Nightlife
WUFI is an electro-indie group that has been playing since 2007. Their funky beats and sexy lyrics give them a unique sound and with the release of their first album, their fanbase has expanded considerably. Esen Boyacıgiller and Sibel Karabeyoglu
Could you walk us through the process of writing a song?
Ali Rıza Şahenk: Usually Cem comes to the studio with guitar riffs and lyrics and we start from there. This is how most of the songs on the album for WUFI came to be. It starts off as acoustic guitar and vocals and then becomes what you hear on the album.
When you hear these original pieces do you know what the final outcome of the song will be like or do you go into it with more of an open mind and let the song form itself?
Cem Özel: I don’t think any of us know what it will sound like when it’s in its original stage, but that is all part of the fun of this job. [The song] comes in as one thing and leaves the studio as something completely different.
How did you decide on a sound? Some pieces digress from the WUFI sound, like ‘Shut Up’, which is more ska. Was this a conscious decision to appeal to many crowds?
C.Ö.: We actually dealt with a lot of problems concerning this topic, like for example I didn’t want ‘Shut Up’ to be on the album. We have never thought of certain songs as having their own crowd. The songs are very independent of one another. ‘Shut Up’s original version was acoustic and sounded more ska than anything else.
Can Saban: The album became a sort of personal confession for all of us. We put all our internal emotions and style into it. We tried our very best to put variety into the music and as much self-expression as possible. If we could have had a heavy metal song in there to express a mood, then we would have put that into the album.
The song ‘Kids’ sounds a bit like Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. Has Pink Floyd had an influence on your music at all, or yourselves as artists?
C.Ö.: I can say that we like Pink Floyd, of course, who doesn’t? But lately it is not a group that has an influence on me anymore. When I was 14 or 15 they did and maybe they, and other groups, influenced me to get into music, but I can certainly say for this album they had no influence on us.
Who influences you then?
C.Ö.: Electronic musicians. We all influence each other actually. We all have such different tastes in music that we bring a lot of different sounds to the studio and all of our input combined is very motivating [for the outcome of the song].
C.S.: When I was younger definitely The Beatles and Queen. They both had an incredible affect on me, and my interest in music.
Has working with Ali Rıza been a success? Do you think you’ve benefited more because you know him so well?
C.Ö.: (Laughs) Working with Ali has definitely been a great opportunity. It was also a great coincidence; we were looking for a studio and someone referred him to us. If we had worked with another producer our music might not have sounded the same. We feel like the band isn’t missing anything which is an important feeling to have when you’re making music; there are no doubts.
C.S.: Ali isn’t a conventional producer the way most are, and that’s a good thing. With Ali fixing the songs and teaching Cem and I plus all of us working together, he automatically became a member of the group it was a natural becoming. He also has great synergism when he works and gives off a great vibe that inspires us.
What was you most memorable performance?
C.Ö.: Indigo. Someone jumped up on stage and hugged me. The Indigo concert before the last was good too. Indigo’s sound system, arena, and crowd are great for our concerts.
Do you all support each other in the music scene here? There are a bunch of groups who make mediocre music and a small percentage who make exceptional music such as yourselves. Who do you share the same outlook with regarding making music, style and values?
A.R.Ş.: Off the top of my head: Kim Ki O & Norrda.
CS: Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of groups like us in Istanbul. In terms of rock music, I would say Duman is the most successful, strongest, and well respected group. If you listen to the music on their last album carefully, you can really hear how talented they are. I’d say they really made a name for themselves.
When you’re playing live onstage what is that experience like? Everyone in the crowd is having fun, as are you. How does the crowd reaction factor into what you play?
CÖ: Live performances are very different from being in the studio. When we get on stage and see people’s reactions, we know why we play pieces such as ‘Democracy’. The reaction you get from the crowd for specific songs is an out-of-this-world experience.
Who writes most of the lyrics?
C.Ö.: I write the lyrics.
Have you ever studied music or a related topic? If so how has it benefited you?
C.S.: During middle school I took music lessons, but during college it came to a stop. I decided to study industrial engineering at Sabancı University. I never forgot about music, I still continued to work on it playing piano and classical music; Cem and I both played a bunch of different instruments while recording for WUFI in the studio.
What gets you juiced up before you go onstage?
C.Ö.: Drinking! (laughs)
C.S.: If we plan ahead, WUFI’s Bloody Mary. If there’s none of that then a glass of whiskey on the rocks pretty much hits the spot.
WUFI is: Ali Rıza Şahenk, live electronics, Cem Özel, vocals, guitar, synth, and Can Saban, synths, guitar.
Next concert: 29 May, Indigo, 23.00
http://www.myspace.com/WUFImusic
WUFI
Writer: Sibel Karabeyoglu and Esen Boyacigiller
WUFI is an electro-indie group that has been playing since 2007. Their funky beats and sexy lyrics give them a unique sound and with the release of their first album, their fanbase has expanded considerably. Esen Boyacıgiller and Sibel Karabeyoglu
Could you walk us through the process of writing a song?
Ali Rıza Şahenk: Usually Cem comes to the studio with guitar riffs and lyrics and we start from there. This is how most of the songs on the album for WUFI came to be. It starts off as acoustic guitar and vocals and then becomes what you hear on the album.
When you hear these original pieces do you know what the final outcome of the song will be like or do you go into it with more of an open mind and let the song form itself?
Cem Özel: I don’t think any of us know what it will sound like when it’s in its original stage, but that is all part of the fun of this job. [The song] comes in as one thing and leaves the studio as something completely different.
How did you decide on a sound? Some pieces digress from the WUFI sound, like ‘Shut Up’, which is more ska. Was this a conscious decision to appeal to many crowds?
C.Ö.: We actually dealt with a lot of problems concerning this topic, like for example I didn’t want ‘Shut Up’ to be on the album. We have never thought of certain songs as having their own crowd. The songs are very independent of one another. ‘Shut Up’s original version was acoustic and sounded more ska than anything else.
Can Saban: The album became a sort of personal confession for all of us. We put all our internal emotions and style into it. We tried our very best to put variety into the music and as much self-expression as possible. If we could have had a heavy metal song in there to express a mood, then we would have put that into the album.
The song ‘Kids’ sounds a bit like Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. Has Pink Floyd had an influence on your music at all, or yourselves as artists?
C.Ö.: I can say that we like Pink Floyd, of course, who doesn’t? But lately it is not a group that has an influence on me anymore. When I was 14 or 15 they did and maybe they, and other groups, influenced me to get into music, but I can certainly say for this album they had no influence on us.
Who influences you then?
C.Ö.: Electronic musicians. We all influence each other actually. We all have such different tastes in music that we bring a lot of different sounds to the studio and all of our input combined is very motivating [for the outcome of the song].
C.S.: When I was younger definitely The Beatles and Queen. They both had an incredible affect on me, and my interest in music.
Has working with Ali Rıza been a success? Do you think you’ve benefited more because you know him so well?
C.Ö.: (Laughs) Working with Ali has definitely been a great opportunity. It was also a great coincidence; we were looking for a studio and someone referred him to us. If we had worked with another producer our music might not have sounded the same. We feel like the band isn’t missing anything which is an important feeling to have when you’re making music; there are no doubts.
C.S.: Ali isn’t a conventional producer the way most are, and that’s a good thing. With Ali fixing the songs and teaching Cem and I plus all of us working together, he automatically became a member of the group it was a natural becoming. He also has great synergism when he works and gives off a great vibe that inspires us.
What was you most memorable performance?
C.Ö.: Indigo. Someone jumped up on stage and hugged me. The Indigo concert before the last was good too. Indigo’s sound system, arena, and crowd are great for our concerts.
Do you all support each other in the music scene here? There are a bunch of groups who make mediocre music and a small percentage who make exceptional music such as yourselves. Who do you share the same outlook with regarding making music, style and values?
A.R.Ş.: Off the top of my head: Kim Ki O & Norrda.
CS: Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of groups like us in Istanbul. In terms of rock music, I would say Duman is the most successful, strongest, and well respected group. If you listen to the music on their last album carefully, you can really hear how talented they are. I’d say they really made a name for themselves.
When you’re playing live onstage what is that experience like? Everyone in the crowd is having fun, as are you. How does the crowd reaction factor into what you play?
CÖ: Live performances are very different from being in the studio. When we get on stage and see people’s reactions, we know why we play pieces such as ‘Democracy’. The reaction you get from the crowd for specific songs is an out-of-this-world experience.
Who writes most of the lyrics?
C.Ö.: I write the lyrics.
Have you ever studied music or a related topic? If so how has it benefited you?
C.S.: During middle school I took music lessons, but during college it came to a stop. I decided to study industrial engineering at Sabancı University. I never forgot about music, I still continued to work on it playing piano and classical music; Cem and I both played a bunch of different instruments while recording for WUFI in the studio.
What gets you juiced up before you go onstage?
C.Ö.: Drinking! (laughs)
C.S.: If we plan ahead, WUFI’s Bloody Mary. If there’s none of that then a glass of whiskey on the rocks pretty much hits the spot.
WUFI is: Ali Rıza Şahenk, live electronics, Cem Özel, vocals, guitar, synth, and Can Saban, synths, guitar.
Next concert: 29 May, Indigo, 23.00
http://www.myspace.com/WUFImusic