MEET THE NEW FACES OF QUEER KURDISH ART ROCK

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Adir Jan Tekîn is not your typical musician in Berlin. The Berlin-born singer and songwriter produces songs in two Kurdish dialects. Tekîn’s band Adirjam is gaining steam for being the uniquely first Kurdish queer art rock band.

Tekîn brings a uniquely Kurdish sound with the Tembûr, along with his bandmates Dave Sills on cello and Conny Kreuter on guitar. They’ve have played around Berlin, including the May Day protest parties and So36, a punk club founded by Martin Kippenberger. Now, they’re gearing up for shows this summer and are recording their first album.

Kurdistan, which is a grey zone between east Turkey, north Iraq, northwest Iran and northeast Syria, has always fought for its rights, but one key thing that keeps the voice of the people alive is how Kurdish music has been used as a political voice. Kurdish music was banned in Turkey from 1982 to 1991, causing musicians like Şivan Perwer, Beytocan, and Nizamettin Ariç to flee while their hits played on pirate radio.

While Turkey has queer performers, including trans diva Bülent Ersoy, a lot of the performers remain closeted, according to Tekîn. Not him. His heart burns for a selfish Greek lover in the song “My Janaki.” “Rainbow” is another that's inspired by the 2013 murder of R.Ç. in North Kurdistan, a stand against homophobia and transphobia that references repression everywhere. “The flowers of the garden are many colors, we are a piece of the rainbow,” the lyrics go. “Let us march together to defend love.”

Tekin has soulful lyrics, even if you don’t understand the language. Storytelling is a huge key factor of Kurdish music; but to him, it’s as equally about the subject as it is about the music. We grabbed a seat at the queer bar Südblock in Berlin’s bustling Kreuzberg district to talk about faith in love and what drew him to Kurdish music.

Complete paper and interview here : http://www.vice.com/read/meet-the-new-f ... h-art-rock

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I enjoy most types of music BUT I did not not enjoy this at all

The Germans produce some excellent Rock and really good Kurdish Rap but that was rubbish

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I can't judge that music, I do not like rock

[Anthea]

I can't judge that music, I do not like rock

My favourite rock group

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[Anthea]

This video of them is more recent

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Rammstein are one of the most popular groups in the world