Singer and saz player Emre Gültekin was born in Belgium and learned music from his
father, Lütfü Gültekin. His technique, his fine playing and his deep voice have been recorded
in many projects, including Gültekinler, Talipler, Blindnote and more recently, Vardan
Hovanissian & Emre Gültekin and Guo Gan & Emre Gültekin. His repertoire focuses on the
songs of the asik, bards of Anatolia who travel from village to village carrying their songs. Emre
presents himself as a troubadour of modern times, equipped with his saz, the long-handled
lute emblematic of Turkey.
A year ago, Emre met the Indian duo BrahmaKhyapa, an outstanding couple of traditional
musicians, who perpetuates the tradition of Baul music. Malabika Brahma (vocals) and Sanjay
Khyapa (dubki, dotara) fell immediately the possible connections between saz and Baul music.
They are both musical and spiritual : repertoires, similarities between the communities to
which they belong, nomadic way of life, and echoes they found in their poetry. Thus was born
the idea of an album they are preparing for summer 2018, which is a tribute to the values
shared by these two cultures. They call into question the meaning of borders, travel, wealth,
wisdom and love.
EMRE GÜLTEKIN
Born in 1980 in
La Louvière (Belgium),
Emre Gültekin
specialized over the
years in the practice
of saz, the name given
to long-necked lutes
family in Turkey. He
first learned to play
saz with his father
Lütfü Gültekin. Later,
he worked with
masters such as Talip
Özkan or Mustafa
Karaçeper.
Emre collaborated with many musicians from various origins, such as Dadmehr (Iran),
Malick Pathé Sow (Senegal), Goran Bregoviç (Serbia - Croatia), Wouter Vandenabeele
(Belgium), and others. Currently, he is expanding his musical practice into composing film
music and playing in several projects with whom he toured around the world : Vardan
Hovanissian & Emre Gültekin, Osuna, Guo Gan & Emre Gültekin. He toured around the world.
Emre teaches saz in Brussels (Muziekpublique).
MALABIKA BRAHMA & SANJOY KHYAPA
Malabika Brahma (vocals) and Sanjay Khyapa (dabki, dotara) were born in Kolkata. Their love
for music brought them together fifteen years ago. The Baul culture is rooted in Bengal
(Eastern India), where musicians move from place to place and play a sacred repertoire
encompassing Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, yoga and Tantra. Malabika sings centennial poems
in his warm and subtle voice, supported by Sanjay, who plays the dabki (percussion) and the
dotara (lute). The obvious complicity of the duo, in section in music and in life, is naturally
reflected on stage.
In 2015, during a musical workshop they lead the AKDT of Libramont, they pose a foot in
Belgium for the first time. They meet the Belgian duo Auster Loo (Lydie Thonnard, Simon
Leleux), with whom they record some pieces of the CD Rhythm & Breath (Home Records,
2016).
They have since come back to Belgium and gave a dozen concerts.