Derya Yildirim & Group Şimşek at Rozz-Tox -- June 12
Friday, June 12, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
With the group dedicated to revitalizing Anatolian folk music and instrumentation by infusing timeless melodies with a modern psychedelic flair, the touring ensemble Derya Yildirim & Group Şimşek headline a June 12 concert at Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox, the group's 2025 release Yarın Yoksa inspiring The Guardian to rave that "fuzzy, hypnotic beats, soulful saz-funk and emotive balladry mark Yıldırım's powerfully imaginative new music."
Born in Hamburg, Germany, to Turkish parents, Derya Yıldırım grew up influenced by her family’s Anatolian background and the myriad of cultures in the city. Derya’s musical roots started at home playing folk music with family members. Her father pushed her to learn various instruments, beginning with the bağlama, a seven stringed Turkish lute. Then she picked up the guitar, piano, and saxophone. Although she is a multi-instrumentalist, Derya always felt drawn to the sound of the bağlama.
Ten years ago, Derya met French musicians Graham Mushnik and Antonin Voyant from Catapulte Records and formed the band Grup Şimşek with Helen Wells, a drummer from Cape Town, South Africa joining in 2021. While the band is truly international, they eschew the term ‘world music’, preferring instead "outernational" which they say suggests a sound that’s more inclusive or “beyond borders.” DY&GS embody what defines Anatolian folk music – “You need a groove and a melody, and everything around it is free.” It’s this ethos that guides the band’s songwriting and the way they take on Anatolian folk standards. “I believe the melodies shouldn't be changed because we are responsible to preserve music in the correct way. Our versions respect the roots. It’s the same lyrics and melody, but it has a different soul maybe.” While it’s easy to think of folk music as a music of the past, she insists it’s just as important today. “Some of these poems were written hundreds of years ago but they’re still relevant. This music is so important because it remains the voice of the people, the minority, and the oppressed.”
After self-producing multiple albums, they signed with New York’s Big Crown Records in 2024 and teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer Leon Michels (El Michels Affair) for Yarın Yoksa. The new album embodies their balance of preservation and innovation across nine original compositions and three traditional folk songs. It is a record that will enchant any listener regardless of language barrier with Derya’s passion and authenticity front and center and music too moving to deny.
Supporting Derya Yildirim & Group Şimşek at Rozz-Tox is Idpyramid, the synthwave soundscape project of Midwest musical chameleon Dennis Hockaday (ex-Mondo Drag and Meth and Goats). Idpyramid draws on a variety of sounds to create their own unique style of spaced-out deep groove dance jams, ranging from the minimal early electronic Krautrock sounds of the late 60's to the synth-heavy dance grooves of 1980's synth pop.
Derya Yildirim & Group Şimşek and Idpyramid perform their Rock Island engagement on June 12, admission to the 8 p.m. all-ages concert is $15-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
