Akın Eldes / Akin Eldes

Turkish guitar heroes were never as lucky as their colleagues abroad. Solo record deals are very hard to obtain, label managers are clueless enough to tell them what to play, because of financial problems they cannot find appropriate opportunities to record and side-projects are inevitable. In such a harsh environment, only few survive thanks to their unmistakable talent. Akin Eldes is one of them and even bolder as he left the huge modern rock band Bulutsuzluk Özlemi and chose his own way in a more jazzy sound.

Born in Frankfurt, Akin Eldes is a resident of Istanbul. He started playing the guitar when he was attending the high school and later he joined E-5 in 1980. After couple of months with another guitarist-songwriter Asim Can Gunduz, Eldes found himself in Bulutsuzluk Özlemi in 1986. Along with mastermind Nejat Yavasogullari, Akin Eldes was one of the main reasons the band got that big. Eldes, recorded Uçtu Uçtu, Güne_imden Kaç, Ya_amaya Mecbursun and Yol with Bulutsuzluk Ozlemi and took stage in front of thousands of fans. Apart from Bulutsuzluk, Eldes also appeared in Bulent Ortacgil masterpiece Bu Sarkilar Adam Olmaz and Gurol Agirbas album Bas Sarkilari II.

With the coming of the new century, Akin Eldes was more than ready to set sail on a solo career. Debut effort Kaf-i was released in 2002. Joining forces with Cem Aksel, Patrick Chartol and Gurol Agirbas, the album was inspired by and dedicated to those who died in the August 17th, 1999 earthquake in Kocaeli.

Second album Turlu (name of a Turkish meal, in which various vegetables are mixed) followed 2 years later, this time with Cem Aksel on drums and Alp Ersönmez on bass with guest appereances from the likes of Erkan Ogur. For the album, Eldes wrote his first lyrics and with the help of Bulent Ortacgil, recorded vocals for the track Kapi Parasi.

Next project of the never-tiring guitarist was a fresh band called Pinhani. He was asked to be the musical director of the band's debut Inandigim Masallar which was released in 2006. Eldes also played the guitars on the album and kept touring with the band, this way satisfying his need to play to large crowds. The band acheived huge success throughout the country, a year after the album was released, as one of their songs (Hele Bir Gel) was featured as the theme song in the teen-drama TV series Kavak Yelleri.

In 2007, with an unexpected call from bass player Ilkin Deniz, Akin Eldes joined by Turgut Alp Bekoglu recorded the third Eldes album in 3 days. Cango - a term which is used for tourists who don't spend any money outside their hotels - was chosen as the album's name. Ilkin Deniz and Turgut Alp Bekoglu were playing together for some time with Erkan Ogur in Telvin. Akin Eldes just matched the chemistry and the most mature Eldes album to date was recorded. In spring the trio re-entered the studio and recorded some new material for the next Akin Eldes album.

Akin Eldes is actually a professional tour guide spending half of the year with music and the other half with guiding. He is attending the recording sessions of the second Pinhani album, while writing new material for his following records.