Ali Doğan Gönültaş

His debut album, Kiğı, from 2022, is an unusual project. It is the result of over a decade of ethno-musicological field research by this trained archaeologist and media scholar, and it gives a very personal view of a 150-year-long musical history of his Anatolian birthplace, Kiğı. The project is close to Gönültaş’s heart, a form of musical recollection derived from oral history.      

In his songs Gönültaş draws on musical forms such as the traditional Kurdish govend folkdance, and on regional laments, work songs and prayers. All his songs reflect the tradition of vocalised story-telling and Kiğı’s multilingualism in Kırmancki, Kurmancî, Kirdaski, Armenian and Turkish. The album went to number one on the Balkan World Music Chart, and – like this charismatic musician’s live performances – was acclaimed by international audiences and critics alike.