erdemhelvacioglu.com

Reviews

Psychefolk Magazine May 2011

Turkish ambient guitarist Erdem Helvacioglu found an improvising partner in the Australian cello player Ros Bandt. In the beginning it is a cello improvisation, which leads the score, with harmonic echoing sounds from guitar accompanying with echoing keyboards-like textures. This improvisation is led by a sad dry cello sound with old music or ethnic flavours, changing shape and colour more often. Oscillating and picking variations occur on the guitar, the cello takes a picking theme. Then the guitar starts to lead, first oscillating, after the example of the cello (3) and...Read more

The Rambler Magazine june 2011

CD review: Helvacıoğlu/Bandt: Black Falcon 17 June 2011 Pozitif Muzik Yapim PMY030 Following his first, and well-received album Altered Realities in 2007, Erdem Helvacıoğlu (guitar and electronics) has made a speciality of duo recordings, working with Kazuya Ishigami, Per Roysen and now the Australian Ros Bandt. Bandt is an experimental composer and multi-instrumentalist, possibly best-known for sound-art projects such as Stargazer, a Deep Listening-like exploration of the cavernous resonances of a Melbourne car-park. She is also a player of custom-built instruments, some...Read more

Textura Magazine August 2011

Erdem Helvacioglu & Ros Bandt: Black Falcon Pozitif Müzik Yapim It's fitting that Ros Bandt's tarhu is the first sound one hears on her collaborative venture with guitarist Erdem Helvacioglu, as the instrument's mournful cry is the one that makes the deepest impression on this powerful recording. Not that that is intended to take anything away from Helvacioglu's contribution, as his presence is equally critical to the artistic success of Black Falcon. But he often adopts the role of sound colourist here, such that it's his textures that provide an anchoring support for...Read more

Sonomu Magazine July 2011

Erdem Helvacioğlu & Ros Bandt, Black Falcon (Pozitif) For their album dedicated to the endangered European black falcon and its antipodian counterpart, the fastest-diving birds ever recorded, Turkish composer and multi-instrumentalist Erdem Helvacioğlu and Australian improviser Ros Bandt travelled from Melbourne to Istanbul. Their plea is stated with conviction, often eloquently, occasionally verbosly. The opening, titular track describes elegant, soaring circles, Bandt bowing the most moving, panoramic portrait of the raptor in its element on her tarhu as Helvacioğlu...Read more

Sleeping Hedgehog Blog September 2011

Erdem Helvacıoğlu and Ros Bandt: Black Falcon / Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal: Chamber Music BY DONNA BIRD, ON SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2011 I listened to both of these CDs some weeks ago and then set them aside, with all good intentions to review them while the aural impressions were fresh in my mind. So much for good intentions! But better late than never. They have more in common with each other than might be evident at first listen, so I thought I would write the review on both of them at the same time. Black Falcon is a collaboration between two musicians who are also...Read more

Seattle Pi Magazine February 2011

Music Review: Erdem Helvacioglu & Ros Bandt - Black Falcon By RICHARD MARCUS Perhaps it's because we envy them their ability to soar effortlessly on air currents invisible to our eyes that humans have long equated birds with freedom. With gravity's grip relentlessly keeping us rooted to the earth we can only watch in helpless awe as even the humblest pigeon easily passes over walls that confine even the mightiest of men. Poetry and songs from all over the world confirm our fascination with birds in the way they are constantly used to evoke thoughts of freedom and...Read more

Ragazzi Magazine June 2011

Erdem Helvacioglu & Ros Bandt "Black Falcon" (Pozitif Music 2010) Erdem Helvacioglu spielt elektrische Gitarre und Live-Electronics, Ros Bandt die Tarhu, ein Saiteninstrument, das im historischen Asien entwickelt wurde und nicht nur in vieler Art von Weltmusik gespielt wird. Beide sind Meister an ihren Instrumenten. Die Australierin Ros Bandt hat vielen Projekten zu Erfolg verholfen, ist vielseitig aktiv, auf ihrer Webseite nennt sie sich Sound Artist, Composer, Performer - etliches mehr. Der türkische Elektroniker Erdem Helvacioglu entwirft elektronisch-ambiente...Read more

Ottowa Xpress Newspaper 24 February 2011

Erdem Helvacioglu & Ros Bandt - "Black Falcon"(Pozitif) February 24th, 2011 Erdem Helvacioglu, the prolific and astonishingly inventive young sound artist from Istanbul, is starting to muster a lot of attention, and work, internationally. And for good reason. He renders sounds into delicately textured sound sculptures that play with the mind and the heart. I had the pleasure of seeing Helvacioglu and the Australian Ros Brandt performing at the Yerebetan Sarnici (Cistern), where Brandt, among other things, used mikes in the water of the columned structure to pick up...Read more

Mwe3 Magazine May 2011

POZITIF - Turkish guitarist Erdem Helvacioglu continues to break new ground for the guitar as an artisan’s tool with Black Falcon—his 2010 collaboration album with sound artist Ros Bandt, famous for her work on a long neck instrument called the Tarhu. Thanks to his earlier acclaimed releases—including his recent CD with Swedish composer Per Boysen entitled Sub City 2064—Erdem has built up quite a stellar reputation among music listeners who appreciate challenging avant gard guitar music. On the 2011 CD release of Black Falcon, Erdem redefines the role of the electric...Read more

Loop Magazine July 2011

Erdem Helvacioğlu & Ros Bandt, “Black Falcon”, Pozitif Music Yapim, 2011 The black falcons in Europe and Australia are considered endangered and on the other hand the domestication of these birds, creates a natural tension that moved two talented musicians to collaborate, Turkey's Erdem Hevacioğlu who plays electric guitar and live electronics, and Australia's sound artist Ros Bandt playing her long-neck tarhu (a new form of spike fiddle, created by instrument maker and musician Peter Biffin. It is used by East and Central Asian ethnic groups). “Black Falcon” combines...Read more

Cyclic Defrost Magazine August 2011

Erdem Helvacıoğlu & Ros Bandt – Black Falcon (Pozitif muzik Yapim) By innerversitysound August 21, 2011 On Black Falcon long term Australian avant-garde musician Ros Bandt plays the Tarhu, a long neck stringed instrument created by Australian luthier Peter Biffin. If you have chanced across any of her performances or recorded documents you may be taken immediately by her virtuosity and unique abilities in sound compositions, fashioning of musical instruments, spatial and environmental sound engagements. Erdem Helvacıoğlu, a talented contemporary electro-acoustic...Read more

Guitar Player Magazine April 2011

Erdem Helvacioglu & Ros Bandt "Black Falcon" This beautifully realized album represents an entirely improvised collaboration between two of today’s most imaginative and celebrated new music composers and musicians—one Turkish and the other Australian. Here, Erdem Helvacioglu plays electric guitar through ultra-sophisticated electronic processing, while Ros Bandt performs on the Tarhu, a long-necked 4-string instrument built by Peter Biffin, which may be bowed or played pizzicato. Taking the plight of the black falcon (common to Europe and Australia) as their theme, the...Read more

Hour Ca Magazine February 2011

Erdem Helvacioglu and Ros Bandt "Black Falcon" Erdem Helvacioglu, the prolific and astonishingly inventive young sound artist from Istanbul, is starting to muster a lot of attention, and work, internationally. And for good reason. He renders sounds into delicately textured sound sculptures that play with the mind and the heart. I had the pleasure of seeing Helvacioglu and the Australian Ros Brandt performing at the Yerebetan Sarnici (Cistern), where Brandt, among other things, used mikes in the water of the columned structure to pick up the sound waves of the fish who live...Read more

Jazz&Tzaz Magazine July 2011

Leap In The Dark Magazine February 2011

Music Review: Erdem Helvacioglu & Ros Bandt - Black Falcon Perhaps it's because we envy them their ability to soar effortlessly on air currents invisible to our eyes that humans have long equated the flying birds are capable of with freedom. With gravity's grip relentlessly keeping us rooted to the earth we can only watch in helpless awe as even the humblest pigeon easily passes over walls that confine even the mightiest of men. Poetry and songs from all over the world confirm our fascination with birds in the way they are constantly used to evoke thoughts of freedom...Read more

Interviews

Fourth Dimension Magazine Summer 2011

ERDEM HELVACIOGLU interview - I guess the “Black Falcon” album that you have released with Ros Bandt is your first album released in Turkey. As an artist producing since the beginning of the 2000s, do you feel excited about this release? Yes that is right, although I have released five albums so far, “Black Falcon” is the first one that has been released in Turkey. The “Altered Realities” album which has been released in New York has been imported to Turkey by AK Muzik in 2008. On the other hand, “Black Falcon” has been officially released in Istanbul by the Turkish...Read more

SIGNAL TO NOISE Magazine Summer 2011

Jonathan Wilson Designs Interview July 2011

JONATHAN WILSON INTERVIEW - Growing up in Turkey, how did you get your start in music and what initially drew you to it? Were your first encounters with traditional Turkish music or was it popular music? My initial start to music was the popular music of the 80s. I have been a big fan of 80s hard rock bands and 80s synth-pop music. The big sonic world and the great production quality of the bands such as Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, U2, Van Halen have really inspired me to play the guitar and to think more about music technology. I remember writing letters to the fan clubs...Read more

Guitar Moderne Magazine July 2012

Erdem Helvacioglu, a renowned contemporary composer in his native Turkey, is emblematic of the ever-growing worldwide community of experimental guitarists. His music has been included in festivals, museums and galleries all over the globe. He has collaborated with Mick Karn, Jacob Young, Elliott Sharp, Per Boysen, and many more. Check out his website for full bio and credits. What kind of music were you playing when you first became proficient on the instrument? I started playing guitar when I was eleven years old. The first pieces I learned were technically easier works...Read more

MUSICWORKS magazine Spring 2013 interview