Turkish guitarist not afraid of ‘getting dirty’

Cingi began to play guitar at the age of 11 and later studied composition under Professor Muammer Sun at the Ankara State Conservatory. He received his master’s degree in conducting from Professor Rengim Gökmen. In 2004 he went to the US to continue his education in production and soundtrack and commercial music. He has performed at prominent club chains such as Blue Martini and O’Hara’s in southern Florida. He recorded his first album, titled “Kendi Kendine,” between November 2007 and March 2008 in Miami, New York City and Boca Raton.

Cingi says his music has two sides: academic and street. “I began studying composition at the age of 25, and by then I had already been performing for seven years. My academic side provides me with discipline and focus, whereas my street side fuels my creativity,” he emphasizes in an interview with Today’s Zaman.

The artist describes his music as “rock in the Turkish language, not Turkish rock” and “expressive music without conundrum.” Asked what he means by these descriptions, he says there is no such thing as “Turkish rock,” explaining: “It’s just rock and that’s it. That’s why I prefer to avoid getting involved in a category such as Turkish rock and position my music as rock in the Turkish language. I also have songs in English, and I don’t call them American or English rock.”

Cingi says his first album was released so late in his career because it was only in the US that he had everything he wanted “in terms of technology and recording.” Previously he did not have sufficient access to recording technology or an adequate budget, he explains. He describes his debut as a very straightforward rock album. “It’s a collection of different rock traditions and lyrics of very personal outbursts. I see myself as a liberal rocker. I learned a lot from British icons such as Mercury, Daltrey, Plant and Jagger,” he stresses. Asked about his creative process, the artist says he writes his music and lyrics simultaneously. “I either write it in a few days or just throw it away. Unless it sounds good in a few days, I leave it and start to write another song.”

He is currently working as a producer at Elec-trip, a commercial music and film score production company. “For about a year, I produced 10 jingles and got involved in three movies as a composer. I love the production arena, as well. The good thing about jingle composition is that you can actually improve your commercial skills without sacrificing your own music,” he says, adding it puts an artist in a position like that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Cingi performs at Beyoğlu Hayal Kahvesi every Monday night accompanied by Tarkan Mumkule on guitar and backup vocals, Levent Candaş on bass and Nedim Ruacan on drums.