For a musician or artist who has immigrated from Turkey to Germany, a setting is currently in place in which to professionally carry out one’s trade. One way or another, there is renumeration. One has the luxury to make a living as a musician. Seeing that one’s work is respected and taken seriously is a motivator. 

There is no meaning to the question of where one is from. Right now, I can’t feel that I belong anywhere. The adage that one is a foreigner in one’s country and a foreigner in Germany is valid.

What effect does the art and culture scene of your city in Germany have on your music or your approach to music? When you compare making music or being an artist in Germany vs. Turkey, what are the differences?

My music has never been influenced by the city or country that I am based in right now. I mean after immigration. Because when I moved here, I was still under the influence of an inspiring multicultural, crowded and intense city such as Istanbul. That’s still ongoing. At any rate, my music draws interest here because I was influenced by a different geography.  

If I have to compare being an artist in the two countries, Germany has opened up a lot of doors for me in that sense. I’ve taken advantage of opportunities that I couldn’t have in Turkey. 

Ultimately, I’m at the point to which I was struggling to make it in Turkey. I am closer to everything. It’s unfortunately really hard to make art or music in Turkey. It always was. It has never been easy.

Above all, there is no solidarity or unity among artists and musicians themselves. That’s a huge obstacle in us achieving certain goals. 

Our artists also have overinflated egos. There is no communion.

To sum it up, I can put it this way: “In spite of disapproving of me because I’m a foreigner, Germany supports me because I’m an artist.”

Do you sense a link between your music and the contributions of musicians who immigrated to Germany before you for various reasons or belong to the third and fourth generations to be raised there? Do you see your own music as part of the contemporary dynamics of immigration that are reflected in music?

I don’t make music out of the same sentiments that previously immigrated musicians do. I can’t say there is a link between us. Their reasons for coming were completely different. I feel that they have vastly different stories and a special culture that is their own. Like I said, immigration has had no influence on my own music.

Deniz Mahir Kartal, Berlin

Deniz Mahir Kartal’s Germany adventure began in 2013 when he traveled to Berlin for his master’s degree. In Berlin, “the capital of electronic music”, he began working on bringing together dance rhythms with Anatolian music. Deniz Mahir Kartal, who plays both wind and string instruments and composes music, has released his record “KafaNar” this year and will go on to release the first three tracks of his new record with Volkan İncüvez on December 17th.

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician that has just immigrated from Turkey to Germany? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

The new wave of migration is comprised mostly of people who have completed their education and have ideas for opening up new spaces for themselves. Consequently the latest artist arrivals in Germany have at least rudimentary knowledge of the universal language of music. In that way, they are able to find a place for themselves within a more international web of music rather than being stuck within their own societies.

The question of where one is from switches context depending on who’s asking. If it’s being asked by someone who really doesn’t know you and needs to define you over where you come from, it can be a little abrasive. If it’s asked in a way that can enlighten the inquirer as to your work, then it becomes important. All the cultural codes enciphered into us from childhood become each a device during and after immigration. Those devices, then, help us to uphold our existence here.

What effect does the art and culture scene of your city in Germany have on your music or your approach to music? When you compare making music or being an artist in Germany vs. Turkey, what are the differences?

When I came to Berlin in 2013 for my master’s studies, I started thinking about how I could put my prior education to good use in Germany. I then began attending concerts and events here nearly every day. A while later I began working on a solo performance to combine the dance rhythms of Berlin, world capital of electronic music, and Anatolian music. My album “KafaNar” released last September extends a bridge between where I’m from and where I live.

It’s very important for all freelance musicians in Germany to obtain the official title of artist. In Turkey, one can only obtain that status by being accepted into the state’s roster of state artists, which the state almost never opens for admission. Moreover, Germany is one of the countries with the highest level of artists. Therefore one has no difficulty getting in touch with other musical genres, cultures and performers. That also plays a huge part in one’s musical progress.

Do you sense a link between your music and the contributions of musicians who immigrated to Germany before you for various reasons or belong to the third and fourth generations to be raised there? Do you see your own music as part of the contemporary dynamics of immigration that are reflected in music?

Particularly after the first wave of immigration, a substantial dynamic of ethnic music was set in motion in Germany. The new generations raised here not only became part of it but also subsisted on the contemporary music in Europe and Germany. That continuous fusion continues to this day. Though I’ve partaken in many of this kind of artistic project, I personally prefer not to stay within these dynamics, instead striving to take myself and my artistic approach to the next level.

Absolutely! In every space I am present musically, a piece of the Anatolian music I grew up with is also present. The real reason for each event I attend in Germany as a performer is that I know this music very well on a core level. Therefore every note is a great part of both myself and the cultural immigration that has been taking place for centuries as well as these dynamics. 

Tuğçe Kurtiş (Santi & Tuğçe) Berlin

Born and raised in Istanbul, Tuğçe Kurtiş traveled to Bennington, Vermont in the USA at 17 to study theatre, music and psychology. After completing her PhD in cultural psychology, she worked as a faculty member in the psychology department of the University of West Georgia. In 2017 she made the decision to leave the US and move to Europe. Since summer of 2017 she has lived in Berlin, working at the academy while also making music under the title Santi & Tuğçe with Santi, who is Paraguayan. From here .

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician that has just immigrated from Turkey to Germany? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

I can’t say I fit the description of a musician who has freshly migrated from Turkey to Germany, because I haven’t lived in Turkey since 2000. I moved to Berlin from the US in summer 2017. The move itself I conceived of as a “transition period” rather than “immigration” at the time I came here.

In terms of the musical environment, due to the pandemic the music world in Germany right now, as with the rest of the world, is understandably stagnant and full of uncertainties and anxieties. Prior to the pandemic, however, I can say I encountered a musical habitat that was colorful, polyphonic, open to innovation and experimentation, collective and productive-minded, quite exuberant and both inspiring and supportive of artists.  

As a social scientist whose research aptly focuses on culture, identity, collective memory and dynamics, I feel like we can approach the question from a lot of different angles. Let me sum it up this way. There are different ways of asking, “Where are you from?” (such as “Where were you born?”, “Where do you feel like you belong to the most?” or “It’s obvious you’re not from here, where are you/your family really from?”) There are likewise many different ways of replying (for instance, “Mediterranean”, “East Berliner”, “Palestinian” etc). As such, the question, “Where are you from?” is one loaded with many different and mutable meanings. Its reply, or in brief “identity”, is not solely comprised of our self-definition. The concept also has to do with how you are defined through others’ gaze. Inasmuch that I want to define myself as a person of the world or a piece of the living universe, at times I find myself “otherized” in Germany, the US or elsewhere. In Germany in particular I feel myself to be rapidly pigeonholed at times. As evident from the common refrain of “What, you’re Turkish? I thought you were Spanish/Italian/Latin American,” that I encounter, the concept of being “from Turkey” in Germany is usually defined over the “Gastarbeiter” identity and the prejudices affixed to it. As such, you often find yourself having to bear or explain the identities projected onto you here as well as the identities you have yourself chosen.

What effect does the art and culture scene of your city in Germany have on your music or your approach to music? When you compare making music or being an artist in Germany vs. Turkey, what are the differences?

Berlin is a multicultural meeting hub where many communities with vastly varying approaches to art, politics and life live in tandem, the innovative and dynamic quality of which draws many artists. It is in fact the favorite city of a lot of artists, musicians in particular. It is on the other hand a murky, dark, yet vivid, multilayered city. That’s why it’s the ideal place for the multicultural, multilingual music that Santi and I make together. Working and creating with the artists here, sharing our music with audiences here and being nourished by the artistic and cultural enrichment offered by the city is a huge fortune.

As for the second question, my music to begin with has two main centers, and that is Istanbul and Berlin. These are the two cities where our dialogue with the audience is the most intense and enthusiastic.

To compare countries, it’s a fact that art and artists generally receive much more support and appreciation in Germany. I feel that it’s not easy currently to exist as an artist or musician anywhere. Considering the social, cultural and economic conditions in present-day Turkey, I can observe that it’s become much more of a challenge for artists to find the kind of material or spiritual setting in which to uphold their lives and music. I consequently consider Turkish artists making themselves accepted in the international music community to be a momentous success.

Do you sense a link between your music and the contributions of musicians who immigrated to Germany before you for various reasons or belong to the third and fourth generations to be raised there? Do you see your own music as part of the contemporary dynamics of immigration that are reflected in music?

Musically I can’t say that I feel a close connection or form any identity-based or generational relationship over the music I listen to. Likewise, I don’t regard my own music through the window of a certain identity or movement. Ever since I met my Paraguayan partner Santi in the US many years ago, we have been writing and producing Spanish, Turkish and English songs inspired by so many world genres and eras. We see our output as part of the ubiquitous human journey rather than the music of contemporary migratory dynamics, a region, a generation or a community. It’s music that is inspired by a variety of lands, experiences, dreams and cultural accumulations and forges them with contemporary electronic frameworks. In that sense, what most galvanizes us is the desire to connect on a deep level about the human journey we are all on.

EK: Tersine Bir Göç Hikâyesi

Nil Kocamangil, Istanbul

Born in 1989 in Istanbul, the cellist Nil Kocamangil moved to Cologne to do her master’s studies in solo cello in 2009. After graduation, she resumed studying in Paris in 2012. After graduating from two different master’s programs, in solo cello and chamber music in fine arts respectively, she returned to Germany, where she completed her internship before moving to Leipzig. She obtained her PhD from Hochschule für Musik und Theather Leipzig and worked there as a faculty member until ultimately returning to Istanbul. Currently, in addition to her continuing solo career and concerts, she works as a faculty member at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory. She is also founder and general art director of Istanbul International Chamber Music Festival, something she “dreamed of for many years”, and Istanbul International Music Academy.

What kind of musical environment exists today in Germany for a musician that has just immigrated from Turkey to Germany? Do you think the question, “Where are you from?” has any meaning in the post-migration times we’re in?

Since my field is classical music and Germany is one of the most prominent centers of classical music in the world, the musical environment is one of high standards. We as musicians elicit a lot of respect and opportunities are rife in terms of both education and work. Because I came to Germany at 20 to study, the answer to that question will always be that I am Turkish. Even if it that weren’t the case, my feeling is that no matter where we go or permanently settle, we should never forget our origins.

What effect does the art and culture scene of your city in Germany have on your music or your approach to music? When you compare making music or being an artist in Germany vs. Turkey, what are the differences?

As I said in my previous reply, it is impossible to not be positively impacted by the atmosphere or opportunities in Germany, the cradle of classical music. Living in the country of birth of many composers whose work we perform, to be able to more easily access information about them, to be able to see and hear some of the best orchestras and artists in the world and as such be so close to the source of the music is only a few of those opportunities. Compared to Turkey, the greatest difference naturally is that this genre of music belongs foremost to the West and therefore arrives at our country much later than it does Europe. Moreover, another difference is that sadly, the value placed on popular culture in Turkey is incomparably higher than that placed in art and artists.

Do you sense a link between your music and the contributions of musicians who immigrated to Germany before you for various reasons or belong to the third and fourth generations to be raised there? Do you see your own music as part of the contemporary dynamics of immigration that are reflected in music? 

In the early years of the Republic as state conservatories were opened, Atatürk would send Turkish musicians to Europe for education, who then returned to Turkey to pass on what they had learned and support the development of classical music in our country. That’s why it’s too complicated for me to reply in the context of migration. However, many of my colleagues have once again gone to Germany for education or work purposes and stayed. Mostly for reasons of professional standards, quality of life, and economy, people sadly wish to stay in the countries they traveled to for whatever reason, which is understandable. This has also resulted in increased brain drain.

Knowing this, I decided conversely to return to Turkey after my 12-year Europe experience so that I could support the future generations and relay to them what I learned during my prolonged education and professional experience. The idea had actually been brewing in my mind for the past few years, so it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. I wished to show the system to prospective artists as someone from within and forward the support I received and am eternally grateful for to younger generations as best as I can.

This piece is written in the framework of #60JahreMusik project financed by Berlin Yunus Emre Institute.