With its Balkan-Anatolian partymusic, the Kolektif Istanbul has won many fans over the past years. Live performances, including at the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, have left a lasting impression on viewers and concert organizers. "We want to share the fun and joy that we have on the stage with our audience," Laniepce explains the philosophy of the band, which appeals to people from many different social groups. "This is always great when you see grandparents dancing with their grandchildren to our music. Or if cool hipster go out completely, because they have probably seen that our music and stiffness of movement are only badly tolerated, "Laniepce smirks. Bandfoto Kolektif IstanbulThe new album Past?rma yaz?, which the French-Turkish-Bulgarian ensemble played for the ten-year-old band jubilee, is both a look and a present at the same time. "We wanted a balanced mixture of songs, which were fun for us to make music, and songs that the listeners enjoyed," Laniepce explains the song selection. Although he and his playmates have never felt like a political band in the narrower sense, the album also contains two pieces that can be viewed as a commentary on the time. In Hamanci Teyze - a traditional Bulgarian woman - a visitor to a Turkish bath complains about the loss of her jewelery, which was stolen there. "Of course this song also has a metaphorical level. We live in unsafe, dark times. In this way, many people are deprived of their freedom and their vitality, "explains Do?an with a view to political upheaval in the Middle East and a life of constant terror
