Zel Zele is proud to present Mavi Güneş 69, a band formed by Osman Murat Ertel, frontman and co-founder of Istanbul’s cult psychedelic folk band BaBa ZuLa, together with his partner Esma Ertel, songwriter, singer and dancer. Mavi Güneş 69 blends ancient folk tales, theremin dances and words of wisdom with electronics and psychedelia.

3 Çember, meaning 3 Circles, is a dubbed out electric saz jam with haunting theremin sounds and hypnotic vocals, led by Esma’s mystical incantation - “We are born, we move round and round in circles until we find our soul, soul then wonders for its companion, hearts reach bodies and fire reach the skies.”

In “Yafta” industrial electronics meet Anatolian rhythms, infused with a punk attitude. Yafta, meaning, ‘labelling’, encourages breaking free of society’s confines. “Came into this world, opened my eyes, I had no labels, was bare-naked, hastily they dressed me in a pair of briefs to mark my identity.” You can hear their sons accompanying them on vocals.

Mavi Güneş, meaning blue sun, was the very first band Murat Ertel formed when he was 5 years old. He was told off by his teacher because of drawing a ‘wrong’ image when he painted the sun in blue. He would get together with his neighbours to make music but most importantly asked the first questions about life and imagination. The group disbanded in the same year but it’s spirit stuck with him.

Growing up in a family that practiced the Bektashism, an islamic sufi tradition that put spirituality and mysticism in the forefront, Esma Ertel assimilated into folk music and dance, sufi rituals, poetry and myths embracing the rich cultural heritage of Anatolia.

When the two creative minds met, the inevitable force of mutual passion and heritage blessed them to join forces and make the ‘blue sun’ rise. Murat became the first person to play and perform with a theremin and Esma became the first theremin dancer of Turkey .

Inspired by Hacivat ve Karagöz, a traditional Turkish shadow theatre, originating from the Ottoman Empire, Mavi Güneş 69 often performs behind a curtain, using theatre, visuals and dance to support their mythical vision “we rise in different parts of the planet, our songs are from now to future, and our story is from our ancestors to forever.”
 
Esma Ertel: Vocals, theremin, dancing, bendir, electronics
Osman Murat Ertel: Electric saz, divan saz, synths, electronics, vocals, percussion
Can Aydemir: Bass guitar, electronics, percussion