Our very own Lane Lacolla, host of Happy Medium, recently interviewed rising Turkish group She Past Away via email just prior to the recent unrest there. Check it out below and be sure to listen to Happy Medium tonight at a special time, 6pm ET, on the live stream or via our free mobile app.

She Past Away is a dark wave band from Bursa, Turkey, an hour's trip from Istanbul on a ferry. I first found out about them a few years back on a night like many others spent down the rabbit hole of random foreign music blogs. I was instantly charmed by this band's sound and image, reminiscent of the cavernous production posture of the dark wave era and the likes of The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, or Suicide.  She Past Away features Volkan Caner on guitar & vocals and Idris Akbulut on bass. Their music features elements of eighties new wave and post-punk accompanied by retro drum machine beats and lyrics sung in Turkish. Their sound is classic dark wave with song titles like Illusion ("Sanrı") and Ghosts ("İnsanlar"), both of which can be heard on their recent vinyl release, Belirdi Gece ("The Night Appears"), which is available from Fabrika Records. 

They set themselves apart from other eighties revival bands with compositions and a production that is vibrant and without nostalgia. She Past Away was formed in 2006 and released the digital EP Kasvetli Kutlama ("Gloomy Celebration") in 2010. In 2012, Belirdi Gece was released for digital download. She Past Away has been gaining much deserved recognition in the last few years with articles, reviews, and mentions in magazines and blogs from around the world such as Gothic Magazine, The Guardian and Self-Titled. They have performed at many venues and festivals in Turkey and just a few weeks ago at Wave Gothic Treffen in Germany, where they played alongside Xeno & Oaklander, Frank (just Frank), The KVB and Echo West. The band has also confirmed two tours in Europe in July and October of this year.  

I had the pleasure of interviewing the band via email recently, the results of which you can read below. 

EVR: How has the sound of your music changed since when you started the band?  Are there new genres of music that you want to explore?  

She Past Away:  We used to follow a more electronic or darkwave approach in our production. In time we turned to a more guitar and bass-oriented format, and the post-punk, new wave feeling came forward. We don't especially follow up new styles of music, but we like new bands who preserve the music and feeling of the `80s—Sisters of Mercy, Asylum Party, Death in June, Xymox, DAF, Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc.. Also Jess Franco and Jean Rollin-style B-movie/erotic-horror movies, spaghetti westerns are another influence.

EVR: What was the punk or new wave scene like in istanbul in the '80s and '90s? I have been unable to find much information on new wave music in Turkey.

SPA: Unfortunately, new wave and punk culture could not find a place in Turkey. The `80s is a huge gap in that respect. The `90s came with a slight change. The first goth-wave group was Neoplast as far as I know. One other great band is Turkish Delight, who were formed by a Turk living in Germany. Turkish culture is extremely conservative. Anything not Turkish is kind of automatically rejected. Maybe there's a slight change now compared to `80s but it is still not too different.

 

EVR: Have you toured in countries other than Turkey? How are shows different in Turkey compared to other countries?

SPA: We are now on a tour in Germany and we will probably have another one in October. We can't announce any dates yet, but we are in France and Holland in July, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Poland in October.
 
 

EVR: How would you describe the types of crowds at your shows?  in istanbul v. elsewhere?

SPA: Our concerts are usually in Istanbul, in the Beyoglu and Kadıköy area. I can't imagine any other area really, it might have a risk of health. There is no specific profile of the audience. There are not too many people who are interested in punk or new wave. Then again there is a small crowd of people who follow us everywhere. We mostly play small clubs for an audience of less than 100 people in Istanbul. A few times we've played to larger audiences at festivals. WGT performance was a record in that respect for sure - the place was packed.

 

EVR: Can you tell me a little bit about the so-called "goth" or dark underground music scene and/or community Istanbul and Bursa?  

SPA:  For instance, compared to Germany, they certainly have the freedom to express themselves by the way they dress, consume and interact with the culture. The small community in Istanbul can live this culture only at home or at very rare parties with very small attendance. In Istanbul, Electrogothx parties have been active since early 2000s. Many of these underground parties were held in istanbul. Two years ago, we played one of these parties. But overall, the wave or goth concept is not really appreciated here. We do not put ourselves into the classification of goth culture. We're not very concerned with the literal meaning of the term goth. We are mostly concerned with the dark music of the `80s. Gothic literature also draws our attention. We like gray, cold and dark.

 

EVR: What types of Western subcultures do you find in Turkey? As musicians in Istanbul, what are the pluses and minuses compared to musicians elsewhere in Europe?

SPA: There are many subcultures in Instanbul - punks, skaters, rockers, metal fans, dance music, electronic music, hip hop etc. There is a bit of everything, but mainly very small communities. Istanbul is a very crowded and expensive city. There are negative aspects in this respect, but compared to other cities in Turkey it is easier to hide in the crowds. If you get exposed or stand out, you are vulnerable.