FERMAN AKGÜL/BİROL GİRAY'S TRENDY DECEMBER 2013 INTERVIEW

Some highlights from the interview:

This idea of #BensizSen (YouWithoutMe) belongs to Birol. Birol and maNga was on stage together for another project before. He thought that Ferman's voice matches with his music very much and offered him to perform in this song of him. 

Q to Ferman: This is the first project for you to take part in, separately from maNga. Why did you lean towards this project?

F: Birol's offer came at a time that I was thinking about doing something different. I wanted to be in a project for myself, apart from maNga, do some electronic music. And Birol came with this project. We had previously worked with him already and had quite fun together. Birol's offer made me rethink what I wanted so much. That's why I accepted his offer.

 Q: Is the reason why you wanted to do something outside the band, you desiring to be in the forefront?

F: No, every musician ultimately have a lot of ideas that he can't dam up. I also had some ideas from time to time. I love electronic music, too. But I have to do it right, because I shouldn't hurt maNga. So I am wary of everything. This project of Birol was unique and special. And maNga will release a new album very soon.

Birol says that he wanted to do a song with a male vocal. They came together on a project and this changed everything.

Ferman: It changed everything to work on "Cevapsiz Sorular".

Birol: When I started playing CS, it received incredible response. After I played it at Rock'N Coke, I couldn't help sending my thanks to him saying "Thanks to Ferman with my love!".

We're now putting an end to staying away from the spotlight. We'd like the young people to know that we can produce this kind of music and lyrics in this country. We represent the music of the future.

Ferman: Some melodies or lyrics have their own time to come. Some parts of this song's lyrics were some little notes I had put aside 7-8 years ago when I was preparing for the album. I have always them in some hidden corner. I always believe that some day something will complete this. Not today maybe, but 10 years later definitely. They occured to me all of a sudden for no reason and then I added some more to them.

Q: After a relationship is over, what is that the women will be missing of you?

Ferman: If that person sees a person who is not in the music business after me, she'll miss the fun part she'd have with me. I'd miss the same thing in fact. Because when we create something, our women are the first people to experience it. That test phase turns into fun. We'll be missing this part the most.

Birol: I'm a creative person. I live a passionate life. Both sides have to be creative and meet each other half way. If the other drags behind, she misses something. Both sides have to be passionate in love.

Q: Tell us a bit about your Turkey Tour.

Birol: It'll start in January. We plan to go to 3-4 university towns every month. We aim to have fun and dance. Because our society feel a lot of pressure almost constantly. I feel very lucky, because I have someone like Ferman who is loved by the people very much. I believe it's going to be very good.

Q: You have only one song right now. Do you play maNga songs on tour?

Ferman: We think to make new ones, too. Maybe some covers. MaNga songs will form a small part of the program.

Birol: And before us, a good DJ will take stage, possibly a female DJ. Because female DJs are not given any chance to show themselves.

Q: Why can't female DJs show their abilities?

Birol: The music perception of the women is quite different.

Ferman: I think some names watered it down.

Birol: They highlighted the sex appeal, too. They presented the venue, but the music was left behind. You can do it just once, not a second time around. But of course this is a male proffession.

Ferman: You don't have to be a musician. The control settings of a TV set or a car are mostly interests of men.

Birol: But if a woman really loves this, she can easily surpass a man. Because the women are very good at observing the details and they have very good visual perception. And this also brings professionalism.

Q: What did maNga fans think about this?

Ferman: We got good comments on the internet. Of course there will be some fan base who won't embrace this, but there is nothing to do.

Q: When people see you in a different project separately from maNga, they think that maNga is left behind...

Ferman: These are totally different formations. We play in different venues. This has its own flavor, and maNga has its own. So both will feed each other eventually.

Q: When will the new maNga album be out?

Ferman: In January.

Q: What other projects do you think you'll be in together?

Birol: I like stability. The important thing is the response we'll be getting. We'd never played in English yet. Who knows, maybe we do that.

Ferman: I think electronic music is one of the easiest musical genres to spread widely. So there is an open door in front of us.

Birol: Why not go international?

Ferman: I think it's the beginning of a nice change, both for us, and for the beginning of the electronic music in Turkey. We love this music.

Birol: I see people surprised and I like it so much.




Translated into English humbly by Inci