Mercan Dede facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercan Dede
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Dede in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Arkın Ilıcalı |
| Also known as | DJ Arkin Allen |
| Born | 1966 Bursa, Turkey |
| Genres | World music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments |
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Mercan Dede, born Arkın Ilıcalı in 1966, is a talented musician from Turkey and Canada. He is also known as DJ Arkin Allen. Mercan Dede is a composer, DJ, and producer. He plays special instruments like the ney (a type of flute) and the bendir (a frame drum). He is famous for his "world music" style. This means he mixes traditional Turkish and Middle Eastern sounds with modern electronic music. He has worked with many musicians from around the world.
Contents
Mercan Dede's Early Life and Studies
Mercan Dede was born in Bursa, a city in Turkey. His parents worked hard.
Later, he moved to Istanbul to study at Istanbul University. There, he learned about journalism and photography. After finishing his studies, he received a special scholarship. This allowed him to move to Montreal, Canada, to continue his education.
Mercan Dede's Musical Journey
Mercan Dede had been making music for several years. Then, in 1997, he officially started his group called the Mercan Dede Ensemble. Their very first album was named Sufi Dreams. It came out in 1998. This album became more popular when its music was used in a German TV show about Sufi music.
In 2001, Dede released his third album, Seyahatname. This record features the sound of the ney. The ney is a special flute from the Middle East. Dede says the ney's sound is "a pure, universal spiritual sound." He believes it can bring out deep feelings in people. He also feels the ney speaks the language of love. This album was Dede's way of thinking about his own spiritual path.
His 2002 album, Nâr, continued with similar musical ideas. In 2004, he released Su. This album was so popular that it stayed at number one on the European World Music Charts for two months! Su was made with musicians from different countries. It also had more singing than his earlier works. One song, featuring folk singer Sabahat Akkiraz, was especially loved in Turkey.
That same year, Dede performed in the United States for the first time at an event called Globalfest. After that, he went on a tour across North America. He also released an album called Fusion Monster under the name DJ Arkin Allen. The Turkish Ministry of Culture asked him to be the music director for a project called Guldestan. This project aimed to share Turkish culture and arts worldwide. He worked with choreographer Beyhan Murphy on this.
His 2007 album, Nefes, included Sheema Mukherjee. She is a sitar player from the group Transglobal Underground. This album features songs in Turkish, Arabic, and French.
Mercan Dede's Albums
Here are some of the albums Mercan Dede has released:
- Sufi Dreams (1998)
- Journeys of a Dervish (1999)
- Seyahatname (2001)
- Nar (2002)
- Sufi Traveler (2004 – this was a new package of Seyahatname and Nar)
- Fusion Monster (2004) (released as DJ Arkin Allen)
- Su (2003)
- Nefes/Breath (2007)
- 800 (2007)
- Dünya/Earth (2013)
- Mercan Dede Box Set (2016, a collection of 5 CDs)
Mercan Dede's Achievements and Awards
Mercan Dede has received many honors for his music:
- His album 800 was chosen as the Best World Music Album of 2008 by WOMEX.
- He has been nominated for the BBC 3 Awards for World Music several times. He was nominated twice in the Middle East and North Africa category. He was also nominated three times in the Club Global category.
- He was featured in a documentary film by Fatih Akin. The film is called Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul.
- He composed some music for a dance show in 2003. The show was called Nefés and was created by German choreographer Pina Bausch.
See also
- Music of Turkey
