Zelt

About

ZELT are a London-based, Anglo-Turkish 3-piece who fuse SWANA (South West Asian & North African) folk songs and lyrics with stridently modern music – underpinned by a strong post-punk sensibility and contemporary electronic arrangements. Singer and darbuka player, Semra Bulut is a regular on the London ex-pat music scene playing percussion with Balkan act Balamuc (recently featured in session on BBC Radio 3), in addition to performing with Turkish legend Selda Bağcan at WOMAD and using her unique voice as part of the London Bulgarian Choir. She joined ZELT in 2023 alongside electronic arranger and drummer, Phil Seddon, and Dave Adams, who plays an unusual quartertone-fretted electric guitar. Semra’s impromptu, late-night car park audition in Hackney was so enchanting that the band used the field recording as an introduction to the single version of their debut single release Uzun ince bir Yoldayım. The band follows this release with the forthcoming album, İstanbul’u Dinliyorum in October 2024. The band are known for their dynamic, energetic sets designed to get crowds moving, and explode the myth that ‘World Music’ is ‘nice’ or ‘safe’. Phil and Dave’s ZELT DJ sets lean heavily into hard-edged and experimental contemporary Arabic and Central African releases by artists like Ammar 808, Kokoko and Maurice Louca.

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